The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-04-04
FIGHT AGAINST WAGE-CUTS'
AND SPEED-UP!
Resolution Of National Executive Board, Trade
Union Unity League, March IA, Is and 16l
March IL, Is and 49,

March H. Is and l60
ID The strike struggles that have taken place
in the recent period. particularly the strike OF
the textile workers in Lawrence, have exposed
the opportunist theory that no strikes are pos
sibIe during periods of crisis, and that such
strikes, when called, will not be effective in
checking the offensive Of the bosses and win
ming better conditions for the workers These
strikes have also dealt blow to the Hoover
Green policy of class peace" and their boast
that strikes are being eliminated. The workers
have shown that they will fight against the ef-
forts of the bosses to solve the crisis at the eX-
pense of the workers through more wage cuts,
speed-up and the stsgger plan. ..
Attacks On Workers Living Standards.
90 With the growth of the crisis which is
still deepening, despite the temporary seasonal
increases in few industries, particularly be-
cause of the low level reached in these industries
(auto. textile etc. and the consciousness on the
part of the bourgeoise that the crisis is of much
longer duration than they had expected, comes
the feversh attempt to further lower the living
standards of the workers. Wage cuts that have
in the past been carried through ON a partial
and departmental basis, are now being put into
operation in a more general and sweeping man
ner New methods of speed-up are developed.
Not only the unskilled and semi skilled, not only
the unorganized workers, but also the organized,
skilled workers in the old unions, are beginning
to feel the effects of this offensive, and not
only through unemployment, but through in
creasing wage cuts and speed-up building
trades printers, etc.
Will Be Met BY Increasing Struggles.
go These attacks upon the workers will be
met by increasing strike struggles on the part
of the workers This situation also creates the
most favorable conditions for our work in the
old unions The reason these moods of the work
fo,. cty1 uere NOT expressed in larger
and more widespread strike struggles, is to be
found primarily in the weakness of the TUUL
ard It's affiliated unions, in approaching these
workers with the correct and suitable partial de-
nands. in the absence of shop organization and,
in general, lack of shop activity of the revolu-
tionary uncns and almost complete abandon
ment of the work in the old unions, and the
failure to develop correct strike strategy in
practice as laid down by the RILU. The TUUL
unions were not only guilty of the right oppor-
tllnist mistake that there can be no successful
strikes during the present crisis period They
were also guilty of the leftist underestimation
of the role of organization in the present period.
There was prevalent the conception that in the
present period strikes will take place spontan-
eously and that we will then be called upon to
lead them This whole conception was also con-
nected up with the underestimation of the par
tial demands.
.
"a The recent strikes have once more sharp
ly borne out the correct analysis of strikes in
the present period, as laid down by the RILU.
From the very beginning, the workers, fighting
for the minutest demands, were faced with the
combined attack of the employers, the A. F. of
L. and the government In the recent strikes,
the Mustete wing of the A F. of L. which,
through left demagogy tries to save the A. F.
of L. as the instrument of betrayal in the in
of+ hoe boco IF
sharpening of the struggle, exposed itself as
strikebreaking instrument no less than the Of
fetal A. F. of L. Danville, Kensington and the
reunion of the FiShwick-Lewis forces in the U.
M w. A. This does not mean, of course, that
new forms of demagogy will not be developed
(new attempts of Howatt to form new union
through fake conference in the name of the
rank and file, Ryan, in the shoe industry in
Haverhin, to organize the open shop movement
in the name of rank and file shop committee
movement, etc. The role of the government
already clear in number of strikes, particu-
larry in Flint, was sharply brought forward in
Lawrence where, in addition to the local govern
ment forces, the Federal government, through
the Labor and immigration Department, played
the leading role as a strikebreaker in arresting
and intimidating the strikers and the strike
leadership. Again the rapidity with which events
mature was indicated in the whole force of the
employers, the reformists, and the state being
brought down upon the strike from the very
beginning where in past periods this would tran
spire over many weeks and months
The Board calls attention to the necessity of
struggle against the Disagreement terror
which is now openly used in every strike The
TUUL must rouse the whole working class to
struggle for the right to organize, picket ETC.
Unemployed in Solidarity With Strikers
90 very important lesson of the recent
strikes, was the solidarity of the unemployed
workers with the strikers In all these strikes
there was hardly case of scabbing on the part
of the unemployed workers. This was unques-
tionably due, to a large extent, to the organ
ization of the unemployed, and the struggle for
relief and unemployment insurance carried on
by the TUUL, and to lesser extent by the
respective unions of the TUUL. At the same
time, the unity of the struggle of the employed
and the unemployed remains one of the main
tasks in the struggle against unemployment. par
tcularly in view of the increasing activity of
the reformists and the growing use of demagogy
and left phrases by the fascists and social
fascists.
The Board considers it necessary to expose the
six-hoW day and other shorter work day wage
cut proposals of the A. F. of L., the Musteites,
as proposals aiming to pull capitalism out of the
lurch, by insttuting the stagger plan. The
shorter work -day is at the expense of the work.
ers The TUUL must continue to bring forward
sharply the correct demand for the shorter
work -dav he 7-hnIIr dav without 90 rad,,c-