The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-09-01

plan of action in order to carry
out the measures which would be
worked out by the board.
At the same time in Odessa q
strike of the sailors of the Volun-
teer Fleet had been called.
Our union quickly responded to
this strike, gathered fund for the
strikers from among the workers
and sent about 400 rubles to sup-
port them.
I shall dwell a moment on the
various grades of the workers in
the dredging-fleet. They were de
vided into four groups, according
to trades. The first group con-
sisted of metal-workers, lock-
smiths and filters from the work
shop; the second of machinists,
their assistants, oilers and stokers;
the third of workers on the wher-
ries and the mud-pumps; and the
fourth of the sailors themselves.
THE strongest numerically and the
lmost rebellious were the last two
groups, and in our very first strug-
gle they had played the decisive
role in our fight The first two
groups were small in number and
held themselves somewhat aloof.
So long as the fleet was being
overhauled during the winter, the
last two groups would have the
last word on the course of the
struggle; but it was quite differ
ent matter when the fleet was
working dredging the Straits; the
outcome of the struggle then de-
pended entirely on the first two
groups, since they had the tech
nical work of the fleet in their
hands.
After carefully examining our &C
tive forces, we saw that should
strike be necessary the metal-work-
ers and stokers would have to act
as vanguard, and that we must
therefore begin working on them
seriously.
It was characteristic that as soon
as there was any talk of an or
ganized union among the workers,
the metal-workers woke up and
scented their own organization in
the air; they kept knocking at the
doors of the union and without
loss of words began to demand to
be admitted. 1t was as easy to get
them into the trade-union as it
had been difficult to awaken them
to political life. In three months
time a quarter Of the metal-wmk-
ers and stokers we're already in the
trade-union.
''BLANQUIST METHODIST"
When I informed the Party COM
mittee of our organizing an illegal
trade-1nion, I was greeted very
coldly: ''Blanquist methods! Who
ever heard of underground trade
unions; what will 1t do, and how
will 1t defend the workers inter-
ests?s
I replied that this trNde-union
was not so much a trade union or
ganization as a militant political
organization of workers
I was blamed for not having pre-
viously gotten the committees
agreement.
When told them that very likely
in May strike would break out
on the fleet, and that the trade
union was now working out a list
of demands, they became very ex-
cited-such an event was extraor-
binary in Kerch.
'The devil! We are told things
like this by way of information.
Why do you do all this without
the committee?"
what do you mean, without the
committee? I'm telling you about
it now. You sent me to work on
the fleet, and I'm working there"
"The question must be discussed
as to whether strike is permissible
just now, and whether the workers
are sufficiently prepared for it,"
"The trade union itself has raised
the question of a strike, and it must
be taken for granted that a strike
will take place.
AFTER a long confab they de-
clared that should the strike be
a failure, the committee would take
no responsibility for it.
left the committee somewhat
depressed; even the workers in the
committee had not supported me.
was alone. I shrugged my shoul-
ders and decided to go ahead alone.
Not being used to factional strug-
giles, could not feel confident and
strong with the existing attitude Of
the Party committee towards me;
was afraid that perhaps I might
take the wrong road; yet there was
nothing to be done but to go on.
The trade-union board, having
made its investigation, reported to
the union and prepared a draft
of demands to improve the econ
omic condition of the workers;
there we're thirty-two points to the
draft, which covered all the mate
rial and professional needs of the
workers. The trade-union approved
the draft and decided to present
these demands to the adnlinistra-
ton on May 5, and to prepare the
workers for a strike. They de-
cided to call May Day strike on
May LIST in order to test the influ-
enca of the Ii f1inr1 and see whether