davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-17
BY PHIL RAYMOND

The Auto Workers Union eX-
presses the sentiment Of the great
body Of automobile workers in de-
nouncing the renewal Of the Manu-
facturers' IN. R. A. Code for the in
dustry. For the second time, Gen
eral johnson, President Roosevelt
and the A. F. of L. leaders have put
their stamp of approval on the open
shop merit clause, which endorses
the open shop in the automobile in
dustry.
Despite the relentless rise in living
costs. tens Of thousands Of auto
mobile workers are condemned by
the Manufacturers Code to 8 star
vation wage of 43c per hour and
less, to man-killing speed-up system,
to victimization for union activity or
even for protesting against whole
sale violations by employers of their
own manufacturers code. Fully
so per cent OF the automobile work
ers have been forced into company
unions against their will.
The Manufacturers N. r. A.
Code has resulted in increased prof
its. at the expense of the real wages
and living standards Of the workers
Net profits Of General Motors in
1898 we're ssS PA 900, or 8 times as
much as in 1899; Chrysler's reg
istered a profit Of s12,199,11s in 1888
compared with deficit of $11 254,-
$50 in 1892; and Ford, Hudson
Briggs. Packard and practically all
Of the automobile companies have
increased earnings many fold
Lower Living Standards
That the real wages OF the work
ers in the automobile industry are
going steadily downward can be at
tested by the Detroit consumption
Of one food item, vitality necessary
to every workers fsnlily-milk.
Inhuman Speed-Up
On top Of decreasing wages and
rising living costs has come the in
tensification of the hellish speeding
systern-speed-up which causes men
to faint at their jobs and is the
direct cause Of growing number Of
serious accidents and deaths. A few
examples from the Briggs and Ford
plants will indicate terrific speed-ur
that exists in the industry:
Briggs, Highland Park PIant-De-
partment No. 337-Metal F1nishers
used to put out 300 to 400 bodies
in 9 to 10 hours. At present, two
shifts of 61a to 7 hours turn out $50
bodies with a reduction OF 40 per
cent Of the working force.
Briggs, Mack Avenue Plant-De-
psrtmen5 No. 65-three weeks ago
the men were getting SIC per hour
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-17

emphasized this fight on two fronts.
The reports at the Harlem con-
yention, as we'll as the discussion
OF the delegates, brought out that
growing out of the increased in
fiuence of the Party among the
Negro masses, the Negro reformists,
bourgeois nationalism, has increas-
ed its activities, and an intensified
campaign Of exposure of the Negro
reformists must be carried on con-
tinued Comrade Krumbein.
Comrade Krunbein declared that
section fourteen (middle Bronx is
a newly organized section. This sec
ton has made progress in gaining
new members and work among the
city transportation workers, rail-
road and metal workers.
In section nine (Jamaica, Queens,
etc., good results were secured in
the unemployed work, especially in
Nassau County, where a county re-
lief organization was organized with
the help of the Socialist Party lead
ers, in order to prevent the workers
from forming their own organiza-
ton. Inside this county formed Or
ganization the Communist Party
has led important and successful
struggles for relief and is building
the Unemployment Councils in spite
of the treaehery of the SIP. leaders.
1.-THE section convention of sec
ton II Borough Park, Brighton,
Coney Island, etc. marked the fact
that the Party has real influence
among the transportation workers.
In section IL there are many adj
herents of the Socialist Party. Al
though a number of former Social
lists have joined the Party, one of
the chief tasks of the section con-
yention noted in section eleven is
the securing Of new members
among the Socialist rank and file.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-17
Says Only Organization
by Workers Will
Better Conditions

