The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-28
AFL Shows
Misery But
GiVesNOAid
Negroes Made To Work
Under Threat of
Guns and Dogs
By HOWARD BoLDT

lions or be cut off from re-
lief work. | am informed that
in some cases they work
under guns and are kept on
the places with dogs. The
F E. R. A. in Texas is shut down,
and this forces the workers into the
cotton fields and farms for SO and
rs cents a day." Charles j. Maun-
Isell, A. F. of L. organizer in Tex
larkana writes in his monthly report
published in the July issue of the
American Federationist, official Or
gan of the American Federation Of
Labor.
Recognizing the mass hunger and
misery, the A. F. of L. leadership
not only does nothing to improve
the conditions among the unem-
ployed and the relief workers, but
actually does everything in its
power to behead every movement
and struggle of these workers to
better their conditions. Gus Miles,
A. F. of L. organizer in Middle
town, Ohio, writes in his report:
The majority of the G. w. A.
workers are still unemployed and
those who were to have gone to
work for the F. E. R. A. have gone
on strike due to communist in
fuence and control We are trying
to break it up+2 men were jailed
last week. All industries have
shortened hours all industries
are intimidating employees"
From the Atlantic to the Pacific
From every state comes the same
picture of mass misery-from the
opening lines of the report from
Admission, Alabama &C. w. A.
workers are being fed by the F. E,
R. A. on allowances of So and 81
a week. Landlords are threatening
to throw these people out of their
houses because they can't exist and
pay them rent. Water is being cut
off from houses that have water
toilets. The Utica Knitting Mills
are laying off hands. The Profile
Cotton Mills at Jacksonville have
closed down, throwing 1000 men,
women and children on the mercies
of the world. People are in a
pitiful condition. TO the closing
lines of the last report, from She
boygan, Wisconsin The G. w. A.
workers ere all laid off there
is unrest and lots of people are
on relief"
Picking at random from the sum-
maries of the 127 reports included
in the July issue of the Federation
ist the same details of mass hunger
are given.
\ VENTURA, Cal-"Ninety-five per
leent of the workers formerly en-
/ ployed on c. w. A. are now idle.
sWith nearly 1000 unemployed this
county has been allotted the sum
of SlS,5O8 per month"
BELLEVILLE, In,-"Former c.
W A. workers, some 1000 of them,
new set up under the Relief De-
partment is not in any way help
have been in pretty bad shape. The
full to business or to the workers
here. These workers are getting
from $40 to S24 per month and
working it out"
EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. Many
of the former employees of the c. w.
A. were forced on relief imme-
diately many of the families were
without food and clothing"
DIES MONIES, Iowa. -"Many of
the workers formerly on c. w. A.
are living at the local transient
center. Some c. w. A. workers are
on relief-a regulation in order to
secure relief is that there must be at
least five in the family"
BATH, S. C.-"The C. w. A. work
ers have been laid off in this sec
ton and there seems to be no
prospect for them to be re-employed.
They are receiving a small relief
family of five gets about So a
week"
= SIOUX FALLS, S. D.-"Some c.
NV. A. workers are on direct relief
and the undertaken will be watch
ling for the majority of the work.
7ers if something don't happen
soon
The same tone fills the hundred
odd other reports.
THESE are only scattered few ex-
amples of the continued drive
on the living standards of the I'M
employed.
Yet despite militant marches and
demonstrations, strikes on the relief
Jobs against starvation wages, and
picketing of relief stations, the
tremendous resources and numbers
Of the A. F. of L. unions have not
been involved in this fight because
Of the treacherous policy of the top
leadership. In the instances where
the rank and file of the A. F. of l..
have been approached for partici-
ration in the relief strike struggles
hoy have shown readiness to
struegle. In Middletown, Ohio,
hundreds of A. F. of L. workers
Joined in the relief strike last April.
At Ann Arbor, Mich, in Detroit,
n. T. OF L. workers have been mo-
tiii3.d for strike struggle on the re-
lief jobs.
: On the other hand, in every strike
struggle, under the leadership of
the Unemployment Councils, unem-
ploycd workers have been mcbilized
for support of every strike on the
ticket lines to resist the attacks of
the police, scabs, thugs, deputies and
militia, and in the neighborhcods
and at the relief stations in the
fight for relief to striking workers.
TIE struggle for relief and the
growing mass demand for the
workers. Unemployment Insurance
Bill klust be made part of the work
oro,,,,e tr-i4l,i,, +y,a