davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-14
Jewelry Workers
Strike Spreads
Conference for Strike
Settlement Continues

NEW YORK.-Jewelry workers
who came out on strike Thursday
were actively organizing groups of
strikers to persuade the workers
still employed, of which there are
only about 5 per cent. to join the
general walk-out. At the same time
the conferences on a settlement
continued between the unions COM
mittee and the bosses.
At the J. R. Woods shop it is re-
ported that half of the workers did
not enter the shop yesterday as a
result of effective picketing by
strikers around the shop. The strik
ers expect to concentrate on win
ming the entire shop out on strike.
Peter Garcia, president of the
local. reported the results of
Thursdays conference with the
bosses at the strike meeting yes
terday. The bosses are willing to
concede 35-hour week, a mini
mum wage of $1.25 an hour for
platinum workers, 81 an hour for
gold jewellers, chasers engravers,
etc, and IS cents an hour for
pressmen. They agreed to abolish
piece-work and subcontractors, but
are against the clause that abro-
gates their right to fire any worker
after a four weeks trial. Other as
poets of the agreement are to be
discussed in the conferences to fol-
low, and the agreement as a whole
is to be subject to the approval of
the workers.
The workers are aroused against
the attitude of the International
officials, who urged them not to
strike. While the strike is contrary
to the wishes of Beardsley and Will
liams, Garcia, the local president,
called the strike as result of the
strong sentiment in the union.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-14
Solidarity of Labor Urged in Appeal A. F. L. Membership

N.M.U. and the steel workers organ
izing into the TU.UL. (Steel and
Metal Workers Industrial Union) has
been established. Recently, in Cleve-
land, a conference of 700 worker del
egates from A. F. of L., T.U.UL. and
independent unions, from morgan
lied workers and unemployed organ
izations was held, at which issues
which most vitality concern every
worker were discussed, and decisions
for joint action unanimously adopted.
What were the issues clearly for
mulated at this conference of elected
workers delegates? These issues were
unity in the fight for more wages;
for shorter hours without reduction in
pay; against speed-up and dismissals;
for unemployment relief and unem-
ployment insurance; for the right to
strike; against injunctions and COM
pulsory arbitration; for the right to
organize into unions of the workers
own choice and against company
unions; against discrimination of for
eign born and Negro workers, for the
right of Negro workers to all jobs at
wages equal to those of the white
workers; for equal pay for equal work
for all young workers. We are con-
WINGED that these issues for which
tens of thousands OF workers are al
ready fighting today can become the
means around which to effectively
unite all workers, regardless of their
trade union or political affiliations.
We have just addressed letter to
the A. F. Of L. Convention. asking
for united support of the strike of
over $4,000 miners. Here we were COM
PEELED to appeal directly to the rank
and file members and local officials
against the leaders Of the A. F. Of
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-14
MIRA Aimed Against Strikes

the part of these leaders. At the
same time these leaders continue to
support discrimination of Negro
workers, which they too practise in
the A. F. of L. organizations. They
continue to call for attacks on the
foreign born workers. They are de-
veloping racketeering and gangster-
ism in the unions, as part of the
machinery to rob the workers Of their
democratic rights. How else can
Lewis and Murray drive back to work
the $4,000 miners who repudiated
them time and time again? 1t is
these same leaders who are opposed
to building the industrial unions be-
cause they would unite workers of all
crafts and make it more difficult for
the bureaucrats to pit one group of
workers against another. They fear
the solidarity that would result from
such industrial, unions.
(TO BE CONTINUED)
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-14
Shipyards Strike
Threatens to Spread
to South and West
1900 Out at Erie Basin
u S. Conciliator Here

NEW YORK.-The strike of the
workers of the Todd Shipbuiiding
Works at Robins and Moss Dry
docks, Erie Basin, Brooklyn, con-
tinues with 1900 workers involved.
It was started by 1,10O boiler
makers who walked out in protest
against the dismissal of five work
ers active in organizing for their
union, the international Brother
hood of Iron Shipbuilders, Boiler
makers and Welders of the A. F.
of L. Five hundred organized and
unorganized workers are out in
support of the strike which now
has the possibility of spreading to
the shipyards in Mobile, Alabama
and Seattle, Washington. Several
hundred have struck in Hoboken,
N. J. at the Tietgen and Lang
yard, also owned by Todd.
Yesterday Anna Weinstock OF the
Department of Labor Cancellation
Board entered the scene, announc-
ing that she would stay until the
strike is settled
Captain O'Connor, police head of
the Hamilton Ave. station, informed
union officials that. "T'll empty
every dump on that waterfront if
you picket" The strikers had voted
to picket last Wednesday night at
a meeting where a member of the
Steel and Metal Workers Indus
trial Union advocated this action.
Despite the threats of O'Connor,
the men turned out yesterday and
John Mellon, business representa-
tive of local 1924 stated to your
reporter "We'll picket until we
win
The men demand recognition of
their union representative, rein
statement of the discharged work.
ers and agreement to discuss the
wage scale The men want 1895
which they received for 4S hour
week until months ago in place
of the $2700 they now get for a
SO hour week with the present
hoars.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-14

