The daily worker., 1932-01-28
Statement of Communist Party, District
Committed

statement of Communist Party, District
Committee)
FORTY THOUSAND dresSmakers of New York,
Italian, Jewish, Negro and Latin-Amercan
workers, and the thousands working outside the
city are suffering the worst forms of exploita-
ton. Their wages are starvation wageS-reach-
ing down as low as Sc week. They have to
work long hours under the worst speedup. The
crisis has seriously affected the industry, the
periods of unemployment are long-and there
fore tens of thousands of dressmakers are
tramping the streets looking in vain for work
and starving. Most of these workers, women and
girls, have been forced into the dress shops be-
cause of the rapidly worsening conditions of the
families-and now they work for hunger wages.
Year by year, their wages have been cut-till
now they are determined to call a halt ky strik-
ing
The drive among the dressmakers is already
on and thousands have gone on strike. The
poorest, underpaid workers. earning no more
than hunger wages, have gone on strickland
have won wage increases. These workers not
experienced in strike struggle, have shown a
wonderful willingness to strike. They know there
is little to loSe-and much to be gained. The
Negro workers, the Latin-American and Italian
workers. have fought, and recognizing the lead
ership of the Needle Trades Workers Industrial
Union and the United Front, have joined the
Industrial Union.
The new, powerful weapon in this drive has
been the United Front This is the most effec-
tive weapon of the working class in the struggle
for organization. Having been betrayed by the
American Federation of Labor so many times
the members of the company union are begin
ming to recognize that the United Front is their
bridge to real conditions in the Shops to an eff
fective fight to maintain the conditions secured
NIL
ers seeing the unity of the workers in the Shops
learn the value of organization, and become the
best fighters fro industrial unionism.
None fears the United Front more than the
reactionary and socialist leaders of the company
union They know that the United Front of the
workers is not only effective against the manu-
facturerS contractors and jobbers, but is the
sharpest weapon to expose the treachery of the
company union officials. These reactionary of
ficials know that once the workers unite in the
shops, then the day of the control of A. F. of
L. leadership over the 100000 workers in the
A. F. of L. will have ended. They know that the
winning Of the coming strike of the dressmak-
ers will be signal to hte workers OF other
industries to struggle
The unemployed workers, too, look forward to
this strike. They have been betrayed by the
reactionary officials, who are glad to be rid of
them by expellng them when they do not pay
dues. The unemployed look to the Unemployed
Councils supported by the Needle Trades Indus
trial Union for struggle for unemployment relief
and insurance 1t is the policy only of the Com
munist Party, the Trade Union Unity League
and the revolutionary unions to fight for the
unemployed. They will be staunch forces in the
coming strike, for they will recognize the unity
of interests, as represented in the demands of
the strike.
The building of the revolutionary opposition
in the company union has shown that the work
ers in that union are willing to fight against the
fearful conditions. Is it not fact that the bet
ter paid skilled workers, who belong to the In
ternational Ladies Garment Workers Union
have had their conditions rapidly lowered? The
socialist leaders of the union, working together
with the Bosses have Systematically reduced
their wages, heightened their hours and sub
mitted to speed-up. Thousands of workers have
left this reactionary union, knowing that all
they get out of the union is the privilege of pay
inC dues and assessments and allowing the Of
ficials to collect graft from the manufacturers
The votes for the revolutionary opposition in
the elections in the locals of the company union
show clearly that the workers will fight. They
recognizing the need of unity, and all in
trigues and maneuvers of the company union
officials cannot stop them.
The dreSsmakers have learned from the strike
of the furrers of but few months ago. Here
too the conditions had rapidly become worse;
unemployment was rampant. The Needle Trades
Workers Industrial Union conducted splendid
drive and not only recruited several thousands
of militant furriers into the union, but raised