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

Daily Worker yesterday.
General johnson declared that
the Roosevelt plan" since complete
and highly effective protection" was
given to labor in the formulation of
the codes. He characterized the strike
weapon as economic sabotage" and
declared that the time had passed
for aggressive units" Of labor organi-
cations.
Ben Gold, National Secretary of the
Needle Trades Workers Industrial
Union, commenting on Johnson's
speech stated:
General johnson was kind enough
to grant that in the ''old days of ex-
ploitation, you organized labor, had
to form aggressive units, literally to
fight for the life of labor. You had to
DO something militant and always on
the alert defensive. This is no longer
necessary with the MIRA"
We want to say to General Johnson
and his MIRA. administration that
there is greater necessity now for mill
liant labor organizations than ever
before. Whatever gains the workers
have made in the past few months in
the Needle Trades have been due not
to the N.R.A. but to the militant
strikes Of the workers themselves as
in the case of the cloakmakerS and
dressmakerS.
N.R.A. Strikebreaker.
1.-THE experiences of the Needle
Trades Union among the custom
tailors, the knitgoods workers and
other sections of the industry show
beyond doubt that the NRA. is d.
rectly engaged in strikebreaking
activities, directed especially against
the left wing unions. It advises the
employers not to settle, prolonging
strikes, and instigating injunctions
and police terror, against strikers.
when Whalen works hand in
glove with the right wing union Of
ficials to force workers to register
in their unions it is brutal violation
of the NRA. itself which is sup
posed to guarantee the right of the
workers to join an organization Of
their own choice.
$50 unbearable and threatening has
the situation in the needle industry
become under the MIRA. that our
union has taken the initiative in
calling a huge shop conference at
Cooper, Union Oct. 81, to organize
resistance against the MIRA. and to
struggle for the maintenance Of the
gains won through strikes in the
shops. While the A. F. of L. officials
are ready to follow Johnson's ban on
strikes, we are sure that the rank
and file of their unions together with
the militant industrial unions will re-
pudiate the ban on the only weapon
the working class possesses to i'm
prove its conditions-the strike.
1--WE have been conducting strikes
to improve the living standard of our
members against the vicious dictates
of the MIRA. and we will continue
to do SO, despite the strikebreaking
policy Of the NRA.
I'VE call upon the membership of
the A. F. Of L. unions to unite with
us to smash the enforced arbitration
and strikebreaking of the NRA. and
the A. F. of L. officials, designed to
aid the bosses in their exploitation
Of the workers"
OutIawing Strikes.
Rose Wortis Organization Secretary
Of the New York Trade Union Unity
Council, when interviewed yesterday
on Johnson's speech, said:
General Johnson'S speech, which
is in effect threat to outlaw strikes,
is not going to affect the policy of the
Trade Union Unity Council. The T.
U.UL. will continue to fight for bet
ter conditions for the workers and for
the right to strike, the only weapon
the workers possess. Johnson'S threat
is aimed to paralyze the fighting spirit
of the workers to enable the bosses
to continue their attacks on the
workers living conditions. BY this
means the N.R.A. will be better able
to use the power of the government
against the workers.
THE cynical disregard of the MIRA.
by the bosses, by even those signing
the N.R.A., is evident on the con-
tinued violation of the pledges they
have made. The militant trade
unions must fight therefore more than
ever before to maintain their or
ganization and their economic
weapon, the strike, to defend the in
terests Of the workers"
Effective Weapons.
S, Kalos, president of the Clean
ers, Dyers and PresSers' Union en-
gagged in strike in which more than
1000 are participating, speaking Of
General Johnsons speech declared:
Labor does not need to strike I'M
der the Roosevelt Plan, said General
johnson in his speech before the
American Federation of Labor Con-
vention. Our experience certainly
does not confirm this statement. The
proposed code for our industry with
33c to zoe minimum wage scale,
when enacted will lower the standards
OF living among our workers. The
N.R.A., though we are out the fifth
week on strike, has thus far refused
to mediate, and force the Bosses AS
ISOLATION to recognize our Union.
Certainly, how else can we get our
just demands of a thirty-six hour
week and 42c for unskilled labor and
from 83c to s1.39 for skilled workers,
unless we utilize the only and incl
dentally the very effective weapon
at our our disposal and that is, the
strike"