NEW YORK. duplicating high
Tammany officials in the racketeering
policies of the A. r. of L. officials
In the local unions and on building
construction jobs, Jack Taylor, Sec
rotary of the Administering Com
mittee of the A. F. OF L. Building
Trades Unions reporting on the situ-
alton at mass meeting Wednesday
night declared that only well-organ-
lied rank and file committees in every
local working together would force
the elimination of these criminal
practices against the A. F. of L. mem
bers.
The mass meeting at Irving Plaza
was crowded with more than 800 rank
and file workers of the A. F. of L.
local unions, adopted a resolution
calling for the immediate organiza-
ton of misunderstanding committees
in every local and demanded that the
district attorneys of New York and
Brooklyn together with the Federal
attorney initiate campaign to wipe
out the racketeering in the unions
and on construction jobs, including
government buildings.
Edward Hoffman, a member of To-
cal 3 of the Electrical Workers Union
who presided at the meeting declared
that Senator Copeland and Colonel
Hutchinson of the Senate COMMITTEE
to investigate racketeering had prom
Used action after the misunderstanding
ring committee had exposed the nest
of graft in the Electrical Workers and
other unions but that month has
passed and these politicians have
done nothing.
That $4,000 per week is being ex-
torted from building trades workers
by the gang of racketeers in the A.
r. of L. unions who swindle thou
sands of members for the privilege
of working was revealed by Taylor in
his report.
'In March, 1882" said Taylor, "15
members of local 8 brought suit
against Breach, former international
President and the officials of local 3
for an accounting of $T,500,000 of
union funds which had been used
illegitimately by officials of the local
from 1861, large amounts of which
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-14
Map Drive to Clean Racketeers
From "A. F. of L. Unions
$4,000 Extorted from Workers Wages
Weekly; Rank and File Committee Forces Five
Arrests of A. F. of L. Racketeers

had been shared withe Tammany off,
Gals in order to stifle threatened in
designations of the racket carried on
by favored contractors and the union
officials. At subsequent hearings,
Robert Wilson, ousted president of
local 8, admitted that some of the
money might have gone for political
protection. To prevent detection,
vouchers and records of expenses
close to $1,5o0,o00 were destroyed by
a union official.
A number of arrests of A. F. of
L. officials have already been made
as result Of tn pressure of the
members of the A. F. of L. locals
through the establishment of the
notwithstanding committee. Graft
and corruption on jobs at Radio City,
Post Office buildings on Goth and Both
StS., Harlem Hospital, the Bankers
trust buildings and others have been
uncovered. Ed Mclaughlin of the
Plasterer's Union and James Young
of the Carpenters Brotherhood have
been arrested on charges of extortion
after members of the union who were
forced to surrender part of their
union wages to these racketeering
agents, brought sworn affidavits in
proof. Jess Williams, Salvatore Saliu
and McElroy were indicted in con-
nection with graft on the Roxy The
atre job. The money extorted by
these A. F. of L. racketeers from the
wages of the workers were shared with
the contracting company and with
politicians.
Alfred Terry, a member of local g.,
speaking from the floor of the meet
ing, declared that the only assurance
that racketeering will be eliminated
from the A. F. of l.. union is to Gust
the whole nest Of officials from Green,
Vol and others down and establish
honest rank and file control.
The misunderstanding committee
which is composed Of rank and file
members of eight building trades
unions proposes to intensity its cam
paign among the rank and file to
organize and battle the corruption in
the unions and to put the greatest
amount of pressure to force action
on the part of the government au-
thorities against the bosses agents
in the unions.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-14
Adopt Policy of Glass Struggle and Stand
Solidly Against MIRA Company Union Plan

