The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-09-01
"Must Forge United Front to Lead Big
Class Battles Noav on" Says Broevder

ference we have not been able to
achieve united point Of view. was
unable to attend the Steel Confer
ence and so am not familiar with all
the discussions that took place there.
I want to say, however, that it seems
to me that in the steel industry, if
one really wants to fight, the prob
lens are not so terribly difficult that
there should have been such Seri-
GUS obstacle to agreement. I don't
know of any other industry where
we have clearer picture of the abb
solute betrayal and treachery of the
A. F. of L. bureaucracy, where the
A. F. of l.. has smaller percentage
of the workers, where there can be
no pretense whatever that the A. F.
of L. unions have got the masses
under their control and leadership,
not to speak of organization. 1 don't
know Of any other industry where the
program of organization of the work
erS Immediately into militant in
dustrial union has more brilliantly
justified itself than in the steel in
duStry, where in the last few weeks
seven thousand workers were organ
lied in the S.M.W.I.U., and the sue
cessful winning of six strikes in this
stronghold of capitalism.
HTF1E problem we are facing in APP
preaching the steel industry is
not one that can be passed aside as
something that can be argued about
for two or three months; the prob
lem we face tonight is what are we
going to DO at this united front Con-
ference to take part in determining
what is going to happen in the steel
industry. The masses of workers in
the steel industry will be looking to
this conference. They will want to
know from this conference what is
our advice to them. They are unor-
ganized, they are prepared to Or
ganize and fight. Where shall they
go? Shall we tell them to go into
the A. F. of L. and submit them
selves to the leadership which just
a few days ago signed that das-
tardly 90-day steel code, as advo-
Gated here by Delegate Cope, or shall
we tell them to go into the Steel and
Metal Workers Industrial Union,
which has already won six strikes for
the steel workers? (Applause.)
ut would be very good if this con-
ference could answer this question to
the masses of steel workers in a
clear, unanimous voice, telling that
this conference recognizes that the
only union in the steel industry that
has clear program of fighting the
NRA is the S.M.WIU. This Union,
under the most difficult conditions,
has already begun to win victories
for them. This union is the only
one coming forth with the program
that really represents the immediate
interests of the steel workers. We
should declare we support the work
of the S. M. w. 1. U. and we adj
wise the steel and metal workers to
join it. Yes, we call upon all steel
workers to join the fighting S. M.
w. I. u, and who tries to prevent
this is working for the N. r. A. and
the A F. of l.. bureaucracy.
"One word about the SANDER that
comes from the bosses, from Grover
Whalen, the A F. of L. and S. P.
leaders, repeated here by Delegate
Cope, that the Steel and Metal
Workers Union is undemocratic and
controlled mechanically by the Com
munist Party. 1t is not true. The
S. M. w I. U. is absolutely con-
trolled by it's own members. One of
the serious weaknesses is that we
have not enough Party members
among the steel workers, such a
small group we are really ashamed
of it and determined to go out and
recruit several hundred more, sew
eral thousand more into the Com
munist Party. (Applause.) The
main trouble now is that there is not
enough Communists in the Union.
tSDOES it hurt union to have
u Communists in it? The only
unions winning strikes are the unions
with Communists in them. A good
Communist must be good fighter,
a loyal, self-sacrificing union mem
Der and organizer. He must come
first on the picket line and be the
last to leave So we have to say
that we think that 1t is a mistake
for those few delegates who have
,aken a strong position of resistance
against endorsing the organization of
the unorganized into the S. M. w.
I. u, serious mistake. Time will
show if this is only a mistake, or a
policy against militant