The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-25
CHEER MINOR AT
SHOE MEET AS8,OOO
PLEDGE TO FIGHT

NEW YORK.-Eight thousand shoe
workers, Communists, Fusionists,
Democrats, Republicans and Social
lists rocked Arcadia Hall in Brooklyn
with thunderous cheers for the mill
tant Shoe and Leather Workers In
dustrial Union Monday night, and az
loudly booed the officials of the A. F
Of l.. Boot and Shoe Union.
Fred Biedenkapp, secretary Of the
Shoe and Leather Union and the
Communist candidate for Brooklyn
Borough President, drew round after
round Of applause as he told of the
shoe hearings at Washington before
the National Labor Board and re-
viewed the strike situation.
The workers, many Of whom were
wearing buttons Of the Fusion Party
heard the real issues of the election
campaign when Robert Minor, Com
muniSt candidate for Mayor, spoke
at the election symposium which fol-
lowed the meeting.
Lewis Pinkusson," Minor charged
who is a member Of the Fusion
group which nominated La Guardia,
is a member of the law firm of Tach-
ma and PinlluSson, ITO William st.,
which took out the injunction for the
National Slipper Association against
the Shoe and Leather Workers In
dustrial Union, your union"
Although invited, mayoralty can
didates for the other parties failed to
appear. The Democratic Party sent a
representative, Michael Spiro, VINO
asked support for series of Tam
many injunction judges as the
friends of the workers. He mentioned
Peter B. Smith, Tammany judge, who
had issued the injunction against the
Furniture Workers Industrial Union
which caused the arrest of Robert
Minor when he piclleted shopSon
, strike. After ten-minute speech he
hurried away.
A dramatic moment of the meeting
came when Fred Biedenkapp read q
telegram received from the four
union organizers now serving a six
months term in Jersey City Jail
The telegram, which was received
with resounding cheers, said:
From the capitalist dungeons we
send you our greetings. Although be-
hind prison bars we are not discour-
aged. Our spirit is with you, Hold
your lines firm until victory" 1t was
signed by the four framed workers:
Maglicano, Ivanoff, Duchin and Ma
daxion.
In his speech on the strike situa-
ton, Biedenkapp declared that the
5000 shoe workers present are the
answer to the challenge of the bosses
Whalen and the labor takers of the
Boot and Shoe Union" We have built
union which will stand like the
Rock of Gibraltar against any assault
of the boss class" The workers
cheered wildly when Biedenkapp
pointed out that it was because of
the mass resistance represented at
the demonstration at Hotel PennsyI-
vania in which 1000 shoe strikers
participated, that the NR.A. authori-
ties in Washington stepped in after
injunctions and terror had failed to
break the ranks of the fighting shoe
strikers.
"Twenty-nine shoe manufacturers
made an agreement with the Boot
and Shoe Union through Mr.. Whalen
to make union" shops in New York.
Had they said they signed an agree
ment to make company union shops,
scab shops, we could understand it
There is no room in Brooklyn or New
York for the Boot and Shoe. They
must get out" A storm of applause
followed in which the workers rose
to vote by hand against the racket
eering officials. 1t was announced
that all Boot and Shoe members have
been called to meeting to organize
together with the shoe workers of the
Industrial Union into united front
to clean out the officials who have
stabbed the workers in the back lust
as these officials have been kicked
out out of Brockton.
Several kilograms of greetings were
read and one from the Shoe Work.
ers Protective Union of Boston, de-
claring that they would cooperate to
keep scabs from entering the New
York shops, indicating the mass sup
port OF the New England shoe work.
ers. Tremendous cheers ended the
meeting as Biedenkapp expressed the
determination of the thousands of
strikers to continue the strike until
the union is recognized and all de-
mands are won.