Council of the A. F. of L. and the en-
tire top leadership do not represent
your interest. To prove our conten-
ton, let us but examine few facts.
What did they do during the last four
years when we were under attack?
President Green entered into an
agreement with former President
Hoover that there will be no strikes
for higher wages and the bosses
should not cut wages. But, it is now
we'll known that wages were slashed
right and left. What did the A. F..
OF L. leaders do in the face OF the
increasing millions of unemployed?
They told the unemployed to be sat-
isf1ed with charity. They openly OPP
posed unemployment insurance. When
the rank and file protested in such
large numbers that they could no
longer Withstand the tide and were
compelled at the last convention to
go on record for unemployment in
surance, what happened? Did they
actually take up the fight? No! They
continued their record of passivity
and open sabotage Of the fight for
unemployment insurance.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-14
Will Hold Convention
November HIP

them. In the case of the silver
strikes we were not forceful enough
in nobilizing the workers to force
the MIRA. officials to bring about a
conference between the strikers and
the boss associations. But by and
large we can state we were able to
convince the workers that they cam
not expect anything from the MIRA;
that it is not an instrument in the
hands of the workers, but an in
strument in the hands of the bosses
to fight against the workers. We
were able to do this not by ignor-
ing the MIRA but by showing the
workers through their own expe-
rience what the MIRA. actually is.
AS a result of these strike strug-
giles the SM.WIU.. grew from a
small group of scattered workers a
year ago to an organization Of 1000
dues-paying members with a num-
Der of shops signed up, with four paid
organizers and five different func-
tioning sections.
The most important shortening
of the union is still the absolutely I'M
satisfactory status of the union
among the heavy metal workers;
among the machine building, ship
building and navy building workers.
The District Convention of the union
which will be held on Nov. IL and IL
is being prepared in such way as
to mobilize all the forces Of the
union to hasten the strengthening of
our union among the heavy metal
workers, which is absolutely impera-
tive in the present deepening war
situation.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-14

L. and the U.M.W.A. who are dis
regarding the wishes and interests of
the striking miners and jointly with
the operators and the government
are ordering the miners back to
work without recognition Of the UNI.
Wa, for which the miners are fight
ing. 1t may seem strange to you, fell
low workers, that the T.U.UL. asks
support in the fight for the recogni-
ton of the U.M.W.A., while the UNI.
WA. leaders themselves are trying to
break the strike. But it is not strange
at all. The U.M.W.A. leaders, in Or
dering the miners back to work, are
as usual captivating before the en-
ployers and their government and be-
traying once again the interests of
the workers. Always carrying through
policy of defending the interests of
the workers and supporting them in
their struggle, we, who have tried to
build the independent class union of
the miners, the National Miners Union,
support the miners struggle for rec
ignition Of the U.M.W.A. The miners
in this powerful strike have expressed
their desire for recognition of the
U.M.W.A. We support them in this
fight. The fight of the miners, with
out distinction as to the nature of the
U.M.WA., has become one of the most
important battles of labor in this
country against company unionism
and for the right of the miners to
belong to a union of their choice. 1t
is this that we see in the struggle of
the miners, although we know that
Lewis and his machine are danger
Gus enemies of the miners, who must
be thrown out of the ranks of the
labor movement.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-14

and spirited. Labor is trying to re-
gain its lost positions and in many
places to secure even new gains. At
the very time when your Convention
Is In session, a hundred thousand
miners, fifty thousand textile workers,
twenty-five thousand steel workers,
tens of thousands of auto workers,
and countless thousands in other in
dustries, are engaged in bitter strug-
gle for improved conditions fighting
for the rights of labor.
Hundreds OF thousands of workers
have organized into unions. They
have joined the American Fedora
ton of Labor, the unions Of the Trade
Union Unity League, and established
various so-called independent unions.
But the combined strength OF all the
organizations has not yet succeeded in
organizing the tremendous mass
movement of the workers now tax
ing place. This is so not only be-
cause there is lacking a clear policy
and united effort, but primarily be-
cause the top leaders Of the American
Federation Of Labor, protesting to
speak In the name of labor, openly
sabotaged and disrupted the struggle
of the workers. They, together with
the employers and the government,
have united to stifle the developing
workers movement. We sincerely be-
lieve that the membership of our or
CARNATIONS and the membership of
the A. F. OF L. through united eff
fort can greatly stimulate by many
times the number that have thus far
been set into motion and organize
them into the trade unions. We be-
lieve, Notwithstanding the existence
of our two separate trade union CEN
tiers, that we not only CAN but MUST
organize jointly to fight for the i'm
mediate needs Of the workers.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-14

question-into what union shall we
organize the workers. These, in our
opinion, can be settled easily and in
brotherly spirit on the basis of
working class democracy, on the
basis of the right of the workers to
join any union they please.
What are the real hindrances to
united action? The bosses, of course,
are against the unity of the working
class. They have always tried to
divide the workers, even those be-
longing to one union. They divide
them by craft, religion, nationality,
creed, color, age and various other
means. But they are not alone. The
top leadership of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor are also opposed to
unity because this would prevent
them from carrying through the pol
icies of the bosses within our organ
izations. 1t should be clear to all of
us, that anyone who is opposed or
tries to disrupt the unity of the work.
ers is not acting in our interests, but
in the interests OF our enemies.
We charge that the Executive
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-14

