The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-08-05
What the NY.
Painters Are
Striking for

The New York District Council No
8 of the Brotherhood of Painters
called a general strike on July 10
Instructions were sent to every men,
Der to report on the 14th for regist-
ration in the assigned hall.
In April when the master builders
announced the wage cut from s13.2
to $40 a day, the painters took a
referendum vote AGAINST the two
scales of wages. The referendum
rejected the proposals of the bosses
and went on record for a strike. The
locals were instructed to elect one
member of each local on the strike
committee. Meanwhile negotiations
were going on between the Building
Trades Council and tbs master build
ers, the result (which was that
the Building Trades accepted wage
cut from 1920 to s11.2o. The
master painters refused the S11.20
and held to their original offer Of
SO on old work and $40 on new work.
Since the membership on a previous
occasion thru referendum rejected
| the proposals of the bosses. the Dis
trict Counsel could not do anything
else but call a strike.
Wbilo tha District Council called
TIE st~ike. tho Shapiro rang had the
fcllowi~g in their minds;
1. Taa treasury IS erlptv. the
Council has over $4,000 deficit. no
ircorna end the boys" want money.
?. Tho recently organized Al
teret'Cn Pairtars Union under the
leadership Of the TU.UL. is crow
inc. wjnnino PRESTIGE before the or
geoi7od and unorgani7ed painters
e"d is becoming a reel rrenace to
TIE takers of the brotherhood,
whose aim IS to DESTROY it,
2 THsv want to establish an
elt4r"t'c1 department taking in
hu~dr2ds of rev members at 50
q ri0ce end nccnoting a scale on
elevation work of ST or So a day.
T"ese are the main reasons for the
strike.
To be sure that the control of the
~trika c7r7mittee shall Ia in tho
hands CT the machine instead of, as
according to the decision OF the re-,
ferendun, eech local shall elect one
member to the strike committee, the
Council Chairman appointed 10
members for the strike committee
from the council and elected him
self as the chairman of the strike
committee. Knowing that this is
contrary to the will of the member
ship, they, therefore, decided that
the appointment of the Council is
optional and if the local wants to
change the appointed strike COM
mittee man they have the right to do
so. Locals 905 and 499 Immediately
changed the appointed strike COM
mittee man. The strike committee
man of 499, who is well known re-
volutionary worker, was not seated
in the strike committee until after
the local made a decision whereby
the local demanded that the duly
elected strike committee man be
seated since no other one would be
elected.
Hand Picked Machine
The composition of the strike COM
mittee is such that whatever motion
or suggestions are made in the in
terest of the rank and file, the hand
picked machine men with the ex-
ception of or vote as the machine
wants them. Some are of such char
acter that the membership would not |
trust them wit ha nickel.
The first decision of the strike |
committee was that for SIS anybody
could get a working permit if he has
a job for himself; secondly, the
books were opened and the initiation
fee was lowered from $3.50 to $40;
thirdly, a tentative agreement was
for the employers. Any
employer who signs this agreement,
which means nothing, can go to work
and take as many men as he pleases.
This agreement states that the en-
ployer will employ union men and
will pay $11.2o a day, but that is
all. Not word about conditions,
to enforce the wages.
A Racket For Shapiro
A result of these decisions was the
following: in one week more than
1000 painters paid S. piece and
got permits to work and more than
zoo employers signed up with the Or
yanization. The Council had to get
money by hook or crook So the
strike became a permit agency for IS.
Employers are signed up who never
paid more than S. to Sc day. But