The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-01-27
DEVELOPING, FOLLOWING
UP CONTACTS IN SHOP
III.


unusual" way of making contacts.
He makes friends with the workers
on the job. You know the lunch
buckets are not so full now. He
manages to sarry a few extra APP
pies in his lunch basket. He passes
the apples to some of the workers
and develops a friendship with
them and so he was able to bring
several workers into the union. He
is an Italian worker, and yet he
was able to bring some American
workers in. Now we have this
American worker, the same one this
italian worker drew into the union,
and he is very interested. He wants
to know why we can't get American
workers into the union. I ex-
planned the resolutions of the plen-
umS to him in very elementary
language. 1 told him some of the
mistakes that we make, what our
troubles were. And he said: you
know down there in - there
were many fellows who may not
be interested in the union, but they
are interested in learning about
radios, and he also knew a fellow
who can give instructions, and they
are going to start radio club.
Unemployed, work is very i'm
portant, particularly here. For
merly all our plans were on paper.
But now we are actually putting
them into effect. A thorough dis
cussion was held in the nucleus,
especially on the question of the
Hunger March. AS result of this
it was proposed Immediately that
the Unemployed Council should be
formed, that is the organizational
committee, and the development of
committees i'll the steel workers
section.
Many Comrades felt that the
workers in this sect. were not ready
to fight. OF course, it was known
that there was misery to certain
degree, but how much we did not
know, because we did not get among
the workers in the neighborhoods.
And there we found that within a
radius Of six blocks, with the ex-
ception of two families, everybody
was in immediate need of food,
coal or clothing. AS a result Of
this canyaSsing, three committees
doing this work, two on each COM
mtttee going around from one fam
lily to another, talking to them,
asking them about their conditions,
talking to them about the neces-
sity of getting together, we found
a splendid response. After the two
days investigation we were able to
form an unemployed committee on
the following day, getting the house
of a worker right in that block,
and in this way we formed two
block committees in two important
steel workers streets. Following
that we developed action and
We're able to win relief for unem-
ployed steel workers. This is Just
beginning. Our perspective is
for developing block committees on
a wide area throughout the steel
workers neighborhoods and a
march on the plant, possibly in six
or seven weeks, according to how
well we are able to mobilize and
organize.
UNEMPLOYED work is extremely
" important. On this question
our ability to organize the unem-
ployed steel workers will make it
just that much easier for us to Or
ganize steel workers who still have
a job.
On the question Of developing is
sues. Only through these personal
contacts will we be able to sense
the needs of the workers and their
moods. The developing and deep
ening of these issues bring into mo-
ton many workers whom we other
wise have no contact with.
A concrete example. Last Febru-
AIRY, 1881, when one Greek coInrade
in q department, through personal
contact with a few workers, was
able to mobilize quite q number of
workers. Without the aid Of leaf
lets, through preparation OF a COM
mittee inside that department, we
were able to bring 1876 workers to a
meeting.
There is one conception that
must be driven out of our minds
and that is the question of big &C
ton without preparation. A few
years ago we had a bulletin with
the slogan, Down Tools on May l."
in the mill and at IL o'clock every
body was supposed to down tools.
But what was the attitude of the
workers? They all knew about this
slogan and were discussing it, but
not seriously, just in a joking man
ner. But why wasn't it possible to
arouse the workers to the point of
downing tools on May IL Because,
there was no 0rganizational basis
established. If there had been a
small group among the workers at
that time probably the slogan
would have been carried out, but
the prerequisite was not there.
There is a possibility of develop
ing small actions inside the mill.
There is question there Of the
heaters who are getting bad ma
terial to work with. But we did
not take advantage Of this action
we did not get the heaters together