The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-01-20

THE strike of over 300 girls and women at the
Lesnow shirt factory against Is to 30 per
cent wage-cut is convincing proof of the correct
ness of the slogan Organize and Strike Against
Wage-Cuts," and shows the possibilities of de-
veloping militant struggles among hitherto ,in-
organized workers and of building our new unions
in the midst of these struggles. The fact that
this strike is the first of any consequence in
New Haven since 1922 gives, greater Importance
to it than the actual numbers involved Indicate
The most significant feature is that we succeeded
in stepping into the developing situation in time
to take over undsputed leadership of the strike
in spite of lack Of inside contacts in the shop
before the strike took place eve issued the
leafet calling for strike, after of our mem
bers canvassing for unemployment signatures
found out that wage-cut had taken place in
factory, and that strike sentiment was
spreading among the girls. A leafet was issued
the same night and distributed the following
morning and the workers Immediately went on
strike)
Our leadership Of this strike has placed us in
a favorable situation to develop organzational
work, not only in the needle trades Shops but
in other factories and industries in New Haven
in many of which the workers showed an intense
interest in the conduct and outcome of the strike
The Chamber Of Commerce is also aware of the
repercussions of the strike, and it used all pos
sible pressure to prevent the Lesnow bosses from
settling, when they were prepared to negotiate.
The U. S. Department of Labor 'conciliator'
played the role of open strike breaker by con-
ferring with the bosses. refusing to have any
thing to do with the strikers, and giving sthe
boss the open support of the government The
role of the F. of L. was also against the
strike: though forced by the mass sympathy for
the strikers to make hyprocritical statements of
sympathy, their refusal to permit strikers COM
nittees to appear on the floor of the A. r. Of L.
local unions shows their true strke-b breaking role
Because of the composition of the strikers
(extreme youth, ignorance of organization. re-
ligious influence, influence OF parents, etc. new
and flexible methods OF work had to be intro
duced into the conduct and leadership of the
strike and the formation of the union ~ We
succeeded in combating the issue Of "Commu-
nisln' when it arose, by completely winning the
confidence of the strikers in leading the picket
line, facing arrests and beatings. and organizing
the day-to-day activity SO as to keep the morale
high. CD The strikers initial opposition and
suspicion about joining the union overcome
by not forcing the issue, but as the strike con-
tinued carrying on constant and careful edu-
cational campaign. and by actual personal con-
tact with the parents of the strikers. 1t was cor
rect to place as one strikers demands "recogni-
ton OF the shop-comn1ittee,' when the strikers
did not yet understand the role Of the union
and we're not yet ready to support the demand OF
recognition of the union. 60 The earlier fail
ure of the. strikers themselves to picket was
partly overcome as the strike developed. We
selected our youth comrades and the most Amer
canized elements to develop personal contacts
with the strikers, and through them system
atically pushed into leadership and activity the
most militant and promising elements from
among the strikers themselves. a. The re-
gious issue was successfully side-tracked and the
interference Of the Catholic priest averted by the
use Of flexible approach to the religious ques-
ton, through which the girls themselves even