choice. (b) The establishment Of
elected shop committees without
fear of Victimjza ton. tc) The aboli-
ton of company unions spy system,
service men, and industrial spy
agencies. ID No interference with
right to strike and picket, (e)
Against all compulsory arbitration
schemes.
IV-Straight Weekly Wage
(s) Abolition of all piece rates
gang work, percentage, bonus, bade-
oux, and other cheating pay
schemes.
V-Against Discrimination
(a) No discrimination against any
INDEPENDENTLY Negroes, women
and youth. (b) The establishment Of
equal pay for equal work to these
sections of the workers; the grant
ing of full rights to Negroes to work
in all departments in all shops.
VI-WOrkerS Unemployment and
Social Insurance
(a) Adequate cash relief to all un-
employed auto workers to be paid
by employers, and the city and state
governments. ~ The immediate
enactment of the Workers Unem-
ployment Insurance BilI-HR 1898.
Spokesman Of the N. r. A. said
at the time of the passage of the
N. r. A. that Section IA has broken
the letters Of company domination
and given the workers the right to
organize. These statements have
proven to be a hollow mockery to
automobile workers. The big COM
panies have discharged men for
union activities with impunity wher-
ever they have not been resisted by
the organized might of the workers
We demand an end to the victimiza-
ton CT Union workers and the i'm
mediate reinstatement of all work
ers discharged for union Organiza-
ton.
We demand that all these and
other workers that have been forced
into the company unions against
their will shall meet together imme-
diately in meetings outside of COM
pany property with company off,
Gals and foremen barred from these
meetings, so that they can freely de-
eide to which organization they wish
to belong
Workers in the automobile in
dustry have found through bitter
experience that they cannot depend
upon government agencies or the
A. F. Of L. officials to safeguard
their interests. Tt has only been
through the exercise of their united
might and the strike weapon that
the workers have been able to i'm
prove their conditions and receive
consideration for their grievances.
The Auto Workers Union greets the
strikes now developing in the auto
industry and calls upon the workers
everywhere to organize into unions
of their own choice, to set up united
committees of action, to organize
the fight against intolerable condi-
ditions and to prepare for strike
actions to win the above demands,
disregarding the A. F. of L. officials
who attempt to hold them back
from victorious struggle.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-17

troopers fully capable of winning
the working class to our program
on the Negro question.
Only Determined Fight Can Over
come Distrust of Negro Masses
Among the Negro masses it is no
special recommendation for the
Party that Negro Communists are
unhampered in pointing cut and
launching attacks against acts of
white chauvinism. The Negro people
have done that for centuries. Our
main strength in overcoming dis
trust and lack of confidence in the
Party among the Negro masses is
precisely in the struggle waged by
the Party among the white workers
for the overcoming Of prejudice, for
working-clas solidarity and in mo-
bilizing them in the struggle for
Negro rights. Our program is most
acceptable to the Negro masses.
But, they ask, can we swing and
are we swinging the white workers
to the support of this program on
every issue which faces both the
white and Negro masses today? Is
the Communist Party to be trusted
they ask, with thousands OF
demagogic promises still ringing in
their ears-to carry out its program
on the Negro question? Every act
of white chauyinism in Party or
ganization which is overlooked
without a struggle precisely by
white Communists has the effect of
supplying negative answer to this
question.
Within the Party, white chauvin-
ism. in its most subtle expressions,
is still the principal obstacle to more
effective work in winning the Negro
masses for the Communist move
ment. Here it is not a question of
open acts Of white chauvinism.
which are the least of obstacles be-
cause they are readily apparent and
easily fought, The most serious ex-
pressions Of white chauvinism in
the Party are:
y The reluctance to advance
special demands for Negro workers
in every sphere of activity, some
times on the ground that there is
no necessity for doing this since our
general demands already embody
the demands of the Negroes, at
other times on the ground that too
much insistence on the Negro ques-
ton has the effect of driving white
workers away from us.
3 Adding Negro members to
committees and advancing special
demands for Negroes as an after
thought and mechanically which
las q paternslistic tinge, and shows
hat the Party throughout has not
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-17
Through ThisBOdy, W all
Street and Roosevelt
Closely Linked

