The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-26
Building A Steel Workers Industrial Union
BY BURCK

ing industry, the shipyards and steel castings
companies which abound in this territory.
While Chicago concentrates on steel in the
Gary section, there must be work carried on in
its tremendous machine and farm implement
industries This holds true for the activity OF
the MWIL. organizations in all parts of the
country outside the steel areas.
The organization of a mass Steel Industrial
Union cannot be based alone on concentration
Along with correct concentration, there must be
correct approach to win the confidence of the
thousands of steel workers and have them ac-
cept the leadership of the M.WIL. in their
struggles. This correct application of concentra-
ton is closely tied up with the immediate eco
nomic demands of the mill men. If the organ
zers and other active comrades in the concen-
tration areas are not able to crystalline the daily
grievances Of the steel workers in the depart
ments mills and steel towns and put them forth
in concrete form, then the concentration program
will be ineffective. In the minds of every steel
worker, from the laborer to the hot mill worker,
there are burning grievances. In every mill de-
partment there are department grievances. In
every mill, and very steel town, there are the
collective grievances that must be made articulate
b, specific form by the M.wIL. Through con-
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sion with all categories of steel workers, through
department meetings in the homes of the work
ers, through steel town and section conferences,
the grievances of the steel workers must be for
mulated, In the language of the mill men, and
put on paper sent into the mills, printed in our
press, and spoken of at mass meetings. This
has been done recently in the Pittsburgh and
youngstown and Ohio Valley areas and the
vague forms Of the general demands OF the In
dustry are already beginning to express them
selves, arising out of the immediate department
and mill demands For instance, check-up re-
vealed that the demands of the hot-rnill workers
of the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. in Youngs-
town are almost identical to the hot-mill de-
mards of the American Sheet 81 Tin Plate in
Monessen. further check-up shows that almost
all department demands of all mills where we
have organization are very closely related. These
facts carry within them the seeds of what will
in the near future become national Immediate
and general demands of the steel workers. AS
an example, the steel workers in the blast fur
naces of the Republic Steel in Youngstown, de-
mand that the company post daily working no
tees after every turn, in order that the men will
not have to report five days week to get one
days work This same demand was found to be
burning grievance of the workers in every de-
partment of the company A further study of the
demands shows that every department in every
| mill of the entire Pittsburgh and youngstown
area where we have groups, puts forth the iden-
| tcal demand.
| Special Youth and Negro Demands.
| Approximately Is per cent of the steel workers
are Negroes. The jim-crow policy of the Steel
| Trust, aimed at the separation of the white and
| Negro workers on the job in the company towns
and in the steel cities is maintained for the pur-
| pose of attempting to create a division between
] the white and Negro workers in the coming
/ struggles In the industry. This jin-crow policy
| accompanied by the open betrayal of the Negroes
/ by the American Federation of Labor has result
/ ed In division of the white and Negro workers
to a large extent even to this day.
In the campaign OF the Metal Workers Indus
! trial League for the building of mass Steel
! Workers Industrial Union we must express our
| uncompromising policy for full social, economic
and political equality for the Negro workers in
! the steel mills. The basis of our approach for
| the winning of the Negro steel workers must be
the development Of struggle in the mills around
| the fight against discrimination on jobs and In
wages. We must be careful not to develop this
| struggle separate and apart from the demands
! Of the white workers. Instead, the demands of
the Negro workers must be stressed in conjunc-
ton with the immediate demands of all the
workers In the departments and mills.
| This also holds true for the youth In the in
dustry. There are special forms of exploitation
of the thousands of young workers In Steel such
as equal pay for equal work, and the winning
of the youth will require the conscious develop
ment of struggles -centered around the fight