The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-05-30
IuRscRrpT1oeg RATES:
II (ConcIusion)

THE strike breaking role of the United Mine
Workers of America can be brought home to
the Of the strikers only by the most skillful
and determined work of our union. It is not
enough to "let the UMWA leaders expose them
selves to the rank and file" We must not nder-
estimate these fellows. If they are to be exposed
as strikebreakers before the whole working class
1t is exactly our union that must tear from them
their mask of false phrases about struggle etc.
Nor this be done through agitation and prog
uganda alone important as this is 1t only
be done by SO maneouvering as to place these
people in position where they are forced to
expose themselves In action as opponents of
workingclass unity, the tools Of the operators,
This can only be achieved by correct. applica-
ton Of the united front from below
Skepticism in Ohio
Lack of confidence in and resistance to the
union line in Ohio is most completely expressed
by the first of the three theories" we are
examining namely that at is impossible for lis
to take over the leadership of the present
struggle in Ohio"
In the first place the whole question of indie
pendent leadership is here put incorrectly we
nave no intention of going to the strikers with
the declaration: The UMWA is betraytng your
strike, as is proved by sucn and such actions of
the leadership. Let us lead your strike and all
will be we'll" Yes, this is a wrong conception of
how to obtain the independent leadership of the
struggle Our policy in Ohio is quite different
What Must Be Done
The National Miners Union must above all
come before the strikers as the only sincere adj
Vocate OF real working class unity in the strike
Due to mistakes already made in this strike
many of the strikers are suspicious of us. They
are inclined to believe the lies of their leaders
that the National Miners Union has only one
purpose in the strike to disrupt the ranks of
the strikers and thereby contribute to the loss of
the strike.
How are we to break down these suspicious?
By plunging boldly into active work in supnort
Of the strike.
Up to the present cur principal activity has
been to issue an entirely insufficient number Of
leaflets. We must change this.
we must break down in every NMU local the
present resistance of sections of our membership
10 any active participation in the strike whatso
ever. On the contrary the NNfU and its mem
oersmp and Sympathizers must become the most
active, the most militant, the leading fighters i,
the strike -
Our comrades must take the initiative in the
organization of mass picket lines over the heads
OF the UNfWA officials
Our comrades must lead such picket lines and
II,
Lief for the unemployed, etc. In all phases of
strike activity our comrades must prove to the
masses of strikers that the NMU by no means
held aloof from the strike that on the con-
trary the NMU and its members are the most
1althful and the best fighters in the interest of
winning the demands Of the strikers
Second, 1t is necessary to convince the mass of
the strikes that the first prerequisite for sue
cessful struggle is the formation of united
fighting front of all those who are ready to
conduct an honest struggle for the demands
The National Miners Union must take the inita-
tive IN proposing the means whereby unity in
the ranks of the strikers can be achieved
Third, we must explain to the strikers in the
most simple and understandable terms the only
possible basis for unity. We must expose the
record of the UA1WA leadership in the past we
must expose every concrete action of betrayal
of the UMWA in the present struggle and then
we must explain to the strikers that we will
never unite with the UMWA officialdom for to
do SO means to unite on the basis of united
strike breaking.
We must explain that we are opposed to unity
on the basis of wage cut. That we will fight
to the last against unity on the basis of a scale
of 22A cents ton such as Van Bittner signed
for in SCOTS Run. We must make plain to every
striker that we propose unity on the basis of
united fighting front of all strikers for the de-
mands OF the strike and against the operators
and their tools the UNfWA leadership
Fourth, we must show that all elements who
wish to conduct an honest militant struggle for
the demands of the strike can only be welded
into one united fighting front by the setting up
OF a broad rank and file leadership representa-
tive of all such elements We must show how
the policy of leadership by cammitttee appointed
by Lee Hail. Cinque and Co. gives no rep
resentation to the vast majority of the strikers
who are unorganized, gives no representation to
the hundreds of NMU members we are involved
in the strike and gives little if any representa-
| ton to the rank and file members of the UMWA
itself who have nothing to say in these appoint
| ments from above.
| We must explain that it is impossible for those
| who have no voice in the selection of such COM
mittees to give them support We must explain
| the opportunities for complete betrayal of the
strike, for manipulation and secret agreements
| behind the scenes provided by the existence OF
| form of halnirO the ifY1nerialiSt ha,Iroaoicie