The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-06-13
Lessons from Opposition Work in Philadelphia
A. F. OF L. Bridge and Iron Workers Local

grievances and five demands The
grievances we're in effect the same
practically as are found in any A. F.
Of L. local.
Draw Up Demands.
The demands we're: l. Immediate
election Of new officers of the local
with all suspended members taking
part in the elections with full right
Of voice and vote O. Unconditional
reinstatement Of all suspended mem
bers who were suspended through in
ability to pay the exorbitant dues
rates and assessments due to lack
of employment. 3. Reduction of reg
ular monthly dues rates in proportion
to the reduction in the wage rate
f. The investigation to be conducted
openly together with the committee
elected by the rank and file of the
men in accordance with demand
number /; lie, with all suspended
members taking part in the election
of said committee with full right of
voice and vote) 5. That the Inter
natioral representative be sent here
immediately and the investigation
begun without delay.
A lengthy letter containing the
grievances and demands was sent
to the international Office setting
date for the demanded open hearing
and enlarged meeting. A sentence
in the letter stated: And should we
find that such consideration and
justice as we are demanding is not
Immediately Forthcoming, there will
be left for us no alternative but to
split away and form an Independent
organization of cur own Emphasis
mine w. c. M The letter was
signed, "Fraternally Provisional Rank
and File Committee, Local 161" and
underneath were signed the names
of sixty-eight riggers who had read,
discussed and Endorsed this step.
Here at one stroke, the names of
the militants we're delivered to the
A. F. of l.. union officials Our COM
rades who for months had been ham
mering away on the correct policy
of working from within" and form
ing opposition groups within the I.
L. A.. permitted and Endorsed this
initial step of the opposition of Local
161 which Immediately made the OPP
position struggle an exterior strug-
gle.
The Error
The error was caused by two
things; first, the enthusiasm of get
ting such a quick response to the
demands of the opposition and sec
ondly and more vital, a lack of faith
in the response of the workers to our
revolutionary policy of Trade Union
opposition work. A clear cut oppo-
sition program should have been
brought forward by our comrades
from the very beginning.
Would these workers have fol-
lowed such a program? Most GER
tainly Later developments proved
this. In the first place the leader
ship of the opposition movement
were decidedly class conscious. They
were readers of the revolutionary
press and sympathetic to revolution
airy organizations. The first question
they asked when they approached our
comrades was: IF we split away from
the A. F. of L., can we get charter
from the T. U. u. L.?
Our comrades at this time correct
ly told them that the issue was not
the splitting away but rather the
consolidating Of the strength of the
opposition, the reinstatement OF the
suspended members and the securing
Of rank and file control of the local.
1t was pointed out that the Riggers
were merely craft division of
much larger group of organized work
ers in the union and that an i'm
mediate splitting away could only
result in their isolation. The step
then Of Immediately making known
the personnel OF the opposition can