The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-02-10
BY I. AMTER.

IN December II, after 10 days strike, the strike
" OF the Eagle pencil workers was declared
off. and the workers returned to work defeated.
This strike is Of great Importance to the revo-
lutionary union movement and the Communist
Party. and is of especial Importance to the
membership of the Party of the New York Dis
trict since it was the first attempt to apply the
new methods Of preparing and conductiong strike
struggles.
The Eagle pencil workers were composed OF
two groups: men who earned up to $40 week,
and girls and women who earned as little as
So week Some Of the men had had organ
national experience. while the women and girls
were totally inexperienced. The men numbered
about 200, the women and girls 740-a total OF
$40 workers.
On october 10th the company announced
general wage cut of 10 per cent. The shop
nucleus of the Party Immediately issued shop
paper. The Section Committee began holding
shop gate meetings. The result was that the
workers in the shop were so aroused that the
company was compelled to rescind the wage cut
This led to the formation Of a shop COM
rnittee-a committee not elected by the workers
in the shop, owing to the impossibility OF hold
ing open meetings because Of the spy system in
the shop-but committee which had the sup
port of the workers in the shop. The Trade
Union Unity League entered the field, and
through leaflets showed the workers the way to
prepare for the struggle.
Towards the end of November. the company
posted another wage cut The workers became
more active and on December I, the day the
cut was to go into effect, the shop committee
issued leaflet demanding either that the COM
pany withdraw the wage cut, or the workers
would call Stoppage,
The word stoppage was used, for once before
the workers had stopped on the job. The shop
committee meant strike, but 1t did not clearly
explain this to the workers. The result was
that the workers readily stopped work, but not
understanding the meaning of strike, did not
willingly go to the strike hall.
The conditions for struggle were present and
the workers well understood. But understand
ing and willingness to strike are not all that are
required today. Strike preparations require
broad organizational preparations election
of large strike committee the checking-up OF
all workers, organization by departments, picket
committees, defense, entertainment, visiting
committees Ito visit the workers who do not go
down to the picket line). These things were not
done at the beginning of the strike, and no prep
arations were made for them.
AS a. consequence serious defects manifest at
the beginning OF the strike were not corrected.
The men-mostly skilled workers--did not parti
cipate in the picketing, but walked on the other
side of the street. The girls and women, on the
other hand, picketed but being inexperienced
and witnessing the conduct of the men, were
disguised and discouraged The Party and the
TU.UL. did not send in sufficient number Of
experienced conrades-Party members and I'M
employed workers-to stiffen the picket line,
with the result that scabs passed into the fac
crd1
resistance from the workers
Many other errors were made in the strike
I'd The strike committee was not real, func-
tioning strike committee, but consisted of the
leader of the strike sent in by the Trade Union
Unity League. Conrade A. Rubin with an mac
tive group of workers headed by a chairman
who was opposed to the strike (this fact was
brought to the notice of the T.UU.L. only after
the strike The strike conlraittee should have
been mercileSsly criticized, the incompetent
members should have been removed and young
nilitants elected in their place. 90 The strike
committee failed to develop the necessary ac-
tiyitics-fosmaton of picket, defense, publicity,
visiting, entertainment committees. 90 The
strike meetings were not properly prepared.
Recognizing the character of the strikers, the
greatest effort should have been made to draw
the maximum number of strikers into the activi-
sties Failure to do this proved disastrous to
the strike.
az Knowing hat the girls and women were
inexperienced in strike action, more members of
the Party should have been added to the picket
line to give it more backbone and nliitancy. go
The T.U.U.L. did not mobilize the workers of
the other industries to show their solidarity by
aiding the workers on the picket line. This iso-
lated the pencil strikers from the general move
0ent. go Although the T.U.UL. supplied a
Number of speakers who helped to increase the
monlentsry nilitancy of the workers, it should