The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-05

Il talk of arbitration was res
ojected as a strike-breaking
maneuver. All talk of Labor
Boards, including the newly
dressed up Industrial Relations
Board, receive the angry boos Of
the striking shipworkers. The big
majority Of the workers are con-
WINGED that in their fight against
the hunger wage scales they have
been receiving they cannot possibly
expect a thing from any agency Of
the Roosevelt-Wall Street govern
ment.
Today the strike appeared at 8
deadlock, the strike committee sp-
pealed to Secretary of the Navy
Swanson and Secretary of Interior
Ickes, director of the P. W. A.. to
adjust the naval contracts TO make
possible the payment Of a fair
wage" But President Bardo has
only one idea-tO force the men
back to work by hunger. Bardo re-
fuses TO bulge. He claims he IS
willing to keep the plant closed "un-
til the men cool off" This is q new
tactic, now that faith In the govern
ment agencies has been shot to
pieces.
asked John Green, President Of
the Industrial Marine and Ship
workers Union, what plans he had
for winning the strike and the an
swer was that he had none. I asked
him if he thought that the speeches
by Norman Thomas and other So
cialist leaders like Felix and Van
Gelder with their praises to the
police and the American Federation
of Labor could supply what the
workers need to win the strike. The
gist of his answer was that the
workers would not stand for a Com
munist speaker.
Thomas Spreads N.R.A. Illusions
I am convinced that JOHN Green
is anxious to lead the shipworkers
TO victory, but his experience in
strikes is limited and he is being
! advised by the worst enemies of the
workers-Socialist Party leaders
the same leaders who sold out the
taxi strike in Philadelphia (Felix
and Van Gelder)-the same leaders
who told the workers that the N. r.
A. was a new charter for Labor
Norman Thomas, etc.. Green is
himself a shipworker and is largely
responsible for building the union,
and has the confidence of the work
ers in the yard. But the union is
not run as rank and file union.
Speaking to some of the rank and
file workers, was told:
THE trouble is we don't have
business meetings. Only prayer
meetings. We never know what's
going on"
Another worker said: IF Johnny
died, we'd be licked. The leadership
ought to be broader"
Another said: This fight Is
fight against the government. And
when it comes to fighting the gov
eminent, it takes the Communists
to show us how. See that the Daily
Worker is here every day"
Still another said: "A strike Is
not q strawberry festival. Hypno-
tism won't win this strike. We got
to make it damn dangerous for the
New York Ship to keep closed,
We're too damn polite. If we kept
out the firemen and maintenance
crew the company would speak in a
different language"
Tasks of Strike
| From the conversations with the
workers, it is clear that in order to
win the strike the following is neces-
sary:
/. A broader strike committee
elected by the rank and file.
2. Regular business meetings
with discussion from the floor.
3. Strengthening the strike by
pulling out the maintenance men
and firemen now permitted to re-
main in the plant.
4. Building united front with
the workers Of the other plants
of Camden and Philadelphia.
5. Mass picketing and demon
STATIONS in front of the shipyard.
s. Raising the political level of
the strikers by showing how the
government supports the bosses.
7. Demanding full wages in the
form of unemployment insurance,
to be paid by the government and
the owners of the New York Ship.
Mass demonstrations to win this.
The strike is still solid. But the
strikers have no plan Of attack.
Consequently the time of the
strikers is being taken up with evan
gelists, hynotists and brilliant pie
in-the-sky speeches of Socialist mis-
leaders, while Bardo waits for hun
| ger to creep in. The strike must be