The daily worker., 1933-02-21
Bills in Albany
to Deceive the
Hungry JoblesS
BY LOUIS 10th

THE workers in New York State
are preparing for March 5,
and z when the Provisional Com
mittee for Labor Legislation will
hold its conference in Albany to
present bills to the State Legisla-
ture which will deal with unem-
ployment insurance, more relief,
against evictions, and foreclosures,
shorter work day and the shorter
work week without reduction in
pay, against injunctions, etc. These
bills will be worked out by the
representatives Of labor organiza-
tions and backed up by hundreds
of thousands of workers in the
state Of New York.
The New York AFL. Trade
Union Committee for Unemploy-
ment Insurance and Relief called
conference of representatives of all
labor organizations irrespective of
political affiliations, on January %.
This conference organized the Pro-
visional Committee of the Workers
Conference for Labor Legislation
which has sent out the call for
statewide conference on labor
legislation to be held in Albany to
all labor organizations to send
delegates and participate in this
! conference.
BACKED BY RANK AND FILE
The New York AFL. Trade
/ Union Committee sponsors the
Workers Unemployment Insurance
Bill which calls for $40 a week for
each unemployed and So q week for
each dependent. The Bill calls for
unemployment insurance to be paid
from the first day of unemploy-
ment, without discrimination, to
all workers, American and foreign
born, young and old, white and
Negro, male and female. The
Workers Unemployment Insurance
Bill is supported by hundreds of
thousands Of unorganized workers
besides the 1000 local unions af-
flliated to the American Federation
of Labor and the Railroad Brother
hoods. The Bill will be brought
forward at the Albany conference
against the bills introduced by
State Senators Byrne and Mastick.
The A.F.L. leadership, which op-
posed unemployment insurance and
which was forced recently to
change its stand because of the
mass pressure, has come out in
favor of some kind of unemploy-
ment insurance" The last conven-
tion of the A. 2. of L. held in Gin
Cinnati adopted unemployment in
surance in principle and left 1t in
the hands Of the various State
Federations of Labor to work out
and present it before their respec-
tive legislatures. In line with this
decision, the various state fedora
tions of labor leaders, behind closed
doors and with the aid of Demo-
cratic and Republican senators,
worked out bills to present before
the legislatures not in the interest
of labor but in the interest of the
employers.
CENATOR BYRNE introduced a
y bill to go into effect on Oct. l,
1888; benefits shall amount to a
maximum Of SIS per week and
scaled down to $5; maximum period
of benefits to be 16 weeks in any
IL months; benefits to be paid one
week in each four weeks; waiting
| period Of three weeks; no provision
for benefits for workers who are
partially employed and seasonal
workers are excluded. The essence
of the bill is that it excludes all
workers unemployed at the present
time. 1t secures a certain benefit
for the future for those who will
be employed in 1884 and in case
they lose their jobs they might
get $40 or $12 month, which is
far less than even the present
charity paid out to the workers.
The AFL Weekly News Service
carries the following headline in
the Saturday, Feb. 4, 1888 edition,
"New York Labor Federation backs
Jobless Insurance. Supports SEN
atOr Byrne's plan-calls for COM
| pulsory assessment on all employ
ers.' According to this article,
benefits would range as follows:
SIS for an average weekly wage
above $40; $3.50 for those whose
weekly earnings were below $40,
and $40 for those whose weekly
earnings were $40 and SIS; and $5
for those whose weekly earnings
were SO and less. This means that
worker will receive unemployment
insurance benefits for 16 weeks
amounting to $50 to $3.50 for a
year. Further, they state that
Governor Lehman has recon-
mended action on this bill at this
session, but is said to be opposed
to requiring contributions by em-
ployers until economic conditions
improve"
THE bill introduced by Senator
Il Mastick is similar to Senator
Byrne's bill. The only difference
is that one belongs to the Demo-
cratic Party and the other to the
Republican Party. This is to satisfy
those Federation OF Labor leaders
who support the Republican Party.
And these are the wonderful
schemes called unemployment in
surance by the A. F. of L., and
y 4. ~ & ~.