The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-09-08

ing conflict between the silk mill
owners and the rayon interests, be-
tween the silk and cotton mill own
ers, and between the larger and
smaller capitalist interests in the tex
tile industry, all greatly sharpened by
the strike.
The suspicion with which silk
workers begin to look upon the MIRA
and the union officials who have
made this their gospel of salvation is
shown by letter published in this
same paper and signed Thirteen
Dollar Experienced Weaver" 1t says
in part:
Nov the biggest steal Of the CEN
tury comes in. After the silk workers
made the rayon business what it is
today, the NRA gives the rayon bust
ness to the unorganized cotton peo-
pie under the lowest wages of any
manufacturing industry in the United
States.
Does the NFA blame us for strik-
ing? They took our living away
from us made sweatshop out
of our business. &. Are our unions
failures? We pay our union dues and
fight our local bosses who are paying
us better wages because we are or
ganized. We go out on strike. :.
When the strike is over part of our
work has disappeared to the morgan
lied South. Therefore 1t seems
that our organizations are failures
mo 10 toka O 1ncc
while striking. But if we don't strike,
we will have to go down to the basis
of the wages paid by the Chinese
coolie system. Just enough food to
live on above the starvation line,
clothes which cover us but with none
of the beauty we ourselves put in
the cloth :. a roof over the heads
of our families which offers shelter
to keep the rain out s. just living
to work, without the joy Of living"
Such statements show the spirit OF
the silk strikers. They show that not
only are silk workers thinking in
terms of national silk strike but
are beginning to think in terms of
national textile strike with the or
ganization of the Southern section
of the industry as its main objective.
It is little wonder that the bosses
are alarmed and that their press is
trying to soothe the strikers by pre-
tending to champion their cause
against the MIRA slave pact.
Such expressions show that agita-
ton for and development of rank and
file leadership on a wide scale by the
N.T.WIU.-now based in the most
decisive section of the silk industry
and with the possibility that 1000
Lodi dye house workers will soon
strike under its leadership-pressing
forward among all sections of the
strikers for a solid united front, will
immensely and rapidly increase its
influence, organization and power;
will give to the silk and other textile
workers the guarantee of mighty
industrial union controlled by them
and meeting their needs and demands,
for which such a mass clamor and
struggle is arising that the capitalist
press is forced to modify its rule Of
giving publicity only to the employ
ers' side of working class struggles.
In the course of this struggle the
greatest attention must be paid to
the organization of the militant rank
and file in the U.T.W. and Associated
Silk Workers, and to the winning over
OF the independent craft unions for
the united front. The correct COM
bination of the exposure Of the MIRA.
and its ofiicial union supporters, and
the most aggressive fight for unity,
will defeat the McMahons and Kellers.