The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-01-19
Every Dressmaker An Organizer

much as 35 per cent. The refusal to accept these
starvation wages drives the militant workers
from one shop to another with the result that
in many of these open shops the less militant
and inexperienced workers are left to the mercy
of the bosses
The class conscious worker in the dress in
dustry must recognize the error of such pro-
cedure.
Mistake to Leave Open Shops.
1t is mistake to leave one open shop for an
other because it is not question of an individual
shop. Bad conditions are general in the in
dustry and will only be improved through the
initiative of the more class conscious workers.
If the more advanced workers will continue the
practice Exchanging jobs there is a serious dan
ger that the most militant workers who should
be planted in the shops amongst the unorganized
workers will find themselves unattached to any
shop during the strike.
The membership of the industrial union to-
day only constitutes small section of the dress
industry, but this small section is the backbone
of the coming strike and must he widely spread
throughout many shops as possible in the in
dustry. The best strike preparations of a union
is to send its union members into the open shops
in close contact with the workers, familiar with
the grievances of the workers in every shop,
giving leadership to these workers, This cannot
be done by changing shops frequently. The
union member must establish his or her pres
tige in the open shop. so that when the strike
call is issued these union members through their
activities in the shops will have prepared the
workers to join in the struggle.
The work in the open shops must be care
fully planned The dressnlaker who goes into
a shop must feel her ground, must develop the
confidence OF the workers by fighting for bet
ter prices, by taking advantage of the special
grievances of the workers in the shop SO that
when the boss discovers these activities the union
member has built up sufficient prestige in the
shop to get the sympathy of the other workers.
Be the Job
In coming into the shop the union member
must be alert find out the other contractors
working in the same job, establish contact with
the workers of the other contracting shops SO
that when the strike call is issued we will be
able to stop the production of the whole groups
Of joboers who are the real bosses in the in
dustry, contracting industry Yet there are
many shops of strategic importance which the
union is particularly interested In. The best
and most effective way of assisting in the strike
preparations is to report to the union office when
looking for Jobs so that the union may plant
every worker In the shop where he can work to
the best advantage of the union, The strike
agitation for the demands of the union cannot
and must not be limited TO mere outside prop
uganda but must be directly brought into the
shops by those workers who recognize the i'm
portance Of the union who recognize that only
through establishing week work in the industry,
shortening the hours to relieve unemployment
can the dressmakers get real relief.
Into the open shops, every dressmaker and
organiz9e