The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-12-15
HOSIERY WORKERS MOVE AGAINST
SOCIALIST OFFICIALS

NEW YORK-Forced back into the mills by
the officials Of the American Federation of Full
Fashioned Hosiery Workers under a wage cut
agreement, hosiery workers of this district and
New England are smoldering with discomfort
against their wage-cutting socialist and Musteite
officials and are preparing for independent
struggle 10 protect their interests.
Workers of the Proper McCollum mills at
Elmhurst Long Island, and at Northampton
Mass, the former comprising Local Of the A. F.
F. F. H W. have refused to pay dues to the
national organization since they were forced
back to work under heavy wage cuts.
Three weeks ago the workers of these hosiery
mills put up fight to regain the differential pay
for footers and forced the employers to agree
to a return of IL to Is per cent of the wage cut
the union put across.
The national officials Of the A. F. F. F. H. w
Immediately brought pressure on the bosses as
ISOLATION not to permit the concession to the
Proper McCollum hosiery workers and insisted
on maintaining the average IS per cent to so per
cent wage cut. Rieve and Smith national off
GERS of the Hosiery Union, appealed to the i'm
partial chairman of the industry to force the
Proper McCollum bosses to recall the partial
return on the originaA wage cuts.
When the members TO Local s. A r. F. F. H
w. heard of this treacherous move of their Of
ficals they voted by an overwhelming majority
at a meeting held Wednesday, December Q to
Immediately secede from the American Fedora
ton of Full Fashioned Hosiery Workers and
strike should the so-called impartial chairman
rule against the return of the differential wage
for footers. Such strike and secession move
ment would affect the two Long Island mills
and the Northampton mill.
Officials m Treacheruus Move
William Smith, secretary of the AFFF.H.w,
paid personal visit to Local 5 and sought to
cajole the workers into paying dues to the Phila-
delphia office and to drop their struggles in the
mills for the maintenance of the differential
wage return that they had won.
Members of Local 10, workers of the Merritt
mill Of this city have also decided not to pay
dues to the National Office of the union and are
waiting for developments among the Proper
McCollum workers
Rank and File Movements
SO far has the estrangement of the New York
hosiery workers from the company union off
Gals gone that the national board of the Amer
lean Federation of Full Fashioned Hosiery Work
ers CONTROLLED by such Mustetes and socialists
as Emil Rieve, William Smith John Edelman
Carl Holderman, and Alex McKeown) has re-
fused to recognize the duly elected representa-
tive of the New York district. The socialist sell
out officials fear that a rank and file movement
union tactics would soon be challenged by the
masses of hosiery workers. The new representa-
tive elected by the New York District Council
meeting, replaced that denagogue and leader of
the Conference for Progressive Labor Action
(Muste group Carl Hoderman, who was re-
moved by the workers. Rieve and Smith are
now negotiating for a truce with the New York
District Council and have called q meeting in
Paterson Saturday, December IL.
motion at the New York District Council
Of the AFFFH.W. that no dues from the New
York, New England and New Jersey hosiery
workers be paid to the national board was lost
by vote of to 9.
In other hosiery districts of the country pri-
marily the Reading (Berks County, district con-
ditions for the hosiery workers continue to grow
worse In the "unionized" districts as Phila-
delphia, New Jersey and Milwaukee the process
OF the merging Of the union apparatus with that
Of the organized manufacturers grows at rapid
pace, especially as the socialist officials of the
AFFF.H,W. are forced to rely more and more
on the bosses in beating back the rank and file
movement against them, as in the case Of the
Proper McCollum workers
Scabbing OH Unorganzed
The Hosiery Worker, edited by John Edelnan
former socialist candidate for Congress from
Philadelphia, sardoncally enough reports that
the union forced such wage cuts in the union
lied mills that the Berkshire Mil at Wyomissing
Outside Of Reoaing, Pa) the big open shop