The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-08


branches of service, the conference worked out
the following organization steps
->,---'~o &C 10oal Joint grievance COM
mittees to be formed by all possible workers at
..- $500, $780, ~ 4-.-.-.,., ule unorganizsd as
we'll as the organized in the different shops,
roundhouses, yards, terminals and other places
of employment.
2. Organization of minority groups within the
BroSnerhoods and A. F. Of l.. unions to win the
membership over to the N. R. I. L. program.
g. Local leagues of the N r. I. L., recruiting
into them members from among the morgan
lied, organized and unemployed railroad work
ers on dues paying basis.
T. Unemployed councils and branches at
points where there are large numbers of unem-
ployed railroad workers in order to draw the
half million unemployed railroad men into the
struggle, side by side with the employed, against
wage cuts, for the 6-hour day. unemployment
insurance and immediate relief.
s. Local united front committees shall be
formed consisting of delegates elected by the
local lodges of the Brotherhoods and A. F. of
L. unions, N. R. L L. local leagues unemploy-
ment branches, etc. in order to completely unity
our ranks at each point and conduct a joint
fight in defense of cur common interests.
Organize the Unorganized
To carry on successful fight against wage
cuts, it is absolutely necessary to draw the I'M
organized railroad workers into this united front
movement. Therefore our main efforts must be
directed towards organizing the unorganized in
to the National Railroad Industrial League. The
overwhelming majority of the workers on the
railroads in the United States are in no unions.
While the majority of the yard and road men
are still in the Brotherhoods, the vast majority
rI,o, o1o
few roads, are entirely unorganized. In the
N 7tenance Of Way department, including sew
eral hundred thousand skilled semi-skilled, and
uaskilled workers in the different branches of
service, there is practically no organization
whatever. On many roads, other than in the
operating department, no unions exist. In the
struggle against wage cuts the unorganized rail-
road workers will play most important part,
on the one hand because they constitute fully
two-thirds of the total number of workers en-
ployed in the industry, and on the other hand,
because Of the steady loss of membership by
the old Brotherhoods and A. F. of L. unions.
Taking into account these circumstances the
fact remains that the center of our work is to
organize the unorganized into local leagues of
the N r. I. L.
Work In The Old Unions
At the same time wolK inside Of the old
Brctherhocds and A. F. CT L. unions ON the
railroads is Of the utmost Importance. The men,
bershp Of these unions must be Immediately
O. avn into the united front movement against
wage reductions and the present sell-out policy
of the Grand Lodge officials During the past
few years there has been very little work car
ried on inside the old railroad organizations be-
cause of the erroneous conception that the
membership of these organizations are all high
ly skilled and highly paid workers. This point
of view is wrong and does not take into &C
count the developments in the industry in the
past ten years-the installation in all depart
ments of labor-displacing machinery which not
only throws tens of thousands of these men out
of work and results in the loss of the value
CT skill but also reduces wages in various FORMS
the fact that one-third are unemployed or
working part-tine, and the fact that schedules,
agreements and long standing favorable work.
ing rules are being daily done away with by the
companies, resulting in the constant worsening
Of conditions on the job. Work inside of the
old unions must, therefore, be taken up as a
principal task, side by side with the organiza-
ton of the unorganized into the N. R. I. L.
Neither one can be separated from the other
in building the united front against wage cuts
AS against the individual action of the old
craft unions, our policy must be to set up joint
action between the rank and file of these or
ganizations together with the NJ R. L L., for
united struggle again the wage cutting pro-
gram of the comre - and Grand Lodge Of
ficisls, and as a re +, of this struggle strength
en- the left wing forces inside the old unions
and build the NJ r. l. L.
District Conferences
In order to draw all sections of the industry
into this struggle, the conference selected sew
eral of the most important railroad centers in
which the N. r. !. L. shall concentrate its work
and begin activities on the basis of the organ
ization steps outlined above. District conferen-
ces are to be held in these railroad centers in
the immediate future for the purpose of or
ganizing local united front committees and
branches of the N. r. 1. L.
Companies Preparing for National Wage Cutting
Campaign
The present situation on the railroads enables
us to make rapid progress if our work is Or
ganized and undertaken in earnest along the
lines outlined by the conference, when freight
rate increases now demanded by the railroads
are denied, the present policy of the companies
of making wage reductions in different sections
of the country and among the separate trades
will soon develop into huge national wage
slashing campaign The fight against wage
cuts must be the center of our work, along with
the struggle for the establishment of the 6-hour
day with 8-hours pay, unemployment insurance,
and better conditions on the Job
Railroad workers are urged to get into touch
with the National Railroad Industrial League,
Room 8, 702 E. 63rd St. Chicago for further or
ganizaton instructions and take immediate steps
at their points to put the conference united
front program into effect.