The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-03-19
RAILROAD WORKERS
EXPOSE VOL
(By LABOR RESEARCH ASSN,

MATTHEW WOLL, president of the red-bait-
AVE- ing National Civic Federation and vice-pres-
ident OF the American Federation of Labor, calls
the recent railroad wage-cut an achievement
which will go down In our industrial history
in an raticle entitled, Behind the Railway Wage
Cut, in the New York Herald Tribune
The Eastern Section of the National Railroad
Industrial League, militant organization Of
rank and file railroad workers, has taken issue
with VOLS praise Of the wage cutting agree
ment.
In an open letter to Vol, it writes:
TN your article you say that only organized
workers could be capable Of the intelligent self
control of agreeing to deduction from wages,
which in a year will total the imposing sum of
$25o0O0,o0o'. We emphatically challenge this
statement. Workers organize expressly for the
purpose of fighting wage cuts, not for the pur-
pose OF exercising intelligent self-control while
their pockets are being picket. When labor Or
CARNATIONS are used by union officials for wage
cutting purposes it is high time to replace these
officials with a rank and file militant leadership
which will fight against just such sell-outs
'You raise the question:
IF employers cannot provide the means OF
subsistence to workers in time of depression,
from whom is this support to corne?'-The rail-
road magnates refused to consider this question
and our union leaders were passive in the face
of this refusal. We workers, however, know the
answer to this question. We demand Unemploy-
ment Insurance, padi for by the government
from taxes on wealth and from the hundreds
OF millions spent each year on war preparations.
YOUR answer to this question at the Vancouver
~ N
OF unemployment insurance as q dole.
"You say that the financial structure of the
railroads has broken down and that the work.
ers pay the price as the unsound base slowly
crurnbles.' Yet the union leaders agreed that
we workers, already hard pressed through I'M
employment and part time work pay an even
greater price, in the form Of direct wage cut,
in order to maintain dividend payments to a
handful Of millionaire stockholders How does
1t happen that this unsound structure yielded
over four billions in dividends in the past eight
years?
you say that the representatives who
agreed to this tremendous reduction from wages
must go back to the rank and file and stand
responsible to them for that enormous payment +
Of money back to the railroads-Yet you knot,
Mr. Won. that every obstacle is being placed by
union officials to prevent discussion Of the wage
cut agreement by the rank and file; that every
expression OF disapproval in the local lodges is
being fundamentally suppressed.
you state that this 10 per cent wage cut, re-
suiting in contribution Of $3.50 10000 from over
a million workers, lis an achievement such as we
have never before witnessed in the United States.
that 1T will go down in our industrial history
Yes Mr.. Vol, you are quite right This is an
achievement But 1t is an achievement entirely
In the interests OF the stockholders. 1t is an
achievement which reveals the true character
OF the railroad union chiefs as the betrayers of
the railroad workers.
1t is clear from this sell-out and from its de-
Tense by A. F. OF L, and brotherhood officials
that we workers can expect nothing from con-
tinuance Of this leadership but further wage cuts
and the complete turning OF our organization
into company unions.
In, the. program OF the National Railroad In.
dustriai League lies the way to real united &C
ton against the wage cut alliance OF the rail-
roads and our union oficials."