The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-28

the workers by unemplOymenC, Dy
old age, by permanent disability,
are political problems. They can
not be solved by saving, nor can
they be solved by mutual help;
certainly they cannot be solved by
charity" They can only be solved
by a political struggle for a full
measures of social insurance,
Mutual Insurance
Meanwhile, however, the workers
attempt to solve a part of the prob
lem by means of mutual insurance.
That is why so many American
workers are members of fraternal
mutual benefit societies. That is
why the organization of mutual
benefits is considered in almost
every workers organization. That
is why the payment of mutual ben
fits is practiced even in the trade
unions.
However, the combination Of
trade union and mutual benefit
society is not workable one. A
trade union is primarily an instru-
ment of struggle for better work
ing conditions. This fact makes the
union an object of capitalist perse-
sution and even suppression. The
result is that, either the union be-
comes q very insecure administra-
Tor of insurance funds, or it side
steps struggles so as not to endan-
ger the security cf the insurance
funds. Thus, insurance as side
hne for unions has contributed very
much to the submission of the
members Of A. f. of l., unions to
the reactionary policies of their
bureaucrats.
Militant trade unions therefore
cannot seriously consider the COM
bination of their function as organ
izations for economic struggles and
organizations for insurance. Yet
the members of the militant unions
have as much reason to be inter-
ested in mutual benefits as even the
most conservative worker.
Special Option
It is for this reason that the In
ternational Workers Order as a
workers frsternal organization has
decided to institute special option,
open only to workers organized in
trade unions. IF workers organized
in a trade union decide to utilize
this option in a body, they can OBJ
tain either $500 death benefit at an
approximate cost of 10 cents per
week, or $3.50 death benefit and 81 a
week sick benefit at an approx
nate cost of Is cents per week.
he cost of this insurance is based
upon the regular insurance rates,
on the step rate ystem, plus a
minimum of cost for administra-
ton expenses.
Any union that makes use of
either of these options automati-
cally becomes a branch of the In
ternational Workers Order with
full rights to participate in the
making of decisions concerning the
rules and bylaws, etc, of the
Order.
Trade Union Affiliation
The use of any of these options
by any union helps to solve two
problems; rst, it supplies the mem
bers of the union with some desir-
able protection; second, it does not
burden the union with responsibility
for the administration of the insur-
snce funds collected.
The affiliation of trade unions
to the |. W. 0. by means of utilizing
this option helps the trade union
movement in another direction.
The International Workers Order is
conscious workers organization.
1t supports the struggles of the
workers to the best of it's ability.
Its growth will increase it's ability
to give such support. Its growth
will establish powerful auxiliary
to help the workers in their strug-
giles.