(NOTE:-The following is the
fourth Of a series Of six articles
on the fascist developments Of the
n. r. A. The previous article
showed how the fascist Swope
plan was being put into action.
Two committees were named at
the Business Congress of 1000 ex-
pleiters that met in Washington
recently, to act for the leading
iHdHstriaIistS. While the commit
tees met, the Commerce Depart
ments Business Advisory and
Planning Council also assembled
under the author of the fascist
plan, SWOpe. SwOpe announced
some plan was being arranged to
merge these groups into a super
cOuncil) .
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-17

The weaknesses in the fight for the
demands of the unemployed Gin
GLIDING the fight for the Workers
Unemployment Insurance Bib of
the work among Negroes, youth and
women, in the fight against the i'm
mediate war danger, etc, were taken
up with self criticism by the dele
gates.
The sections where the biggest
strikes were held (shoe, hotel, taxi,
etc) will hold their conventions this
Saturday and Sunday.
Must Win Negro Workers
In the fight against the imme-
date war danger, against the whole
program of the capitalist govern
ment of war, fascism and hunger"
declared Comrade Krumbein, ''it is
particularly necessary to work
among the white workers against
white chauvinism and at the same
time to draw new masses of Negroes
to our Party. The Negroes are the
most oppressed sections among the
working class"
Taking up the problems of each
section separately Cemrade Krum-
bein commented, The Harlem sec
ton convention took note of the
increase in membership of one hun
dred per cent in the past year,
Krumhein said. Harlem is the ma
tional as we'll as district concentra-
ton point. The excellent report of
Comrade Ford as well as the speech
of Comrade Haywood, stressed the
need for an increased fight against
white chauYinism, and at the same
time, strengthening of the front
against the Negro reformists."
Comrade Krumbein was one of
the reporters at the Harlem con-
vention, The speeches of all three
comrades, as well as the discussion,
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-17

own class interests, are other oues-
tions, questions of tactic, which
must be solved on the basis of our
program for each locality for each
situation.
The pitfalls that these miscon-
ceptions hold in store are especially
apparent in regard to the struggle
against fascism. Precisely in the
South, where the Negro question
is the sharpest, must this question
be raised by the Party in connec-
ton with every immediate demand
and struggle in which white work
ers are involved, if the South is rot
to continue to be one of the most
fertile fields for fascist recruitment.
Stunning the problem, evading it,
precisely in the South, is to help
our enemies.
Cannot COunterpoise With CHAN
vinism and Petty Bourgeois
Nationalism
There has been a marked ten
dency to counterpoise the struggle
against the influence of petty-bour-
geols nationalism to the struggle
against white chauVinism. Although
there is an intimate connection be-
tween the two struggles, they are
Waged on different fronts and can
IN no way be counterpoised to each
other. In some cases the mistaken
Contemplating Of these questions is
used as a defense against charges
OF chauvinism, in others it arises
out of the failure of the white COM
rades to lead in the struggle against
chauvinism. The real connection is
this; that the struggle against white
chauvinism within as we'll as outside
the Party, when led by white Com
munists, supplies the chief arsenal
OF weapons for the Negro comrades
In their struggle against bourgeois
nationalism.
The argument of DIR. Dubois
and Co. that the white working
class is the enemy of the Negro
people, that the white workers in
Guiding those in the Communist
Party, cannot be trusted, can only
be overcome by showing the re-
verse to be true from day to day
evidence. A persistent struggle
for Negro rights, coupled with
relentless fight against all man
ifestations of white chauyinism,
will convince the Negro masses
that here is the Party, at last
found, consisting of white and
Negro revolutionary workers,
whose program of proletarian rev.
oiulion involves, as an integral
part, the liberation of the Negro
people.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-17
AL Organizer Tells Why Officials
Break Strikes; Admit NRA Cuts Pay

