The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-02-23
.AFL and SIP
Heads Betray
Unemployed

IN SUNDAY, FEB. 10, william
v Green, president of the ALL,
declared that "the eyes of the
working people of the United
States are on the New York State
legislature in the hope that at this
session an unemployment insurance
bill will be adopted e.. New York
has always been in the vanguard
in the enactment of social justice
% legislation"
Monday, Feb. 20, the Legislative
Committee headed by Assembly,
man william L. Marcy, on which
organized" labor is represented by
John E. McGarry, announced that
no unemployment insurance legls-
lation would be introduced at this
session, since it might "create the
danger Of increasing the number
of unemployed by placing an adj
ditiOnaI burden on employers, who
will be forced to remove from their
payrolls many thousands of part
time workers"
MIR. Green declared that the A.
F.. of L. Executive Council worked
out a model insurance system.
This system would be burden on
the employers according to AS
semblyman Marcy with the tacit
approval of Governor Lehmans
commission, and therefore no I'M
employment Insurance legislation
will be introduced.
The bill that the commission was
supposed to be sponsoring was the
Byrne bill. This bill eliminates the
2,475, 600 unemployed at the present
time trOm any benefit. 1t excludes
farm workers, city and state en-
ployeS and all non-manual work
ers. This would definitely deny
and protection to at least 100000
workers. The bill provides SIS to
SIS a week insurance for the re-
mainder for no more than is
weeks, after a waiting period of 3
weeks. The fund would be raised
by a tax of 3 per cent on the pay
roll of the employers, who will take
it directly out of the payroll a
-cut-and would not be in
effect for at least another year.
This is the model bill of the A.
F. of (which the Legislative
commission has decided to post
pone consideration of-not because
it is insufficient, but because it will
mean a tax on the employers.
The State Committee of the So
cialist Party supports without re-
servation" this bill, according to
the official statement of Merrill,
state secretary!
This is open treachery by the
leaders of the A. F. of L. and S. P,
in collision with the bosses. Let
the 100000 unemployed in the
state starve," they say. THAT is
not our worry" and the S. P. and
A. F. of L. officials say amen"
In addition to this piece Of
treachery, the Socialist Party has
taken steps to split the ranks Of the
workers in the fight for unemploy-
ment relief and insurance. Know
ing full well that a Provisional
Committee had been set up and
had called a conference in Albany
on March 5 to 7, the Socialist Party
proceeds to call q separate socialist
conference, to split the fighting
forces. This can only help the bos-
ses-and the support that the SIP.
has given to the ByTne bill, "for-
getting" their own bill, shows their
I,,+t f,ft tNo
The workers must not allow this
vile act to divide their ranks. They
must show working class decision
by defeating this move. The Albany
conference on March to must
have representatives from all kinds
of organizations, unions of the A.
F. of L., Amalgamated Clothing
Workers, TUUL, from all fraternal
organizations, clubs, all unem-
ployed organizations, etc. There
must be no distinction as to pOiiti-
cal affiiiation-whether Republican,
Democratic, Communist, Socialist.
Nothing must be allowed to stand
in the way of the unity of the
working class. Those that attempt
to divide us must be swept out of
the labor movement.
Defeat the socialist splitters!
Make March S to ring with the
unity Of the workers of n. Y. state!
Make March 4th mighty day of
struggle for adequate unemplOy-
ment relief and insurance, a dem
onstration against Roosevelt, Leh-
man, the A. +. of L. and S. p.
splitters!.. This to be the prelude to
the most decisive united front con-
ference ever held in the state of
New York!
Unity is our slogan-all workers
together in a united struggle!
NATIONAL COMMITTEE
UNEMPLOYED COUNCILS