The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-01-22
Racketeers in Sheet Metal
Union Cover Each Others
Graft at Cost of Workers

for the Brooklyn bosses Of Roofers
Association, the 7. A. permitted him
to be a delegatae to the 1880 conven-
ton of the International. This
gentleman's name is Joseph Tuvim.
And he gave them some advise: The
Socialist" Joseph Tuyim told them
to lay low! He told them not to fight
He told them to submit to the I. AS
iron rule. Tuyim did his share N
smashing Local 1877. It was he who
completely demoralized them-as we
will see.
When AbranowiGz saw that the
Executive Board was dissolved he
resigned in protest as President OF the
local The whole group around the
the administration together with the
new administration resigned from the
local. Not having sufficient expert
ence on how to carry on struggle
against the labor sharks, the rank
and file were left leaderless. This
struggle resulted in q later formation
of the Independent Sheet Metal
Workers Union.
Get Free Hand
The I. A. representatives got a free
hand in the local. They Immediately
appointed" RoSen, as the new finan-
cial secretary. They brought back to
life a former defeated candidate for
president and a personal friend Of
Sisldnd, a man by the name Of Mike
Broud, and appointed" him as the
new President. They appointed" a
new Executive Board of three; Two
II, A. men and one a So-caQed pro-
greSsiye. But they were in need OF a
strong man, "stabilizer'' in the
| local. So they brought back to life
another man by the name Of Mamie
Graft, and appointed" him as new
business agent. 1t was this gentle
man, Mamie Graft, who once shot
Max Himmelsohn, former business
agent, because he dared to bring
charges against him. The 7. A. "or-
Egauizers" knew all about this, end
they therefore appointed" him as an
extra business abent." Mamie
Graft Immediately produced the
goods" for his bosses. He knocked
member unconscious because the
member, Lifschitz, accused Siskind OF
taking 800 graft.
Extra Expense
The I. A. representatives and the
extra business agent meant extra
expenses for the local. These people
never work for love - and they
wanted their loot in the form of
wages. They could not assess the
members, for the working members
were already paying one dollar a day
to the unemployed fund. The men,
bers would protest if their dues were
raised. They already pay SIS month
| in dues. So the 1. A. representatives
got wise and found" way to get
money They declared that the $4,000
in the relief fund was Illegally" col
lected and ordered the transfer of
this money to the general fund,
which is used to pay FOR all local ex-
! penSeS. This was not enough. They
also ordered to continue to pay the
dollar per day which previously went
to the unemployed fund, to be trans
ferred to the general fund,
But there were three motives
behind diSsolving the Unemployed
Fund. u because the unemployed
represent the most dissatisfied with
in all the local unions. They were
the first ones to help in kicking out
1 the old clique in Local %. This is
the biggest local in the International,
with a membership Of over 1000. In
Local 2S of the old gang was in office
for nearly Is years. The same clean
ing took place in Local 1877. And
because in each case the I. A. sided
with the grafters in the locals, the
members had to fight against the
local and International chques. 1t
was here that the I. A. began to feel
shaky in their throne. For the chal-
lenge against the local grafters
turned out to be a challenge to the
International officials. 1t is no Won
der that the ]. A. asked" the locals
to postpone the 1888 convention.
Nobody knows that the results
were from the fake referendum. BY
suspending and dropping the unem-
ployed the T. A. hopes to weaken the
reVolts that are taking place in
almost all the locals.
Insurance Fake
. There is q So-called International
Death Benefit Fund. When mem
Der is five years in good standing, he
is entitled to a $500 death benefit.
When he is ten years in good stand
ing, he is entitled to $500 death
benefit. But this iusurance-for
which the members PAYS nothing
else but fake. They have to sus-
pend five members out of every six,
to pay one death benefit. This is
one Of the reasons why the I. A. fights
every local which tries to maintain
the unemployed in good standing
- When q member Is In good
standing, the I. A. gets from one dol
lar per month, as per capita. When
he is suspended and wants to come
back In period Of six months, the
I. A. receives $40 instead Of SO In per
capita. When a member applies for
reinstatement after six months, the
I. A. gets SIS. 1t is therefore clear
that it is in the interest of the I. A.
TO suspend and drop the unemployed
who are in and out and have no
money to live on, and cannot pay
their dues. BY Suspending and
dropping them the T. A. accomplishes
the three points mentioned above.
The $1,000 Unemployed Fund
created by the local members was
directly against the interest ~ the