The daily worker., 1933-06-03
Ny J. sTACHEL

ing in all parts Of the country. The
strike movement is especially spread
ing in the textile industry. Textile
strikes have taken place in all states
OF New England, in the South, in
New Jersey and Pennsylvania and
New York States Tens Of thousands
of textile workers have already been
involved in these strikes in the
course of the last month. These
strikes follow the mass strikes in the
shoe and leather industry that num-
bered almost $4,000 in the months
Of February and March of this year
and embraced many sections of the
country but largely New England
Preceding the shoe strikes there
we're mass strikes involving tens Of
thousands of auto workers in Detroit,
Toledo and Grand Rapids. In the
recent weeks there were strikes Of
miners in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illi-
nois, Kentucky, Tennessee, involving
about $4,000 miners. Miners strikes
are now developing in the Western
fields. Strikes of fishermen and
cannery workers over a 1000 mile
front starting at Astoria, Oregon and
reaching to Alaska are now in pro-
gress involving 10000 men, women
and children. There are also many
strikes Of needle workers, food work
ers, small strikes of marine workers,
workers in the light metal industry,
furniture workers. bakers, and num-
erous other industries.
Already in the first four months
OF this year there is every promise
that 1888 will stand ont in the strug-
gbes of lsbor i'll this country. 1t is
already clear that we are witnessing
the largest number of strikes for
many years. And this notwithstand-
ing The fact that there are seventeen
millions Of unemployed.
Strikes Will Increase
There is every prospect that the
Strike movement will continue to rise.
the very fact that the strikes are
scattered in all parts cf the country,
and embrace SO many different in
dusuies, indicates that the movement
is new only in its first stages and
thai it will develop into gigantic mass
Strikes 1t is also of the greatest
significarce that these strikes include
all strata oI the workers, native and
fcreign-bo7n, large nun 0ers of Negro
workers colonial workers, large num-
be~s of women and youth labor. And
c7en more GO than IN the past do we
obcs.vc in these strikes the solidarity
c. -i.e unemployed with the strikers
even thorgh I'm snlpiogment Is today
the greatest in the history of this
Coantry.
Basses NOnceuvers
The capitalists did everything in
their power to try to disrupt the
strike movement. First, they relied
on the prosperity propaganda and
upon the Roosevelt administration
promises.
Bue when this did not succeed they
tried to stop the strikes through
small voluntary" wage increases.
But even this did not work They
are now compelled to grant bigger
increases in their efforts to stop the
strikes.
This is we'll illustrated in the tex
tile industry Here the bosses when
they sensed the fighting moods OF
the workers began to give in many
instances 5 per cent increases. This
was done in some of the mills in
the South, and in Allentown. But
this did not stop the strikes. They
began to give increases to become ef-
fective months later. This was the
case in the Anoskeag Mills in Man
chester, N. II. The bosses promised
IS per cent increase on July %
But the workers struck for higher
increases and Immediately. After q
militant strike in which the workers
bravely faced the National Guard
the bosses were compelled TO grant
an immediate increase of Is per cent
to all workers
In Lawrence the bosses were COM
PEELED to give a 1912 per cent in
crease after a number of department
struggles were successful. The mine
operators in the Pittsburgh region
have announced an increase of 1C
per cent. Increases have been an
nounced in many plants in various
industries.
New Wage Cuts
The capitalists forced to grant in
creaSes through strikes or because of
threat to strike on the part of the
workers, hope in this way to stop
the struggles of the workers, and
then continue their attacks on the
workers standards.
In fact in many cases the so-calied
voluntary" increases are accom-
panied by new speed up and other
worsening of the conditions. Five
thousand textile workers in Phila-
delphia are now on strike against
speed UP introduced following an in
crease OF 5 per cent in their wages.
In Lawrence now after the 1914 per
cent increase was announced there
is a growing movement for struggle
against the long hours and speed
up that prevails. The workers must
not be fooled by such schemes on
the part Of the bosses.
Side by side with the strike move
ment. and increases in wages that are
gwen to many workers, we must re-
cognize that the overwhelming mas
ses of the workers are not receiving
any increases despite the demagogic
statement OF Roosevelt that wages
should be increased. This of course
was only intended to create illusions
that the employers Will give increased
wages without struggle. On the con-
trary, wage cuts in one form or an
other are being given the workers in
many parts Of the country. Only
-
stop to the wage cuts and speed mp
h~{vs~ fv~kr n~~L hi.