adjustment but the old leaders
have kept them in check so far"
The rank and file of the A. F. of
L., we learn, are suspicious of the
labor boards. They do not want ito
rely on" them But the A. F. of l..
bureaucrats, to help the govern
ment's policy of classification for
the bosses and starvation for the
masses, have kept them in check"
The rank and file, according to
the admissions of the A. F. of L.
leaders are getting fed up on the
New Deal. They came into the A.
F. of l.. for struggle to win better
wages and conditions. The A, p. of
L. bureaucracy is clearly lined up
against them and on the side of the
bosses and their government. Do
we require any greater testimony
for the necessity of the greatest
attention to opposition work within
the A, F. of L.? Do we need any
more impressive argument for win
ming these members of the A. F. of
l.. who are being consciously and
definitely betrayed by their leaders?
WHAT has this New Deal, that the
" A. F. of L. leadership is helping
the government put over, achieved
for the workers? We do not need to
go outside of the doctored and care
fully culled reports of the A. F.. of
l.. leaders as given in the March
"Federationist." So great are the
Continued on Page 81
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-17

IT is seldom that we get the real
l reasons for the A. F. of L. official
doms strikebreaking policy from
their own mouths. In the March
issue of the American Federation
list" official organ of the A. F. of L.,
appear a series of castrated and
abbreviated reports from A. F. of L..
organizers all over the country,
dealing mainly with the results Of
the NJ r. A.
One bureaucrat, w. B. Hammill OF
Des Moines, Iowa, brags that they
have had no strikes, and he tells
why:
I'VE have had no strikes because
we are determined to assist the
government in the New Deal"
That the New Deal leads to actual
cuts in money wages, not to say the
tremendous drop in real Cor the
purchasing power value) Of wages,
is contained in this very series of
reports from which we culled the
above gem.
1t is this principle of class col
Elaboration with the bosses which
activates William Green and VIII
liam Collins in trying to stem the
auto strike. There is one little fact,
incidentally, we want to mention
here, which will be dealt with more
fully in a later article. In their
determination to assist the govern
ment in the New Deal" the A. F.
of L. leadership is mainly respon-
sible for the company unions in the
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-17
Rr JAMES 5. ALLEN

The question of white chauvinism
has been discussed frequently in the
Party. 1t is raised again in the
Resolution of the Central Commit
tee in relation to the necessity of
intensifying our organizational work
among the Negro workers. and in
connection with faScism. Comrade
Browder, in addition, points out the
danger Of petty bourgeois national
ism at the same time correctly
labelling white chauvinism as the
most serious, right opportunist, in
fluenee at work on this field within
our movement.
An intensive, uncompromising
struggle against white chauvinism
is the prerequisite for the successful
application Of our program in the
field of the Negro question. It is
the pivot from which all other ques-
tons swing.
Failure To Root Out Chauvinism
Hampers Work
Some comrades have learned from
bitter experience that often months
Of struggle in which Negro workers
have participated side by side with
white workers are unproductiye OF
organizs tionsl results, or that or
ganizational results which are OBJ
tanned as a result of long months
of hard work, are lost overnight
because of the failure on the part
OF the white Communists TO realize
the central Importance of UVercom-
ing all manifestations of prejudice.
Negro workers will readily under
stand that white workers who have
hitherto been under the influence
of cbauvinism cannot get rid OF it
at the word of command just be-
cause they have joined one of the
revolutionary organizations. But
they will not understand. will not
take the Communist Party seriously.
ana rightly so, if they do not see
constant and intensive struggle be-
ing Waged against chauvinism in
these organizations, precisely by the
white Communists
What drives Negro workers away
IS not so much expressions of race
prejudice. but the failure or hest
fancy on the part of white Commu-
nists to fight against these express
sions. The crucial point, the real
test, in the eyes of the Negro masses
Of both the correctness and the
sincerity of the Communist program
is the degree to which the white
workers in the Communist Party
and under its influence have been
able to disassociste themselves from
The white superiority" theology and
have become really effective shock
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-17
auto Workers Union at Labor
Board Hearings Calls on Men
To Strike TO Win Demands