From the very beginning, we point
ed out that the N.R.A aimed to stop
the fight Of the workers for better
conditions. The MIRA. was enacted
only after it had become evident that
ltrikes were spreading. Did the A. F.
of L. leaders expose the purposes of
the N.R.A.? Did they organize the
fight for better conditions? Again
no! Instead they hailed the N.R.A.
as new charter Of rights for labor.
They said strikes were unnecessary,
that the MIRA. would take care Of
everything. In the name Of the
NR.A. they voted for the open shop
auto code, for the $13 week textile
code, for the starvation wage steel
code. In the name of the MIRA. they
agreed to outlaw strikes and enforce
compulsory arbitration. The present
attempt to break the miners strike is
but the logical result Of this whole
policy of support for the NR.A. on
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-14
STEEL UNION IN new YORK HAS LED
5000 METAL WORKERS IN STRIKES

working in union shops. The strike
wave spread over into the novelty
and chandelier trades as well. Three
hundred and fifty workers of the
Majestic, 200 workers of the Durable,
$50 workers of the Mutual Lamp, 200
workers of the United Metal, 200
wire workers and a number of other
strikes broke out under our leader
ship, with very little previous organ
ization inside these shops. With the
exception of the Mutual Lamp strike,
all the strikes have been won. The
workers went back under better con-
ditions and, just as in the Majestic
shop, the union was recognized. Out
standing in these strikes was the
splendid militancy shown by the
Latin American workers, who make
up 35 per cent of the novelty trade.
The strike breaking attempts of the
A. F. of L. in all the strikes where
we had any degree of organization
were crushed, and they were forced
to retreat.
Spontaneous Strikes
About 1000 workers of the Dubi-
lier, Aeroex and other radio shops
walked out spontaneously on strike.
This strike lasted about two days and
we We're unable in this period to
bring about the necessary organiza-
ton to counterfeit the agitation of
the bosses agents and of the A. F.
Of L. All Of these radio strikes ended
in defeat and out Of the 1000 strikers
we were not able to retain more
than so in aour union.
Role of N.R.A. in the Strikes
At the beginning of these strikes,
many of the workers thought that
the N.R.A. would be an instrument
to bring about better conditions for
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-14
Form Committees in Factories

If you too recognize the urgent need
today of establishing joint action,
then we should consider how this can
be achieved. The first and best place
where such unity of action can be
established is the workshop 1.-The fac
tory. ALI workers, no matter to which
organization they belong, no matter
If organized or unorganized, face
common issues and grievances in the
factories. We can unite on these is
sues. We can organize joint commit
tees in the factories on those imne-
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-14
Trade Union Unity League Addresses Letter
to Federation Convention and to Locals

NEW YORK-The National Board
of the Trade Union Unity League
addressed an appeal to the 53rd an
nual convention of the American
Federation of Labor, to it's affiliated
locals and to all organized and unor-
ganized workers urging the solidarity
of labor against the NRA attacks on
the working class. The message
urges united struggle for the or
ganization of the workers and for
the support of the steel and coal
strikes.
The full text of the message reads:
To the Convention OF the American
Federation of Labor:
To the Local Unions of the American
Federation Of Labor:
To the Membership of the American
Federation of Labor:
Brothers:
The Trade Union Unity League ex-
tends fraternal greetings to the
workers of the American Federation
Of Labor on the occasion of the SD
Annual Convention. In the name of
the solidarity of labor, in the inter-
ests of our common struggle, we take
the liberty to address you on a num-
Der of questions of the greatest con-
Germ to the membership of your own
and our organization, as well as to
the vast millions of unorganized toll
ers Of this country.
The workers of this country are on
the march! During the first nine
months Of this year, a million work.
ers struck for better conditions. The
fight of the unemployed for the
means to live embraces ever wider
strata and has become more militant
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-14

diate demands. We can and must
unite against the bosses company
unions now rapidly being established,
especially in such important indus
tries as auto, steel and coal. We can
simultaneously organize joint COM
mittees for organization and defense
of our interests in each city and
town. We can form joint committees
representative of the local organiza-
lions Of our respective unions. In
the process of this movement, many
questions win arise, especially the
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-14
Carrying Through United Action

Can such united action of our re-
spective members be organized? Al
ready, it is being carried through on
a scale that clearly demonstrates the
power and effectiveness of such unit
ed action. In the present national
strike of silk workers we have sue
.ceeded in organizing joint strike COM