The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-05-28
By TOM JOHNSON

IN the Illinois and Ohio fields $4,000 miners
4 are locked out or on strike under the leader
ship Of the reactionary union, the United Mine
Workers of America. In Western Pennsylvania
four mines at Avella, including one Of the Pitts
burgh Terminal Coal Corporation mines, (the
UNIWA has an agreement with this company
are engaged in a strike which until last week
was completely dominated by the UMWA The
largest mine in Central Pennsylvania is on
strike under their leadership.
Two circumstances contribute to the develop
nent of local struggles such as the Avella and
Portage strikes under UDIWA leadership. On
the one hand the union is striving desperately
to rehabintate itself in the eyes of the miners
even though this forces the leadership into call
ing local strikes with the entirely conscious
aim Of latter betraying thern).
On the other hand the UNdWA is striving to
raise its prestige as a strike breaking agency
with the operators by taking over the leadership
of the growing number of local struggles (Which
as was the case in Ohio may be transformed
over night into mass strikes developing from
below in order to betray them and thus prove
its usefulness to the operators.
Despite the recent heroic struggles under it's
leadership in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia
and kentucky, the National Miners Union to-
day finds itself relatively isolated from the pres
ent strikes and in grave danger Of this isolation
continuing in the wave Of strikes unQuestionably
maturing in Western Pennsylvania and West
virginia 1t cannot be brought home too sharply
that today our union is in imminent danger OF
being seriously weakened in its own stronghold,
the Western Pennsylvania and Ohio fields.
There is only one means whereby such ca
tastrophe can be prevented that is by stub
born struggle for our independent leadership of
iL-a
correct application OF the united front from be-
low Today the tactic of the united front is lit
orally life and death question for our union
After several years of unproductive work had
demonstrated to all but the blind the bank
ruptcy of our sectarian policy in those fields
such as Illinois and the Anthracite which are
completely dominated by the UMWA we have
at last succeeded in working out Cor rather are
in the process of working OUT the correct meth
DDS and forms for the application Of our united
front tactic
As frequently happens With. us, the reaction
from the sharp self-criticiSn of our former pol
icy of building, or trying to build locals of the
National Miners Union in these fields at the
expense of work in the UMWA has led to some
mistakes amounting in practice to the complete
elimination Of the role of the NMU from our
agitation and propaganda. However, on the
whole it may be said that we have now seizbed
hold of the correct policy in these fields and
that our comrades are energetically building a
strong left wing opposition inside the UNfWA
which is already mobilizing masses of miners
for struggle for concrete demands under our
leadership.
The Ohio Strike.
Unfortunately the same cannot be said for
bur work in Eastern Ohio Here, up until the
present strike, the UNIWA had little or no SYM
pathy or mass influence and even less organiZa-
tional strength. The miners of one mine Of the
Hanna coal Co. struck first, largely as a result
hf leaflet issued by the NHfU calling for strug-
gle against recent wage cut In other words
The strike actually started as a result Of the
york Of our union.
Our comrades were present at the first meet
Hlg of the strikers. Again they repeated the old
mistake of merely making agitational speeches
and failed TO even elect a Strike Committee.
Following this first meeting our comrades SIM
ply stepped out of the picture and left the Strik-
ers to their own devices for several days.
THE UNIWA promptly seized hold Of this op-
portunity, sent in speakers and organizers and
tok the leadership of this local strike right out
II our hands. This was bad enough but it did
not end there. The strike spread and with it
spread the influence of the UNdWA, until the
held was solidly struck and as sondly under the