The day rate and bonus has been
cut to 4Se per hour. Production has
been increased from 500 and TOO
doors a day TO 1000 doors per day
with no increase in number Of men.
Workers declare that they haven't
time to go to the first aid in case
Of injury
Ford Plant-Head Light and Tail
Light Department-Five years az
1887 men turned out 5000 lamps in
8 hours. Last year, 1872 men turned
out 1000 lamps per hour, or total
Of 5000 lamps in hours at the
miserable low wages Of 81 per day,
Only foremen and friends got the
widely advertised Ford increases in
wages.
Ford Plant-Department No. 81
Foundry - Increased output by 80
I-3 per cent over 1929, at the pres
ent wage Of 81 per day as against
the wage in 1929 of $7.2O per day.
Ford PIant-Cylinder Block De-
STANDARDIZATION 2 years ago Of
1900 blocks a day at wages of IS
per day, as against present "a per
day wage producing 1000 blocks,
Shameless discrimination against
Negroes is praoticed in the automo-
bile industry. In many plants, Ne
groes are refused employment. In
all plants, Ns,A oes are not permitted
to work in all departments nor to
perform all operations but are
limited to the most undesirable and
dangerous work. None Of the plants
employ Negro women.
Auto workers continue TO be de-
MED the right to organize into
unions of their own choice. Hun
dreds Of workers are being victim
lied for attempting to organize into
unions. Where workers have IN
mistakenly shown their desire to
organize into a union of their own
choice, this desire has been fiouted
by the manufacturers. The strikes
Of the Ford workers in Edgewater
and Chester, the strike in Toledo,
Racine, the tool and die makers
strike in Detroit, etc, have either
been violently suppressed by armed
forces or snuffed out by the mani
pulations of the Regional Labor
Board.
To remedy the condition described
above the Auto Workers Union and
the delegates elected from the shop
demand:
That the Manufacturers IN. r.
A. Code for the automobile in
dustry, whic hwas renewed until
September 1st 1884, shall be i'm
mediately cancelled. That the
following code for the automobile
industry shall be adopted and en-
forced:
Increased Wages
(a) S35 Minimum wage for a 30
hour week, with corresponding in
creases in wages to cover further
rises in cost Of living. 80 per cent
increase for those now receiving
above this minimum. tbl No over
time (e) A guaranteed minimum Of
40 full weeks work year.
U-AbOlitiOn of the Speed Up
(a) Abolition of the inhuman
sReedup system and AN speed up
devices. ID Election by the work
ers of department committees to
CIRCULATE all production schedules.
III-Right of Workers to Organize
Ia The right of workers to or
gsnize into unions Of their own
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-17
BY MARGUERITE YOUNG
Daily Worker Washington Buresu)

DAILY Worker Washington Buresu)
In other words, the two Commit
tees and the Business and Advis-
DRY Council are to be fused, and to
become the nucleus of body iden-
tical with Though of course under
a new name) Swopes National
Chamber of Commerce and Indus
tryl The details for accomplishing
this are now being worked out. So
are the lengths to which the "Coun-
Gil of American Industry" will go
in exercising the vast power SWope
envisages for it. If we can be
guided by his original plan-he said
it should include representatives of
all commerce and trade, all indus
try and manufacturing, all trade
associations representing local or
geographical divisions, such as
Chambers of Commerce; that it
should elect a Board of Governors
which in turn should elect certain
members to "sit in Washington and
act as Board of Appeals on all
questions that may arise in the in
depreciation and enforcement of the
national code provisions" They
would be, in effect, Super Code
Authority-the last court of de-
cision in broad policies of employer
employe relations, as we'll as in
those governing production, dis
tribution, organization of industry,
etc. And the nucleus is already
functioning in just this way. The
Committees are now preparing re
ports" on what they will actually
do about the much publicized dema-
gogy of shortening hours and in
creasing wages (of which, more
later. 1t is this little fascist
Council Of Industry" that will
finally tell Roosevelt and the N. R.
A, what to do for them.
A proposal for such an organiza-
ton was brought right out into the
open by one of this groups spokes-
men in the public sessions last
week. Lew Hahn, department store
magnate, of the Retail Code Au-
thority, proposed united councils
Of related and interdependent in
duStries and codes-a super code
authority to harmonic conflicting
interests" Sloan at the same time
told the group meeting of the Con-