The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-12-06
SIP. and A.F.L. Maneuvers to
Stop Revolt Against Hunger
Utilize Unemployment Insurance Issue to Divide Labor
and Demobilize Mass Movement

tionary instinct to the program of
mass action and mass organization
of the Communists for these de-
nlands that the S. P. and A. F. of
L. leaders find it necessary to pol
iSh up their tin swords, to don the
shining arnor of militant and even
revolutionary phrases, and pose as
defenders of the interests of the
hungry masses.
THE VANCOUVER
DECISIONS
The widespread mass suffering
that already existed year ago did
not impel the A. F, of L. officialdom
to change its program of deter
mined opposition-to the point Of
expulsion of local unions and
building trades councils favoring
it-against all forms of compulsory
unemployment insurance.
In the Vancouver convention
compulsory unemployment insur-
ance was denounced as a menace
to the traditional freedom" of the
American worker. 1t was attacked
and defeated as destructive of
unionism." Vice President Matthew
VOL said: 81 think we tthe COM
mittee) should be commended for
pointing out the dangerous features
of system of this kind" Presi-
dent Howard of the International
Typographical Union opposed COM
pulsory insurance because it would
result in taking away from the
American worker some of the free
dom he has exercised i'm the past"
Olander of the International Sea-
mems Union opposed compulsory
unemployment insurance because:
There Is nothing new about the
government giving such things to
people. For nearly hundred
years a large part of our popula-
ton was under just that sort of
system, carried to its ultimate,
where the employer under the law
was compelled to guarantee food,
clothing and shelter and employ
ment. We called it slavery and
million lives were sacrificed to put
a stop to it. =. -"
President Green said in Van
couyer: Let us make our
selves strong before we engage in
experimentation and inject into our
movement, through the adoption of
an unsafe policy not suited here,
that which will pull at our vitals
and destroy our trade union struc-
tuYe."
THE A. F. of L. did not grow
1 stronger after the Vancouver
convention. 1t has grown weaker
through loss of membership, but
especially was the prestige of the
leadership seriously weakened by
its open policy of reaction, by its
cynical neglect of the interests Of
the gigantic army of unemployed
workers, including in its ranks at
least million members Of A. f.
of l.. unions.
The social base of the bureauc-
racy was being narrowed rapidly.
The crisis has TO a great extent
restricted the economic base OF the
labor bureaucracy. Mass unemploy-,
ment (as high as go per cent i'll the
building trades. which makes UP
more than one-third of the A. r.
of L. membership, the capitalist
offensive in the form OF wage cuts
and speedup created q situation
where the surrender policy of the
A. F. of l.. bureaucrats (endorse-
ment OF stagger and share-the-
work systems, opposition to unem-
ployment insurance sabotage of
strike struggles, labor manages
ment corporation" etc. no longer
was able to effectively cajole i'm
portant sections of the member
ship.
A revolt OF the membership
began, led by the New York Rank
and File Committee for Immediate
Relief and Unemployment Insur-
ance. In spite of under-estimation
Of the Importance of work within