The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-07-22
By l. ANTER.

ALLENTOWN Pa-For u weeks, the Allen
a town silk workers have been on strike. Fight
ing nlilitantly on the picket line these workers
In the main Pennsylvania Dutch and Italian
American workers, and mostly young workers
IS to "a years of age have been conducting
splendid fight. There has been no strike OF any
dimension in Allentown in SO years, and the
spirit Of organization and miltancy show clearly
that the workers can and will fight.
Not knowing of any other organization but the
United Textile Workers. the Allentown workers
wired four times to New York, and at last an
organizer was sent down and they joined the
UTW For period there was militant picket
ing but the U.T.W.-that is A F. of L.-Organ-
izsrs are not interested in picketing, for that
means conflict, and the A F of L. leaders, work
ing hand in hand with the bosses, want the
strikes to peter out and the spirit of the work
ers to be crushed Have Green and Vol, to-
gether with Norman Thomas. not said that this
Is not the time for strikes? Did Green not prom
Use Hoover that there would be no strikes?
Therefore the policy of the leaders of the A. F
Of L. is to prevent strikes and to SELL THEM
OUT when they take place.
This selling-out does not always take place
openly. Sometimes, as in Philadelphia in the up
holstery workers, the workers are forced by the
A F. of L. leaders (Iuste gang to go back to
work at IA per cent wage reduction, with the
threat of revocation of their charter if they do
not return to work The charter was then re-
voked At other times, the organizers make
settlement" and then leave town after selling
out the workers, as in the case of the Danvllle
textile workers. This was the action of German,
the organizer of the U.T.W. Or as in Marion
N c., and Elizabethton, Tenn, where the UTW.
with Music organizers, sold out the workers
three times.
o,,fza ~ he 7 r
Mcdonald. is 74-year-old man. well trained in
A. p. of L. methods. Although he has not di-
rectly opposed the workers, he has done every
thing to make their strike activities impossible
He agreed with the police to put only 10 men on
the picket line. This means that scabs can enter
the mills without trouble. But the workers found
their own methods of stopping scabs and the
number working in the mills is small
The Allentown workers know that Allentown
work is being done in Paterson. That s.
Paterson workers, without knowing it, have 0een
doing work for Allentown bosses. Twice Allen
town workers went to Paterson to see what could
be done about it. But nothing could be accom-
plished On Saturday July IL, forty-five Allen
town workers vent to Paterson to attend the
mass meeting and bring the greetings of soil
darity to the Paterson workers who were Or
ganizing for strike Their spokesman, Marsh
made militant speech, pointing out the nser-
able conditions under which the Allentown
workers work.
At this meeting he emphasized that the Allen
town workers, the rank and file, intended to put
forth THEIR OWN demands-8 hour day, 5 day
week, 25 per cent increase in wages. This showed
clearly that the Allentown workers we're not sat-
ished with their leadership and intended to fight
for their own demands. At the conference held
In Paterson on Sunday, July u, where the Al
lentown and the Pawtucket, R. I, workers were
enthusiastically greeted it was decided that
delegation OF Paterson workers should go to Al
lentown in order to propose a UNITED STRUG-
GLE of the Paterson and Allentown workers
against the miserable conditions and low wages,
together with Central Falls, and Pawtucket.
The delegation went to Allentown, and when
Chairmen, who constitute the Strike Committee,
Mr. Mcdonald, the 74-year-old fossil of the
UTW, tried to prevent the Paterson rank and
file committee, representing the United Front
General Strike Committee from speaking The
shop chairmen would not listen to this refusal
and the speaker presented the proposals of the
Paterson workers. Outside the hall, stood hun
dreds of workers. who could hear through the
omen windows When Mcdonald attacked the
Paterson delegation as Reds and Communists,
cries were raised by the workers outside of
Throw him out" This was signal and Moser,
representative of the Central Trades and Labor