The daily worker., 1932-06-04
FRANK BORICH
REPORTS ON Mine
BASIS OF UNION

UAOkO VI Ol!4O1V
NEW YORK..-At the National Ex-
ecutive Board meeting of the Trade
Union Unity League. a report was
made on organization in the mining
industry.
Eorich, National Secretary of the
National Miners Union, in reporting
for the National Miners Union en-
phasizeo the correctness of the de-
cisions of the Red International of
Labor Unions plenum and told how
the practical application of these de-
cisions can change the present bad
situation in the union and make the
National Miners Union the leader of
the struggles of the miners against
the new fierce wage attacks through
cut the entire industry.
Borich emphasized how the mis-
takes of the last strike in Pennsyl-
yania led to thousands of miners be-
ing blacklisted, the fact that for a
long time the basis Of the union con-
sisted primarily of these blacklisted
miners, and only now the first be-
ginningS are made to build up the
union on the basis Of the mines and
the drawing in Of employed miners.
He pointed out that the mistakes
ft-itl1 orG RI ioRl- nf 70 tinY1
in the Penn Ohio strike of last year
were made even to a greater extent
in the Kentucky fields. In Kentucky
we faced far more serious problems
than in the Penn strike Qack of work
ers' mass organizations, newness of
our union, severe terror, etc. and
there the lack of preparations we're
even more ruinous than in the Penn
strike.
Mistakes In Regard to U. M. w.
Borich analyzed the results of our
underestimation of the role Of the
United Mine Workers of America and
the failure for a long time to be-
gin work in the U.M.WA. in Illinois
and the Anthracite. This made it
possible for the U.M.WA. burocrats
and their Musteite allies to continue
misleading the miners.
Borich gave particular attention to
the fact that the U.M.W.A. was able
to call a strike under its leadership
in Eastern Ohio in the same fields
where last year the NMU. had con-
Quoted the strike. Unquestionably
the mistakes of the last strike led
by the N. NJ. U. were much responsible
for this. But even more important
was the failure to develop any strug-
giles in Eastern Ohio during the en-
tire period since the last strike, the
failure to overcome the fact that the
N.MU. in Eastern Ohio consisted
only of blacklisted miners, the fail
ure to see and counteract the in
roads of the U.MWA., and finally
the failure to strengthen and correct
the District leadership in Eastern
Ohio. There the comrades developed
side by side the greatest open and
sectarian opportunism, manifesting
itself in lack of faith in the mas
ses, in the possibility to build the
NMU. on the one hand, and In the
complete underestimation Of the pos
sibility Of the U.M.WA. to maneuver
and call strikes and on the other
hand in an underestimation of the
influence of the U.M.WA. and in
open capitulation before the UNIV
A. There was an adoption of open
right opportunist tactics and at the
same time narrow sectarian ap-
proach which failed to reach the
miners on the level of their under
standing, in the acceptance Of the
theory that we can not win the ma
tive miners but must remain union
of the foreign born.
Borich also spoke about the exist
ence Of white chauvinisnl in the
ranks of the N.M.U. and the failure
to develop concrete program of de-
mands for the Negro miners.
Some Gains
However, he pointed out that the
union is at the present time carry
ing through definite consolidation.
That employed miners are being won
to the union. N'ne branches of the
union are beginning to be built.
Attention is being given to strength
en- the financial system Of the union,
The union has in recent weeks led
number of small strikes in the Penn
District. But the union must over
come the danger which was mani
tested in the past weeks and even
in the National Miners Convention
that this inner consolidation shall
not be viewed as something separate
from the development Of the strug-
gle against the offensive of the op-
orators. This consolidation can only
be carried through on the basis Of
the leadership Of struggles Of the
! miners,