The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-11-17

and other allied ems
9ployers of western Pennsylvania
are pointing to the facts of A. F.
of L. racketeering in an effort to
break the faith Of the workers in
anything which smacks of outside
unionism," so as to build the CONF
pany unions.
Their latest blow, reaching home
to the sore spot of union racketeer~
ing, is a 16-page pamphlet, now
being mailed out to aluminium and
steel workers, written by one James
B. Finley, president of the ALE
gheny Steel Employees Union" Of
Breckenridge, Pa
The organization which Finley
heads is the company union of the
Allegheny Steel Co., one of the
strongest representative plans in
the industry, and was built by
smashing the Amalgamated lodge
there following the sellout of the
spring steel strike by Tighe and
Green. Workers discharged from
this plant for trying to build the
A.. A. have appealed to the official
dom in vain for action against the
blacklist.
Description of SelIOut
Entitled New Facts About Labor
Unions" Finley's pamphlet devotes
two full pages to true enough
| description of how the A. F. of l..
takers offered to sell out the alum
mum workers strike on Aug. 3d.
Of the self styled labor leaders"
of the A. F. of L. it says, they ARE
nothing more than racketeers and
self seekers who at heart have no
real concern about the welfare of
the workers in general their
only real interest in labor centers
in scheming for ways and means
of bleeding the workers and forcing
them to pay enormous sums Of
money into the treasures.
The article then points out a
"glaring example of tactics" used
in an attempt to betray the alum
mum strike, which was called on
four main issues: Recognition, a
union contract, a universal wage
scale involving an increase, and the
check-off. Finley quotes United
Press dispatch Of Aug. 3o-"Union
representative stated they would
relinquish all other unsettled de-
mands if the company would grant
the checkoff."
Vicious Conclusions
The writer then states, Such
proposal amounted to complete
sell-out of the workers. Union Lead
ers were again running true TO
form, the union leadership l1.l
offering to make a deal inst 6
itself of a nice fat income in Is
from the workers"
Finley's line is vicious one,
Jumping together A. F. Of L. reform
list misleaders and Communists as
outside agitators,' and recommend
ing that the latter of these two
should be sent back where they
belong"
i Quotes Racketeering Regulations
There is a saw to the effect that
no more devastating weapon can
be used against one than ones own
words, and Finley quotes facts and
figures from the A. A. constitution,
carefully built during long reign
of Mike Tighes, to show what rack
cheering officials can do at present.
Quoting verbatim from the pro~
visions OF the A. A. constitution,
Finley shows that the International
Lodge (the Tighe staff could in II
months collect total, of $177,000
per year from a sub-lodge of $500
members, the number employed
normally at the Allegheny Steel
plans, Event the organization OF
a sub-lodge that size, as Finley
proves, would cost the workers join
ing total OF $10,500.
He delyes deeply into the A. A.
constitution to point cut provisions
for two per cent assessments on
the wages of members and clauses
empowering the International Elk
ecutive Beard to fine, suspend, or
revoke the charter of said lodge
when lodge refuses to pay or col.
lect all assessments" Another sec
ton Finley quotes to show that
mo person shall work at scale
job or constitutional job in any mill
signing the A. A. scale" unless he
becomes a member of the union
and pays all dues, fnies, and as
sessments levied by the Anal
gamated Association.
Because of Tigne's bureaucratic
control of the union, and his be-
traying policies in throttling senti-
ment OF the workers for direct &C.
ton, his brazen sell-out OF the steel
strike, not one lodge can boast CT
q wage increaee which can be at
tributed to Amalgamated action
Not one case can be mentioned
where the A. A. obtained wage
agreement even without an increase
of any kind Amalgaaated top Lead
ers have broken one strike and
brought the Wcirton Steel CO. into
federal court to charge them with
violation Of Section IA of the N.
r. A. and that is the extent of
their activities fo- the members
during the PAST two years.
1t is the traitorous policies of
Tighe and Co. which have allowed
the Allegheny Steel Co. to drive the
union almost out OF existence in
Breckenridge and install a companS
union which feeds the steel workers
: gum drops and sals during the warm
weather SO that they can be fur
the. speeded 10.
1t is thei1' continued support of
the same t-oachcrou5 Policies which
furnish fuel for Mr.. Finleys fire
and enables him to spread his COM
pany unicn poison among the steel
workers Of other plants and those
/ employed in othe. irdustries-an-