The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-01-23
CONTINUITY IN OUR
WORK IN OUR SHOPS


work in the shop is the lack of
continuation once we have estab-
lished some of our groups and our
committees inside the shop. We
seem to be able to get to a certain
point in shop work and then we
stop.
1 want to take for example our
experiences and examine one or
two shops in which we have es-
tablished fairly large groups at one
time. However, because we were
not able to continue the work, to
know the next steps in developing
struggles, training the members in
the process Of these struggles, the
union groups today are practically
non existent.
In one steel plant We began work
by first discussing with our COM
AIDES the various problems. On the
basis of this we began to recruit
for the union in the shop. In few
weeks VIC built up a union group
of As to so. In one section of this
plant where 500 workers were en-
ployed we had 26 dues paying mem
bers of the union. This union was
built because we took up with the
workers the concrete grievances
and the daily needs in the mill.
TOR example, the safety shoes.
L The workers had to have safety
shoes but were compelled to pay
for them as much as So and 81 a
pair. We raised the demand Of
free safety shoes. This stirred up
workers who were not even in our
organization. We began to raise
this question at the safety meet
ings-frd TIE demand was won.
Other demands were also won. But
we did not know how to go any
further.
We called meetings of our union
and what did we take up. We dis
cussed the conditions in the shop.
We were satisfied and they were
satisfied that we had won some
thing, but we did not discuss other
grievances around which struggles
could be developed. We were not
sufficiently acquainted with the
shop to be able to guide the work
ers to dig up additional grievances
in the shop. The result was that
for weeks We had meetings with
the workers, discussed with them,
took up the dues payments, various
mass meetings that we held in the
town and week after week we could
definitely see decline in the at
tendance to the meetings and a
decline in the membership. We
began to discuss the trouble. We
found that as long as we were TAX
ing up the issues of the workers,
we were constantly getting new
blood. But when we did not dis
cuss the actual grievances a de-
line in enthusiasm, members, and
our work in that particular mill.
We had the same thing in an
other mill. A mill of some $50
workers. In one department we had
rs per cent of the workers organ
lied in our union. In fact, we we're
already discussing strike situa-
ton. But today also here we have
practically no organization.
IN another steel mill we won the
L right for the Negro workers to
buy coal. In this same mill some
workers on their own initiative in
one department organized COM
mittee and went to the superinten-
dent to protest wage cut in the
mill and also against the speed
up. They followed the advice of our
leaflets. Alongside of that partic-
ular department we had Party
Comrades, union comrades, but
they did not know that such
movement was developing. Because
our comrades did not give leader
ship to this movement and work
out methods for presenting the de-
mands the committee that went up
to the boss was Immediately fired
and nothing happened in the shop.
We also seem TO have a lack of
objective when we go into a shop.
Lots Of tines We stamt working, or
ganizing groups in the shop be-
cause we are told to do SO. We
don't go there examining the con-
ditions Of the workers and setting
ourselves certain objective we in
tend to reach by developing the
work. I think we must put forth
an objective for the workers we are
organizing. The demands we used
to raise in the steel industry be-
fore-we set an objective there
we called upon the workers to or
ganize and strike against wage
cuts. What was the result? Ger
taillly the workers saw clearly that
1t would be impossible to strike
against wage cuts at that particular
moment. They knew they had no
organization and no leadership. In
the steel mills, in our union, al
though we carried on some activity
it was very weak.
The whole thing looked like a
mountain to the workers. They did
not think and did not believe we
could develop a strike, therefore,
we did not develop any struggle
around the issues Of previous wage
cuts that took place In the steel
industry. Today We have learned
something, In my opinion the slo-
gans we have now on the question
of the wage cut is better. We don't
speak on the subject of strike Mt
least not now, not yet, we speak on
defeating The wage cut