The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-28

Convention in New York in April,
1890.
The program hammered out by
the delegates called for the estab-
lshment of the Marine Workers In
dustrial Uion as a militant fighting
union, based on the class struggle,
controlled by the rank and file, in
ternational in character, and unit
ing all workers, Negro and white,
regardless of religious or political
opinions.
WHAT has happened in four years?
W Every single year has seen pros
perity get further and further away.
The promises of the N. R. A. and
Roosevelt are proving no different
from those of Hoover, who four
years ago proclaimed the return of
prosperity in go days. Profits have
been maintained for the shipowners,
but at the expense of slashing wage
cuts for the seamen and longshore-
men; by worsening conditions on
the ships and docks; by widespread
undermining and speed-up; by the
establishment of an army of unem-
ployed, which numbers in the hun
dreds of thousands, - part of the
100000 jobless in this country.
And what has been the role of
the I. S. u, and the I. L. A.? What
have they done to defend the in
terests of the marine workers?
FIRST OF ALL, NONE OF
THESE ORGANIZATIONS HAS
LED ANY STRUGGLE OF THE
WORKERS. The officials of the L
S. U. and I. L. A. are opposed to
struggle. In the case of the L L. A.
where struggles have developed, they
have been forced by the militant sc-
ton of the rank and file, meeting
with the opposition of their officials,
who tried to prevent struggle. And
when this failed, they played the
role of actual strike breakers. These
officials have become part and par
eel of the N. R. A; they have par
ticipated in all the secret confer
ences on the codes, have become the
labor advisors" of the Government.
They are the fathers of the strike
breaking National Maritime Boards
NOW Shipping Labor Board and
the disqualification plan. TIL e y
have urged the workers not to resort
to militant action, but to look for
higher wages and better conditions
at the hands of the N. R. A. They
have sabotaged all efforts for united
action of the workers.
The once militant I. w. w. is now
to be found with strange bedfellows.
Although they continue to mouth
phrases about militant" action,
about the general strike, their &C
tons are in no way different from
those of the leaders of the I. S. U.
and I. L. A. They have led no
struggles; they at first effectively
supported the N. r. A., but are now
in opposition" to it by "boycotting"
it and failing to mobilize the masses
for struggle against it.
WITH the help of the WobbHes and
" the labor takers, the shipowners
have attempted to force the mass Of
seamen and longshoremen to bear
the full burden of the crisis by en-
forcing wage cuts, worsened condi-
tons, and starvation for the unem-
ployed But the marine workers
have not willingly and peacefully
accepted these conditions. Their
growing discomfort has recently
taken on the form of organized,
militant action. Some historic VIC
tories have been scored.
Amongst the seamen a whole
series of strikes, 40 on the Munson
Line alone, have taken place. AS
result of job actions, ship COM
mittees are being established on the
ore boats. The strike of the four
teen coal boats in Boston, the first
mass struggle, forced $40 increase
in wages, bringing the scale above
that called for by the code. In the
past few months ship strikes have
taken place in practically every ma
jor port on the Atlantic Gulf and
West Coast. The seamen of the
Lakes, too, have begun to take up
the banner of struggle with the OPP
ening of the present season. Eighty
per cent of these strikes have re-
suited in victories or partial vic
tories for the workers.
The unorganized longshoremen
have carried through a number of