The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-04-14
PARTY LIFE
Conducted by the Organization Department of
the Central Committee Communist Party, U.S.A.
How One Unit Is Making the
Turn i'm Shop Work
S. A. ID. California;

THIS is shop unit of four in needle shop
of about one hundred workers in Los Angeles
For as long as it has existed it functioned as
street nucleus. When it distributed leaflets it
was to a certain part of the city mot the shop
So it was also with all other activity 1t never
issued shop papers; never recruited a single new
. member; but was happy in the virtuous thought
that it was a shop nucleus When it was first
proposed to them that they work as a shop
nucleus, one of the members of the nucleus said
that We are too abrupt, it is first necessary to
LAY an theological base (after all these yearsD
However, the criticism made the nucleus real
ize that it could no longer live in its former
virtue. So it began to work. A large part of
the shop are of Mexican workers. These got
such garments to work on as we're most diff
cult and brought the least pay The workers,
under the leadership of our comrades and SYM
pathizerS, chose a committee which went to the
boss to demand an equitable distribution of the
work which would involve no discrimination
few comrades who were "revoutionarieS since
the revolutionary movement began" but who
were getting several times the wages of the
more energetic slaves but also because they were
profiting from the discrimination, suddenly lost
interest and even in one way or another opposed
this concentration of our fight against discrm-
nation. The Communists had, however, through
this work, broken the ice with the Mexican
workers. Despite this it was still practically
impossible to get them to meet with the Jewish
workers amongst whom are our comrades.
Then one of the Mexican workers "a girl
but it hardly matters announced she was re-
turning to Mexico. OF the mountain wouldn't
go to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the
mountain So comrades proposed to the
Mexican workers to hold a farewell party. It
was agreed. hall had to be gotten so our
comrades offered the Union Hall The party
was huge success. The Mexcans lost good
deal Of their shyness and suspicion and became
much more friendly The following week the
boss announced wage cut meeting was
called. For the first time in the history OF the
shop decisive number of Mexicans came to
the meeting. Altogether about half the workers
were there; amongst them, however, a stool
for the boss who reported what happened When
he heard the report the boss hastily posted
notice resembling the wage cut That's how
matters stand now
If our comrades now recruit for the union and
the Party nucleus until every shop worker Is
organized, thereby capitalizing ON the splendid
attitude Of the workers towards the Party and
union, and continue to be alert for openings for
struggle, then the shop will be well its way
to completing the turn towards mass work.
OF course, all shops don't have Mexican girls
going home, but wide awake Communist can
always find such openings for work on real
class issues
Comment: This little article is of the great
est Importance for our work in the shops.
| The most immediate task in work of
| ganizing shop nuclei is to re-vitalizc ex-
listing shop nuclei and make them the real
leaders Of the workers in the shop. The ex-
pericnce of this nucleus in bringing the gap
between different na:ionalities in the shop
the older Jewish workers. and the newer, Mex
lean workers should be of special value to the
| New York needle trades comrades, who still
| have to win the leadership Of the newer Negro
J and Spapish workers in the industry.