The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-10-29


Failure TO build a united front.
The Furniture Workers Industrial
Union was fully aware of the fact
that the leadership of Local rs would
do everything to break militant
struggle of the upholsterers. We were
aware of the great sympathy of the
rank and file workers of Local rs for
the tsrike and the newly organized
union. Our task was to form broad
united front movement on the basis
of spreading the strike and to fight
for union conditions. Not only was
this not done but we failed to or
ganize our forces inside of Local IS
and thus make it impossible for
Cuneo and others to carry on their
strikebreaking activities. This mis-
take must be rectified now.
Work Among the Unemployed.
There was a serious underestima-
ton of the role of the unemployed
upholsterers There was no system
attic campaign before and during the
strike to organize the unemployed
into the union and for the support
of the strike. This is one of the
reasons why the bosses in some of
the shops did not have any serious
difficulties in obtaining scabs.
Not Enough Agitation.
Our agitational work for the strike
was extremely limited and in many
shops belated. Some leading COM
rades failed to see the Importance of
the phase Of preparatory work and
attempted to replace it by typical A.
2, of L. methods Of pulling shops"
Wea -nesses and Mistakes During the
Strike.
Strike committee did not function.
| While strike committee has been
| elected but during the whole period
OF struggle the strike committee was
not the real leader of the strike. This
|as a Serious error that resulted in
the failure to develop real leader
snip out of the best fighters during
! Tie strike. There we're serious bur-
acuciatic tendencies on the part OF
The leaders towards the rank and
lie.
The Strike Was Not Spread,
While We adopted correct policy
CT spreading the Strike into more
Shops and other crafts of the indus
Try, there was no plan we'll prepared
in advance on how to spread the
5Jril1e.
The Union Membership Was MOI
Drawn In.
Only those members of the unior
chat are upholsterers were drawn
into the strike, the others we're not
{ This is a concrete expression of craft
unionism and must be sharply COM
batted through process of enlight-
enment and agitation.
Lack OF Militant Mass Action.
The very outstanding weakness
during the whole struggle was lack Of
militant action in the form of mass
picketing, mass demonstrations al
shops, parades of strikers in the
neighborhood where the shops are
located, thus mobilizing the workers
OF the neighborhood for the support
of the strike. It was all the more
necessary for the Leadership to strug-
gle against the A. F. of L. methods
and develop mass actions.
The above mentioned lessons shall
serve to our union as concrete ex-
perience in our first struggle to BIZ
borne in mind while we are prepar.
ing for new and broader strike strug.
gle. In spite of all the weaknesses
it was a successful struggle that gave
birth to new and militant unior
that has as its main task the organ
ization of the workers In the industry
The task of the union is to jmne
diately work out a program OF &C.
ton along the following lines:
/. The defense of the gains al.
ready obtained in the shops organ
lied under our control.
2. To take the initiative in de-
veloping broad united front move
ment on the basis of retaining union
conditions, unity in the shop against
the boss, etc.
8. To concentrate on the most I'M
portant shops In the upholster,
trade, such as, the Ideal, the Trade
Kas Bros, Chorost, etc.
4. To spread out into the othe,
crafts of the industry with specia
concentration on the frame shops, the
cabinet makss in the furniture shops
3. To carry on mass recruiting
campaign on the basis of strengthen
ing ourself in the shops, forming
shop groups, grievance committees
etc.
b. The leadership must be broad
ened out on the basis of workers who
have shown their loyalty TO the union
and ability for leadership in the last
strike.
Z The union should call a series
OF mass meetings popularizing the
results and lessons of the first strike
and be modified for new struggles.