The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-16

erS, would recognize only the A. f.
of L., compel all workers to belong
to the A. F. Of L., and outlaw the Ma
tional Textile Workers Union, which
initiated and leads the dye strike and
which has thousands of members,
particularly in the big plants such as
Weidmann's, the Lodi United Piece
Dye Works, the Textile and the Blue
bird, and others.
Would Hamstring Struggle
The wage rate proposed was 5712
cents an hour for men, 40 cents an
kolu for women, and 20 per cent less
sbr young workers under ID. Before
Me strike men were getting As cents
Md women 35 cents an hour; in the
sFextile Dye Works men were getting
s55 cents and women As cents. The
proposed A. F. of L. settlement also
calls for a one year contract on these
terms to be signed with the employ
ers. This would prevent any strike
action for higher wages or better con-
ditions for one year,
The meeting was held in Turn Hall,
famous for half q, century as strike
headquarters in the many struggles
OF PaterSons militant textile workers.
Bill Haywood spoke here daily in the
great 1918 strike, i'll which two work
ers of the Weidmann dye plant were
murdered by company gun-thugs.
The A. F. OF l.. membership meet
ing lasted only about Is minutes. AS
soon as Yanerelli, the A. F. of l.. or
ganizer, began to read the proposed
n rms of settlement he was cut short
NV terrific storm Of booing. The
orkers would not let him proceed
and he was forced to leave the plat
form, the meeting ending at this
point.
Unity On the Way
The A. F. of L. officials and the
local press Immediately came out with
a flood of propaganda to the effect
that N.T.W.U. workers had broken up
the meeting. Another membership
meeting of the A. F. of L. dyers was
called. In the second meeting police
were stationed at the doors of Turn
Hall to examine membership books
and make sure that only A. F. of l..
members get in. About 1000 were in
attendance. and the workers once
more unanimously rejected the set
tlement.
The dye workers not only refuse to
accept this settlement. The over
whelming mass of the A. T. Of J..
members are now demanding that no
settlement be made without the
N.T.W.U., and upon terms agreed to
by the N.T.W.U. The strike breaking
U.T.W. and A. F. of L. officials, Kel-
Ter, Rubinstein, Yanerelli, Pirolo, now
stand completely discredited in Pat
erson. Victorious mass unity of all
workers in the great dye strike is like
ly to be won within the next day or
two.
Mass Picket Lines
That the rejected settlement was a
plot to break the dye strike and at
tempt crushing the NTW.U. is now
proved by facts that have just come
to light. On Friday afternoon, right
after the secret conference of the
traitorous officials with the employ
ers, John Moffit, federal conciliator,
wired Washington that the dye strike
was ended. At the same time the
United Piece Dye Works, the largest
silk dye company, phoned offices of
the big silk firms in New York that
e A. F. of l.. officials had guaran-
ked TO end the strike and that the
9b houses would reopen on Monday
ana silk cloth should be shipped at
once for dyeing.
The A. F. of l.. officials are still
working to jam through the Settle
ment." They are calling separate shop
meetings for a new vote by shops on
the same settlement" terms.
The NT.W.U. has called all strik-
ers out for the largest mass picket
lines on Monday morning. A mass
united demonstration of all strikers
has been called by the N.T.WU. at
Sandy Hill Park ON Tuesday morning
at II o'clock.
The silk strike is still spreading in
Rhode Island.