The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-12-16
BY A DELEGATE
from New YORK.

on the night of Monday Noyem-
Der 81, the twenty-odd delegates
from Pittsburgh and New York to
the Cincinnati Rank and File Con-
ference for Federal Unemployment
Insurance and Relief arrived in what
seemed a prosperous city contain
ing quite number Of weIl-fed peo-
pie. The next day we saw Cincin-
natl by daylight and learned that
the well-fed people were none other
than the $50 delegates to the A. F. of
L. Convention, visitors, including an
archbishop, a Legion commander,
Senator Davis, Deportation Doak, and
all the rest who addressed what is
laughingly called a labor" conven-
ton.
There were some others who looked
like delegates but they turned out
to be dozens of them, department of
justice agents, city and hotel dicks
and a collection of punch-drlInk
"pugs" brought on for the occasion
by Billy Grupp himself from his New
York City gymnasium.
William Green's convention was
held in the Netherland Plaza, the
convention hall of which is sur
rounded by mirrors, as well as the
other trimmings that go with this
annual farce, and is a scab hotel
Some blocks away IN the Labor
Temple, at 1918 Walnut Street, there
was in session for two days the Rank
and File Conference for Unemploy-
ment Insurance and Relief. Here
rank and file members of the A. F.
of L. from Detroit, Pittsburgh, C1eve-
land, Minneapolis, Kalamazoo ,NIichi-
gan, Cincinnati, Newark and New
York, were seriously and courageous
ly, in view of the reign of terror
that was sure TO be directed against
them by local and International Of
ficials, discussing and acting on the
problems that confronted unem-
ploypd and employed members of
their respective local unions.
PIasterer Talks.
Take the case of the PIasterers
Union No. 81, Pittsburgh, for in
stance. This is Delegate James Egan
talking, former president Of No. 81.
I'VE went out on strike against the
wage cut, and We we're winning, when
the International president, Nc
Donough, ordered us to call off the
strike. We refused. He threatened
us with revocation Of the charter.
We defed him. By his order some
thugs and Pittsburg police broke in
to our Office one night and removed
charter, safe and everything else
But they can't remove the militant
spirit of our members-and we're
going to fightw
The other delegates related their
experiences and the horrible internal
conditions other local unions, the
reign of terror against the militant
members the officials commanding
outrageously high salaries while the
unemployed were starving and being
suspended and expelled for non-pay-
ment of dues.
For Dues Exemption.
There was more than indignation
in the voices of these workers; there
was the grim determination TO re-
sist the wage cuts, inspired by these
officials in conjunction with the en-
ployers, to fight for dues-eXemption
stamps for the unemployed members
with the provision that they remain
in good standing in their unions
while unemployed, and pledged them
selves to continue in the struggle
for compulsory Federal Unenploy-
ment Insurance at the expense of the
employers and the government.
"Rump Convention" the Cincin-
natl papers called our conference.
Rump convention, indeed This was
the real thing! Over at that scab
hotel. Green's Convention was cook
ing up proposals" and suggested
legislation" for Congress to enact
in 1912! Green was talking grandly
and gloriously OF force - mean
economic force the strike. the boy
colt" while at the same time he and
his international officials and dele
gates were having visions Of new
wage cuts, injunctions against strik-
ing members, suspension and expul-
sion of the unemployed-and how to
perpetuate themselves in office at
salaries Of $4,000 to $4,000 per year
land expenses"
Starvation-the Problem.
At the Labor Temple thoughts and
actions that projected the struggle
of the 100000 unemployed work
ers Of this country. Here great con-
Germ over the misery and the con-
tinually worsening conditions OF the
workers. Here was being mapped
plans to resist the further wage cuts
of the employers in collaboration