The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-09-25

/Nlle MIA Is d lizzie ana dlLIlS W put
more burdens on the shoulders Of
the workers. The unemployed, look
ing forward to employment, find that
instead of production increasing and
workers being hired, factories are
closing down and the lines Of the
unemployed are growing.
This, the fifth year Of the crisis,
will be the bitterest that the work
ers of this country have ever passed
through. Not only will the number
Of jobless grow, but relief is already
being cut. Workers doing relief work
will be in direct competition with So
called free" workers whose wages and
conditions will be brought down to
that Of the relief workers. This is
already taking place in various parts
of the country. The only safeguard
that the unemployed will come
through the winter without further
hardship; the only safeguard that the
workers in the shops working part
time, those fired or laid off because
Of sickness, accident, old age or
maternity, will have, is through I'm
employment and Social Insurance.
The Conference for United Action,
which was held in Cleveland on Aug.
1921, recognized this situation and
put the struggle for the Workers IN
employment Insurance Bill into the
center of it's program. The confer
ence adopted the following state
ment:
1--WE call upon all unions as well
as all unemployed organizations and
the working masses as whole every
where to initiate, conduct and sup
port sustained struggle for the
enactment 70 the Workers Unemploy-
ment and Social Insurance Bill, max
ing this part of every local struggle.
Steps To Be Taken
"To this end we propose that:
l. In states where the initiative
referendum is provided for, for
NAL referendum shall be conducted.
2. Where this is not possible we
shall conduct struggles supported
by signature campaign to force
the state legislatures to enact this
bill, pending action by Congress.
3. All city and county government
bodies and all individual members
of legislative bodies shall be forced
to take a stand for, and officially
call upon Congress and the state
legislatures Immediately to enact
this Bill
The Cleveland conference also
noted that masses of workers are be-
ing discharged without any provision
for their welfare The workers have
no savings; MIRA does not guar
antee them jobs. They work few
hours, a few days-and then are laid
off or fired. The conference there
fore declared:
This national conference Of trade
unions and unemployed organizations
calls upon all workers bodies to in
clude provisions for unemployment
relief in all codes drafted under the
NRA or. in cases where practical, in
agreements with the employers. These
provisions should include dismissal
wage equivalent to one months wages
to be paid each worker by the EN-
ployer at the time of discharge or
lay off, and relief payments by the
employer to continue for the duration
of unemployment at the rate Of
ito be determined in each situation)
"All organizations are called upon
to work for the immediate amend
ment along these lines of all indus
trial codes already drafted"
Stimulates Activity
These issues face not only the I'M
employed but also the employed
workers. The struggle for the Work
ers Bill must be stimulated. 1t is
not fight only OF or in the interest
of the unemployed workers. 1t is a
struggle for the security of the
WHOLE working class.
The Workers Unemployment and
Social Insurance Bill is the ONLY
bill before the people of this coun-
try, affording full protection to the
whole working class and putting the
burden of providing insurance where
it belongs-at the door of the en-
ployers and the government. The
Cleveland conference unanimously en-
dorsei the bill and now the workers
must be modified on the basis of
the broadcst united front to fight for
it. In this fight, the Unemployed
Councils must take the lead. This
is our central task.
Petitions are available, and each
7rganization should get its quota
from the National Committee I'm
employed Councils, 80 E. 18th St.
New York City.