The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-05-29
Some Highlights In
Recent Strikes in the
Birmingham Area
Common Bond Between Tel Coal, Ore Miners
and Steel Men

made vicious attack on the Party,
told the coal miners that the UNI
WA. did not believe in sympathy"
strikes, and ordered them back to
work.
On May 4th, 5000 ore miners
struck, tying up the whole industry.
The Party had even greater in
huence and stronger organization
among the ore miners than among
the coal miners. And too, the ore
miners had watched the coal strike
with breathless concern. They went
over the heads of their big of1cials.
Elements Of real revolutionary
strike tactics were cropping out as
the ore miners began to put Party
slogans into practice. There was
mass picketing at every mine. Wo-
men and unemployed workers Joined
the picket line. Jim-CroW lines dis
appeared as the pickets fought to-
gether. In some cases rank and file
committees we're elected to lead the
strike. The ore miners were really
fighting to win In the meantime
the coal miners were becoming rest
less, especially in the captive mines,
and so were the steel workers.
It was in this situation that the
steel trust ordered their deputized
thugs to shoot to kill From then
on the ore strike zones became an
armed camp, with the national
guardsmen on twenty-four hour
duty.
Ranks Divided by A. r. of l..
Officials
In this critical situation the big
officials Of the A. F. Of l.. crudelv
exposed themselves as misleaders of
strikes, as enemies of unity. and
friends Of jim crowism. Their bally-
hoo for the N.R.A. was even louder
than that which comes from official
Washington sources. In fact. they
acted as real strike breakers and
scabs-yes, literally.
For example, in the Woodward
Blast Furnace, which is organized
in the same union as the Republic
steel strikers and all the ore strik-
ers, the officials Of the local, with
the consent and under the orders
Of International Vice President
Coles, who is in Birmingham to
lead" the strike, issued a statement
to the press that the steel workers
Of Woodward were satisfied and
would not join the strike. This was
an attempt not only to smash the
ore strike, but to prevent the steel
strike from spreading, and thus win
ming the demands for the ore min
ers and steel workers. Just as the
big A. F. Of L. officials tried where
possible to get the white workers
to jim-crow the Negroes, so the
Negro reformists were trying to in
still distrust among the Negro strik-
ers toward their white union broth.
ers. However. neither the white MOI
the Negro takers had great dea,
of success.
At this time also a wave of terror
was let loose against the Party. with
the purpose Of smashing the strikes
No one was more vicious than the
big A. F. of L. officials, who took a
considerable number of hours at
their recent annual state conven-
ton to make slanderous and insane
attacks on the Party.
The solidarity Of white and
Negro strikers was never before
seen in Birmingham. The remark
able nilitancy of the Negro strik-
ers has won the admiration Of
large sections of the white masses,
many of whom only a year ago
considered the Negro as fit only
for scabbing. Over the heads Of
the burocrats the fight for Negro
rights was placed on higher
plane, real first step forward,
The need for united action of