The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-30

OF America, ms society nad Deen Q
of protecting the interests Of the To
the most intelligent and highly
skilled body Of craftsmen every as
sembled in America. 1t comprises
the cream Of the country'S seasoned
die, Jig, fixture and special machine
builders, in whose very hands lies
the destiny Of Americas uncrowned
kings.
This organization may truly be
called the Mechanical Heart of
America" It is within its power to
shut down completely all the auto
mobile plants of Michigan by simply
refusing to go back to work until
the union is formally recognized and
the just and modest demands
granted. AS the enclosed pamphlet
indicates, our executive committee
had submitted a Code to General
johnson, calling for $45 a week for
30 hours work.
In view of the tremendous i'm
provementS adopted in the auto
plants raising mass production pos
Sibilities to unheard-of dizzy heights,
automatically eliminating thousands
of highly-skilled and semi-skilled
auto workers, the code submitted,
calling for s45 per week pay OF
80 hours is very modest indeed. To
compensate for the thousands of
workmen thus thrown out urlmerci-
fully into the poor-house, the dreaded
ffvrse7 80 <,T-T r. he 1oE ~ ~
little child can understand that
the working hours must be short
ened and pay raised in order that
the craftsmen may remain an ade-
Quate factor in the market.
The need of a union truly repre-
sentative of the rank and file mem
bership is SO great and sorely urgent
that only craftsman of unsound
mnd could possibly view it with DIS
favor. There exists in the auto plants
a crying, surging need of an indie
pendent union for the past four
years.
The "uncrowned kings" of America
had successfully thwarted and
crushed every attempt of the crafts
men to organize by employing brutal
police tactiHs and hiring professional
terroriSts, to create adverse public
opinion. The newspapers willfully,
aimfully had conducted an orgy of
pernicious lie-spreading designed to
decimate our membership, coerce and
| intimidate our pickets. The factory
bosses had sent a great many stool
! pigeons into our midst to raise con-
fusion by instructing these despic-
able stools, who crawled among us
like snakes, singing our brother
members at every opportunity with
their vile stories of imaginary tales
along this line: Say, 1 saw so die
makers go in today. So and so is
| going in tomorrow and so on, all
of which are plain, manufactured
| lies.
This strike is one of the most
deliberate, popular expressions Of re-
sentiment to forever eliminate the
disgusting slavery conditions insti-
tuted by the 'uncrowned kings" OF
! America to spread havoc and misery
| into the ranks of Americas produc-
ton brains, by keeping them broke
and in dire need of life's indispens-
able necessities, thus perpetuating
| their nefarious rule.
Today, the union men, and they
include practically all the die-mak-
ers, are holding firmly, unflinchingly
and are not even dreaming of going
back to work until our egotistical
kings" recognize our union and
grant our demands. We are fully
conscious that we have an absolute
constitutional right for collective
bargaining and also have a perfect
right to expect a just, honest re-
mureration for our services; and nc
amount of representation, terror
ism and Imprisonment could possibly
alter our stand.
Yours truly,
James F. Bell.
P. s. am writing this letter, hay
ing 5 or fractured ribs, the work
of the Flint police, in their attempt
to keep me from effective picketing
Editorial Note: We are very glad
to print the above letter from
Brother Bell, and greet him for his
activity in the die and toolmakers
strike. We agree that the tool and
die makers need union truly rep
resentetive Of the rank and file men,
bership."
But can we say that all the off,
Gals of the Mechanics Educational
Society have been acting in the best
interest of the rank and file? Did
they not fight against the proposal
to call out the production men in
order to win the strike and to or
ganize one united union Of all auto
workers?
No one will deny the effectiveness
of strike of the highly skilled tool
and die makers, their strategic posi-
ton in the industry. But in fighting
against such powerful corporations
rs the General Motors and Fords
lasting victory can be achieved
mainly by united action Of all work
ers, regardless of their skill Brother
Bell says: ut is within it's (the Mech
anic's Educational Society to shut
down completely all the automobile
plants of Michigan"
This assumes a great deal and
leaves out OF consideration some of
the most important factors that the
workers have to face. The auto
bosses have the government power
behind them. They will try to set
unemployed against the employed.
They will try to divide the workers
on the basis Of skilled and unskilled
Our main purpose should be to unite
all these in a common struggle
against our powerful enemies.