The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-02-04


years, no one else was lsked to join Suddenly
on the eve of the strike, the call for the stop
page was signed Factory Committee, affiliated
with the TUUL" No one on the factory COM
mittee was consulted no vote Of utilization had
been taken, it was just decided by someone, that
the factory committee should be affiliated to the
T.U.UL, and as the printer did not charge any
$ more, il was added to the strike call
ii the preparations for the strike organization
should have been brought more to the front
The workers, more widely than was practiced
should have been drawn into the selection OF
the factory committee by calling larger depart
lnent meetings. Plans of strike struggle SHOULD
have been discussed. how to organize picket
lines should have been explained, the import
ance of drawing the youth into leadership should
lave been stressed. After the company retreated
temporarily on the wage cut the offensive should
have been taken. A grievance committee should
have been set up in each department, so that
the daily grievances could have been taken up
This was not done, and the basis for the loss
of the strike was laid in the inadequate strike
preparations.
However in spite of poor strike preparation.
the factory was tied up pretty solid and if more
militant forces had been thrown into the fight
it is quite possible that these weaknesses could
have been overcome and the strike won How
ever. the strike committee, while large and rep
resentative of all departments was dominated
by few skilled workers, who we're timid. afraid
of militancy, of anything red and although the
Importance of working out a detailed strike
plan before the strike was emphasized it was
never understood by the leaders, the Factory
Committee or the Strife Committee, although
the need of broadening the Factory Committee
the election of mass strike committee, of the
necessity of militant mass picketng, of drawing
in all workers especially the young workers into
daily strike activities, of the Importance of visit
ing committees, no detailed plan of how this
was to be organized was drawn up prior to the
strike. The leaders in the strike were incapable
of doing it. and the attempts during the strike
to overcome this blunder were not successful
The result of this was. that the energy and
fighting ability of the young workers who made
up from 65 to Is per cent of the strikers most
OF whom were young girls was never utilized.
The Youth Section Of the TU.U.C. failed to
recognize the significance of the struggle no
effort was made to reach these young workers
in heir hone to convince their parents of the
necessity Of the strike, to rally them against
the vacillating leaders who resisted the activities
OF the "Reds'-although the strikers themselves
showed willingness to accept the cooperation
of the Reds The consequences were a sitting
the strike.
One of the most serious errors was the failure
to bring forward the organizing of union till
near the ending of the strike SO that the workers
would have felt and known not only that they
were organized, but also part of central body
OF organized workers of various industries In
stead, this was left till the fighting spirit of
the workers was SO low that the workers thought
of only one thing-the return to their jobs
In the preparations for the strike, the follow
ing elementary needs for the success of the strike
were not emphasized or measures we're not
taken to have them enforced:
l. The immediate organization of all the
strikers by departments with elected captains,
check-up by departments, roll call at every meet
ing and their activities on the picket line.
2 Organization of defense corps especially
of the young workers as the leaders on the picket
line, with directions as to how to lead fighting
picket line. adding some experienced comrades