The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-06-19
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
Party Life
Conducted by the Org. Dept Central Com
nittee, Communist Party, U. S. A.
Organizational Forms Within
the Shop

From SHOP Paper Editor" issued monthly by
the CO.
rTHE particular form of shop organization which |
we advocate depends entirely on the parti-
cular issue involved, conditions in the shop, the
readiness of the workers for struggle and forms |
of organization which already exist Therefore |
no cut and dried blueprint formula can be Is
sued We give below a rough characterization
of the various forms of organization, and must
leave it to the Judgment of the comrades con-
nected in the shop in question which form
they advocate under given circumstances They
are distinctly divided into united front forms
and union forms of organization, the former
representing the united front from below, in
Guiding all workers, whether they are members
of the revolutionary unions A F. of L. union
independent craft unions, unorganized. These
united front organizations which are not an IN
tegral part of the union, are the Grievance
Committee the Department Committee and the
Shop Committee.
United Front Forms of Shop Organization
One contact: What to do with one contact
is obvious-through him to conduct agitation in
the shop and gain more contacts, to form a
group to discuss not only conditions in the shop
but ways and means of bringing about some
forms of organization within the shop.
Grievance Committee: The grievance commit
tee is the most elementary form of organization
in the shop. It is formed to combat a par
ticular grievance in the shop, Wether this
grievance touches all the workers in the shop
or only part of them. 1t is not a permanent
organization, but may develop into permanent
form in the course of struggle or preparation
for struggle. 1t may develop either into De-
partment Committee or Shop Committee. 1t is
oftentimes formed spontaneously by the work.
ers who are driven by worsening conditions to
protest The most advanced and militant work.
ers will speak in the name of the rest. This
group is the Grievance Committee The COM
mittee may also be deliberately organized by
our own comrades in the shop, by their choos-
ing the most militant workers. from among our
group of contacts and getting them to take
| the lead in the protest Any demand which
! the Grievance Committee WINS no matter how
| small, develops the confidence of the workers
| and strengthens the organization Many work
ers will follow Grievance Committee on
specific grievance who are not yet ready to join
a permanent organization. But in the course
| OF struggle, particularly successful struggle
thtce workers become convinced of the neces-
sty of permanent organization and permanent
/ struggle. This leads then to the formation of
j our more permanent committees, the Depart
ment Committee and the Shop Committee.
Department Committee: A Department Com
nittee is, under the most ideal conditions ell
ected by all the workers of one department, to
represent them in their struggle with the boss.
1t is a more permanent form OF organization,
| and is the spokesman of all the workers in
that department, in the fight for improvement
of working conditions in that department I'm
der most conditions at present however, 1t is
not always possible to elect the committee in
the face of boss terror, company spies, ETC., and
the tendency will be to get the most militant
workers in the department to function as a COM
mittee in the name of the workers of the de-
partment. However if the committee is the
outgrowth of successful struggles under the
leadership of grievance committee, it will most
likely be possible to elect the committee openly.
We must not yiel3 too easily, however, to boss
| terror, and continually strive to elect the COM
mittee openly. The Department may, as it &C
tually did in the Lawrence strike, serve as a
shop committee for the entire shop, or it may
develop into a shop committee by leading in
setting up corresponding department commit
tees in other departments either under cover
or openly.
Shop Committee: Under ideal circumstances
the Shop Committee is elected by the workers
in the shop to represent them all in Their
struggle against the boss for better conditions
In practice this does not always necessarily work
always is, the logical development of grievance
committee or department committee, and com
prises the most advanced and militant workers
in the shop. This committee is the highest form
of the united front from below and is not al
integral part of the Union. 1t guides anc
directs the department committees, takes up al
grievances, and leads all struggles in the shop
However, in a strike struggle, a mass STRIKE
committee takes over the leadership
The Union
Mill or mine or shop branch: This com
prses all the members of the revolutionar.
union within the shop.
Branch Executive: This is the elected guild
ing committee of the shop branch and is not
united front organization.
Union Shop: Where every worker In the sho
is member of the revolutionary union, tn
Shop Committee may be identical with the Sho
: Branch Executive, but it is the Shop Committee
even under such circumstances which speaks t
the boss in the name of the workers. and see
: to it that any agreements the boss makes, whe
Y Their with the union or with the Shop Commit
. tee, are put into effect.
1 The Party
The organization of the Party within the sho
is the shop nucleus, and in organizational wor
within the shop it is the duty of the comrade
in the nucleus to push whichever forms of or
ganization are being introduced must build u
these organizations and build up the Union
e he he Jr;,, forca Writ