The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-13

THE sharpest brumt of the attack on neglect of
l trade union work made at the 9th Convention
Of the Communist Party, USA, was against the
slow tempo and failures Of work within the A. F.
Of L.
What are the tasks of Communists at the present
time in the A F. Of L.? The oficialdom of the A.
F. of L. is part and parcel of the government strike
breaking apparatus Despite them and over their
heads strikes are taking place. In important basic
industries such as auto, COAL aluminium, rubber,
steel great numbers of workers have focked into
the A. F. Of L. with desire for organization and
struggle. The mood for struggle Immediately clashes
with the policy and program of the A. F. OF L.
of1cialdom.
without Communist leadership, without organ
lied rank and file oppostions with revolutionary
core the officials are able to utilize the organiza
ton of the masses to defeat struggle and to carry
through the program of the Roosevelt WaI-Street
government.
It is the tasks of Communist units sections, dis
tricts everywhere through their members in the A.
F. of L. and eligible for membership in the A. F.
of L. to give leadership as conscious driving force
They must become the force to organize the rank
and file for struggle against the A F. of L. bureau
Gratis as the first line Of defense Of the capitalists
within the trade unions.
THIS cannot be haphazard or hectic work. only at
the time of strike or agitation for strike. 1t
is persistent work 1t must be carried at all
times winning the rank and file around concrete
issues, struggles for democracy within the unions
against dues payment of unemployed, against rack
eteers, for the adoption of the Workers Unemploy-
ment Insurance Bill Oh. R. 7598) Within this rank
and file opposition, the Communists must not give
way to pure trade union expediency. The goal is
to win the workers for class struggle unionism
sciously. This requires functioning Communist frac
tons. 1t requires conscious recruiting of the best
of the rank and file oppostons for the Communist
Party. This is the best guarantee that the work of
building the rank and file opposition will be car
red through ana will be carried further to winning
the masses within the A. F. of L. for the Commu-
mist road to struggle.
Communists must lead the struggle against the
A. F. of L. ofhciaIdom within the union from the
lowest to the highest meetings of the A. F. of L.
Comrade Stachel in his report to the 9th Con-
vention of our Party pointed out there would soon
be held state A F. of L. conventions In the past
we have woefully neglected efforts to elect dele
gates and use these conventions as a forum for
oastigating and branding the strikebreakng role of
the ofcialdom and for breaking down the illusions
and winning the rank and file. This must now
be remedied rapidly.
We must do away with all tendencies that coun-
terpose work within the A. F. of L. to the need
Of building the revolutionary trade unions and a
class struggle, independent trade union center They
both part and parcel of our tasks as Comml-
nists in the trade union and economic struggles Of
the workers.
To neglect work within the A. F. of L. to fail
to build the revolutionary core in the oppositons
as a guarantee of their growth and functioning
is Of the worst opportunist mistakes no matter
with whatever left" phrases it is concealed, and
is brake on the struggle for winning the majority
of the American working class for the Communist
way out for Soviet Power.