The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-01-24
'EVeryFactory
Our Fortress
Establish Intimate, Per-
n,anent Contacts With the
Workers.
CONTINUITY IN OUR
WORK IN OUR SHOPS

N'I1IO wage CuI Coll Dt QSISdIeOJ
4 as we have already defeated
wage cut in one small steel mill
here. A per cent cut was defeated
two weeks ago without a strike.
We started some agitation on the
question of the cut and some dis
cussion among the workers in the
mill and this in itself helped to
defeat the cut. / think that certain
demands, even a wage cut can be
defeated without strike, especially
if we call upon the workers by
giving them leadership and guild
ance and first of all acquainting
them with the union in the mill.
The workers will not recognize the
slogan as something impossible to
achieve and therefore this slogan
that we put forth now about de-
feating the wage cut will depend
to large extent on how we dew
elop the movement. Certainly the
fact that we have already defeated
the wage cut in one steel mill
shows that strike is not the only
way with which to defeat the wage
cut. OF course, we have as our OBJ
jectiye-struggle and Strike-but
as we will develop organizationally,
the struggle and strike will come
as a natural result.
Now a few words on unemploy-
ment. In the steel towns and in
most cases around this industry,
the unemployed work becomes of
great Importance because the whole
struggle in steel towns and mills
is a struggle against the wage cut
and for relief. In this town a 20
per cent relief cut has just been
announced. You cannot neglect
this struggle. In practically all the
steel towns water, gas and light
has been shut off to such an ex-
tent where the workers have to
go to fire hydrant for water
and around these issues we can
involve part time and unemployed
workers and unite them in this
struggle.
THAT is what we are attempting
L now-against the wage cut and
linking this up with the struggle
for unemployment relief. We are
trying to employ the united front
tactics TO the extent that it has
been carried out in Chicago on the
so per cent relief cut. The issue of
the cut in relief, together with the
wage cuts and the stagger system
affects the workers here as much
as the so per cent cut did in Chi
cago. With the proper carrying
through Of this work, by uniting
even the most backward workers
we will be able to go ahead. Today
in almost every unemployed branch
we have about 40 per cent part
time workers employed in the steel
mills because they cannot live on
two days wages and they come to
the Unemployed Councils with
their various grievances.
without developing the unem-
ployed movement, the struggle
against the wage cuts in the steel
mills cannot be developed effec-
lively.
1. The proper emphasis is
placed here on The need to con-
stsntly follow up the develop
ment of the work in the shop
around immediate grievances if
our organization is to grow and
spread its influence. This re-
quires that we know clearly
everything in and about the shop
to enable us to deal concreteIy
with each issue.
2. However, the winning of
partial struggles around small is
sues should be utilized to broaden
the struggle front, preparing the
workers for organized resistance
(strikes) against wage-cuts,
speed-up. We should not draw a
general conclusion that every
wage-cut can be defeated without
strike. Our basic line must be
that in the fight against wage
cuts we prepare and organize
strike struggles.
8. The conception that strug-
giles and strikes will come as a
natural result Of organization
fails to take into account that our
organization will grow and de-
velop precisely through struggles
and strikes and that we must pre-
pare for every strike.