The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-12-27
Officials of ALL.
WaiterS'UniOCnSeek
TOSidetrackStrike
Industr'l Union Urges
United Front, Strike
Preparations


| greater pressure from the rank and
file hotel and restaurant workers, the
general strike against the adoption
of the MIRA. restaurant code, an
nounced by the A. F. of L. officials,
will be sidetracked to a "stoppage."
This was indicated in the speech of
President Flore Of the International
Hotel and Restaurant Employees
Union, who addressed about 500 men,
bers Of the locals at a meeting last
Saturday night at Central Opera
House.
The meeting was called for the
supposed purpose of taking a strike
vote to prevent the adoption of code
in the industry which would drasti-
cally lower the wages and working
conditions Of restaurant and cafeteria
workers.
Flore told the workers that
STRIKE" would be called only if the
code were signed and then declared
that suspension of work for a short
period Of time" would be necessary.
In a wire sent to the meeting, viii
liam Green, president of the A. F.
of L., declared that he would support
the unions demands for changes in
the code, but made no mention of
| the strike. Green's intention is to
stifie the strike sentiment and build
up hopes in the MIRA.
Judge Jacob Panken and Betty
Hewley of the State Federation of
Labor were other speakers at the
meeting.
A resolution condemning the pend
ing restaurant code and demanding
that changes shall be made excluding
tips from the minimum scale of
wages, abolishing the split shift and
reducing hours from 81 to 48 a week,
was unanimously adopted. The reso-
luton also carried clause calling for
strike If the code is signed.
William Albertson, organizer of the
restaurant section of the Food Work
erS' Industrial Union, declared today
that the union endorses the changes
| demanded in the code and believes
that the only way to win improve
ments in the conditions for the rest
aurant, hotel and cafeteria workers
is by means of a general strike.
But the strike will be successful
only if preparations are made among
the membership Immediately" said
AlbertSon. This must be done by the
establishment of unity among all
unions in the industry. We urge the
calling of mass meeting in one of
the large halls for a strike vote of
the membership Immediately with
a half hour stoppage while the strike
vote is being taken. We urge that
every local union call a meeting and
take up Immediately the necessary
strike preparations
Reports were circulated yesterday
that a strike might be called on New
Years Eve, but the membership is in
the dark about the situation.
NEW YORK.-United action in the
coming general strike of hotel and
restaurant workers was proposed to
both the A. F. of l.. union and the
Amalgamated Food Workers of Amer
lea by the Hotel and Restaurant
Workers Union and the Cafeteria
Workers Union, sections of the Food
Workers Industrial Union.
A mass meeting of hotel and rest
aurant workers has been called for
Wednesday, January 3, at Palm Gar
den, 306 West Sind ST., near 9th Ave,
which will take up the problem of
how to organize a correct general
strike.
Jacob Field, secretary of the Anal
gamated, stated at his Office yester-
day, that his union was comforting
with officials of the Local Joint Board
OF the Hotel and Restaurant Employ
ees and Beverage Dispensers, the A
F.. of l.. union, on united action.
A committee of the Food Workers
Industrial Union, which visited Field
last Thursday, proposing united ac-
ton, were told the matter would be
taken up at an executive board meet
ing that night. Field, called on the
phone yesterday by the Food Work
ers Union, said the question of a
unity with the F.WI.U. will be put
before the executive board of his
union tonight.
A mass meeting has been called by
the Amalgamated for Thursday night
at their headquarters, 915 9th Ave.
In their letter calling upon the A.
F. of L. union for united action, the
Food Workers Industrial Union stated
that if the unions conduct the strug-
giles individually, few gains will result,
especially because the membership of
all the unions is small when COM
pared to the number OF workers in the
industry.
Therefore" continued the letter,
"the burning need OF today, in the
present situation, is the unity Of all
unions in the industry, regardless of
their af1liation or independence. We
feel that only through this unity
can we achieve the united aim of all
organizations and workers, to gain
better conditions, and to prepare for
a successful general strike"
The membership of the A. F. of L.
locals total about 1000, while the
Amalgamated membership totals $500.