The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-01-12
EXPOSE BLACK
3O-HR. BILL AS
STAGGER PLAN
ALL. Group Scores
Green's Report
of Measure

or Measure
NEW YORK-Pointing out that
the rank and file of the American
Federation of Labor do not sup
port President William Green's un-
qualified endorsement of the Black
30-hour week, the A. f. of L. Trade
Union Committee for Unemployment
Insurance and Relief, in a state
ment issued yesterday, exposes this
bill as another form of the stagger
and "share-the- work plan" plans
unless 1t is amended to include pro-
visions for no wagecuts and minimum
wage scales. The statement, issued
by Louis Weinstock, secretary, de-
clares,
Open hearings are being held be-
fore the judiciary committee of the
Senate on Senator Blacks bill to
make the 5-day week and hour day
mandatory in industry by means of
federal statutes. According to a
statement by the American Fedora
ton of Labor, this bill have the
unqualified endorsement of organ
lied labor. William Green, phe-
sident of the A. F. of L., testified
before this Committee on Jan. 5, and
gave his unqualified endorsement to
Blacks Bill. He went so far as to
threaten general strike if the 30
hour week is not accepted by indus
try. He made no criticism of the
bill itself.
1.-THE rank and file of the A. r. of
L. is in full disagreement with Mr..
Green. Up to the present Mr.. Green
and the Executive Council of the
A. F. Of L. supported every action of
the bankers and owners of industry
in their schemes to put the burden
of the crisis upon the workers.
THE A. F. of L. Trade Union Com
mittee for Unemployment Insurance
and Relief, which is carrying on a
fight for federal unemployment in
surance, to be paid by the govern
nlent and the employers, and has the
full support Of 100000 members of the
A, F, of L. and railroad brotherhoods,
will support any movement by Or
ganized labor or any bill before the
Senate or Congress for the shorten
ing Of working hours as long as the
bill provides that no wage cut in any
form shall be imposed upon the
workers, and furthermore, includes in
the same bill the establishment of a
minimum scale of wages. Without
these important points, the bill is
nothing else but the legalization of
the Hoover stagger plan and the
W. G. Teagle Saskatchewan plan
commonly known as the share the
poverty plan), which has the en-
dorsement of William Green and
probably some of the other leaders of
the Executive Council, but not the
membership of the A. F. of L.
1t Is no accident that William
Green gives his unqualified endorse
ment to the bill. 1t is consistent with
his previous policies. In the Sept. 8,
1882, issue of the A. F. of L. Weekly
News Service, the official organ of
the A. F. of L., the following state
ment of William Green was printed:
Green Endorses the Action of
Hoover'S Business Conference"
Mr. w. c. Teag1e, who has the full
support of William Green in his
"share-the-work" plan, had an ar
tlcle in the Weekly News Service on
Sept. a. 1882, boosting his share
the-work" plan, which would drasti-
caliy cut the earnings of the en-
ployed workers.
AT the present time, when there
are 100000 workers UNEMPLOYED.
to the estimate of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor (the actual figures
are about 16,000,000), and when 60
per cent of the employed workers are
put on the stagger plan and working
even less than 80 hours week, with
earnings cut below the minimum
needed to buy the necessities of
everyday life, to support bill like
Senator Blacks means nothing else
than further lowering of the living
standards of the workers. Just one
argument for the necessity of es-
tablishing a minimum wage scale.
We have facts and figures that the
workers in the United States are
working so and 60 hours a week for
10 cents to IS cents, which would
give for go hours an average of So
to $40 a week.
THE present crisis with so many
millions of workers unemployed, can
not be solved with legislative action
to reduce the hours to 80 a week.
Even if the proposed amendments are
accepted, namely, no further reduc-
ton in pay, and the establishment of
minimum wage scale, unemplov-
ment insurance to be paid by the
FEDERAL government and EMPLOYERS.
must be provided for the unemployed
workers. Only by a militant struggle
OF organized and unorganized work
ers for federal unemployment in
surance and stubborn fight against
any form of wage cuts, for higher
wages, and for better conditions. will
the workers be able to abolish the
Hoover-Teagle-Bill Green stageer
system, the "share-t the work" plan.
and establish the 30-hour week and
G-hour day with a decent living
wage"
bucket of water. They met Ernest
IL -