The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-12-18
Thinking and Striking "


s6THINK before you strike" is the title Of an edi-
torial in the New York Evening Post OF satur-
day calculated to keep the workers from taking &C
ton against their growing grievances.
"The President and the Democratic Congress have
merited the trust of the workers OF America" says
the Post. THAT trust Is betrayed by unnecessary
striking Labor's move now is to place its demand
before the President who thinks of the masses
first
Give him the opportunity he deserves"
What blessings has Roosevelt brought the Amer
lean working class that merits this savish confidence
asked by the Post Green and other Wall Street
supporters?
200 Of the leading corporations $16000o000 profits
1888 against 100000 in 1932-an increase
500 per cent?
The workers forced to pay for these profits
by heavy reduction in real wages According to
the poisoned sources Of information in the A. F. Of
L. the real wages Of the American workers we're
cut 23 per cent (American Federatonist, December,
1881
ROOSEVELT promised unemployment insurance and
IL the unemployment Of millions Instead he cuts
relief, gives a few G. W. A. jobs-many are beaten
up when they ask for their pay He granted hun
dreds of millions for war purposes under the guise
Of public works.
Or should the workers merit Roosevelt and his
Congress the trust asked for by the Post because
Of the fascist attacks Of the N. r. a.?
The N R. A. promised the right Of organization,
the right Of collective bargaining the right to belong
to unions Of the workers "own choice" and spoke
about compulSion the part of the bosses in
driving the workers into company unions The N. r. A.
promised higher purchasing power and greater en-
ployment
What has been the result7 should the workers
give Roosevelt "the opportunity to repeat the history
Of the past six months of strikebreaking?
When million workers went on strike for
the right Of organization and for higher pay, the
N r. nYOl n In Nrpa
strikes. Roosevelt himself helped to drive the min
ers back to the pits with promises that turned to
ashes, and company unionsn in many places.
The Weirton steel workers now feeling the
miserable betrayals Of the N. r. A. No wonder hun
dreds of workers wrote Hitler" and "Hitlersm into
their ballots in the forced company union voting.
Their strike was broken by N. r. A. promises and
the lackey service of the A. F. Of L. leaders.
GO fas union rights concerned, the very Post
editorial that appeals for faith, confidence and
strikes, admits the labor boards open-shop in
struments.
How about the codesS They shackled the WORK.
ers with minimum scales and so-called maximum
hours The minimum wages becoming the maxi
Shown In the slash in real wages Through
the Codes plus Roosevelts program of initiation higher
taxes for the workers, processing taxes, and what
not, prices shooting skyward The workers are
placed between the two Jaws of a vice-between the
crushing weight of lowered wages and higher prices
Good prices have already gone up 20 per cent?.
WnaJ Jne PoSG ana oCner Roosevelt capitalist
spokesman really fear is that the workers. learning
from the past betraysls of the N. r. A. and A. r.
Of L. officaldom with their being cut already
show symptoms that new strike wave Is brewing
that may surpaSs the recent struggles which began
before the N. r. A. was passed and proceed along
with it. These spokesman do not want the bosses
apple cart upset. They want the workers to remain
shacked by the N. R. A. and to wait for chains
from the forthcoming Congress.
THE Post promises that Roosevelt through the next
Congress will help the workers by amending the
N. r. A. What the workers expect from the next
Congress? Undoubtedly there will be some changes
in the N. r. A. These will be initiated with the
widest demagogy and promises But in reality they
will strengthen the N r. A. instrument OF OPP
preston and attack the workers it is already
proposed to strengthen the compulsory arbitration
provisions and practices through the local and
tionsl labor boards set UP by the N. r. A, with the
cooperation of the misleaders OF labor The fascist
features of the N. r. A. will be strengthened in the
next Congress
Only strikes now for the immediate demands of the
workers defeat this purpose and preparations for
struggles regardless of what Congress does is the
workers only salvation in the face of the bosses pro-
of lowering living standards
IuiAT is necessary now Is united front that is a
" fighting program and organization OF all
workers, regardless of what organization they belong
to- in order to win the most elementary rights of
organization and to forge a weapon of struggle for
higher wages.
This can be accomplished In many ways. Mainly
1t will be accomplished by workers within the A. F.
of L. organizing their rank and file opposition groups
fighting for militant program OF struggle and for
unity with the workers in the revolutionary trade
unions on the basis of minimum program to pre-
serve the workers rights and living standards.
This is what all the agents OF the bosses do not
want but 1t is end that must be achieved II the
workers are not to allow themselves to be driven
deeper towards the cooe level of living standards by
the Roosevelt MIRA. program, or any other scheme
he may evolve to help the bosses pile up profits at
the expense of the workers.
In building the united front OF struggle the Trade
Union Unity League and all its affiliated Industrial
unions have the outstanding leading task through its
own unions and through the opposition groups In
the reformist unions