The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-10
AFL Heads Try to Hold
Men Back from Action
TO Win Demands
BY M. CBILDS

BY M. CBILDS
Dtscontent among the working
class in Southern Wisconsin has
been smouldering for a long time
Those workers who had any illu-
sions about the N. R. A. codes
lettering their conditions are cast
ing them aside. Experience has
shown that the n. R. A. codes have
lowered wages and the standard Of
living generally.
This is why over 5000 workers
are now on strike in Milwaukee,
KenOsha, and Racine. The Auto
mobile and Tractor industry is the
largest industry in the state. en-
ploying thousands of workers. The
Nash Auto Company was the first
TO sign the Automobile code Mr.
Nash Is an active member OF the
Automobile Chamber Of Commerce.
Mr.. Seaman, the head Of the Sea-
man Company. which is an affiliate
10 Nash. Is the chairman of the
N. r. A. board Of Milwaukee county.
When the code was signed. the
Nash and Seaman Companies
promised that wages viii now he
raised by 10 per cent. Even though
the American Federation of Labor
leadership agreed 10 the vicious
open shop automobile code with its
As cents an hour, the workers could
not swallow it. The Nash plants
utilize the gang system in order to
speed up the workers. no matter
how hard the men work, they bearly
make the minimum; and when you
figu~e all kinds Of lay offs, the wage
is not enough to exist on. This is
the chief reason for the strike.
Try To Hold Strike Back
The A. F of L. leadership in Wis
consin tried very hard to prevent
the~a strikes When the Nash
workers originally struck. spontane-
ously, the A. P. L. leadership, in
Guiding the personal representa-
tive Of VIM Green, MIR. Smith. be-
trayed and sold out the Nash work
ers. They terrorized the workers to
90 back into the shop on the
promise Of arbitration An "im-
partial" committee was to re-adiust
the grievances in the Nash plant.
Every worker in Kenosha now
knows that this was a sell-out. The
workers did not receive the things
they were promised and the ar
bitratorS have not acted even to
this day. This explains why the
men in the Kenosha Nash plant
voted the other day 1900 against
for an immediate solidarity strike
with the other Nash plants.
During the Nash strike in Ken
osha, the ofhcialdom kept the work
ers IN ignorance Of the negotiations.
There vas no broad strike COM
mittee involving the men Of all de-
partme1ts. The strike was con-
Quoted by only a handful of Off
Gals. The workers in the Simmons
plant strike prof1ted from this be-
trayal. They organized differently
tney set up a mass strike commit
tee, they voted against arbitration
They did not permit a few officials
70 run the strickland the results
we're entirely different. They won
tner demands after five day
strike.
The workers ia Seaman Body
voted for strike a long time ago
but the A. F. L. offcialdom dis
colraged strike action. Mr.. ga
man issued statement to the 81
ployees. which exposed the wavVtbe
A. F. L. ofhcialdim worked behind
the backs of the workers. Seaman
said that when he met with the
committee Of three from the union
Uhe management then presented
to this committee a careful ANALYSIS
OF the situation. after hearing
which, all members of this corn
mittee agreed that it would be nm
wise for the company and that If
"o'lld not be to the interest of the
employees, to increase wages at this
uine. Ihe meeting then adjourned
with the statement that the only
solution Of the present problem was
closer cooperation between en-
ployees and management" Here
was committee of labor leaders
That was supposed to 90 TO fine
company IN the interest of the
workers, but ends up by agreeing
with Mr.. Seaman that what is
needed rs more cooperat ton and not
higher wages. -''
Inc workers however. pressed
Ife question of an increase in vra ,7ae
and compelled this committee 10
ask the Seaman company for On
per cent increase. This was on
Jan 30. Let us hear what han
pened at this meeting. After the
meeting Mr., Seaman issued the
following statement:
When we met with your COM
mAttee on Jan. 10, we fully ex-
planned the situation to you and
after considering the facts. YOUR
ENTIRE COMMITTEE AGREED
THAT 1T WOULD BE DETRT-
MENTAL TO THE INTERESTS
OF OUR EMPLOYEES TO HAVE
WAGES INCREASED. AS A
MATTER OF FACT, YOU
STATED THAT YOU DIDN'T
WANT To KILL THE GOOSE
THAT LAYS THE GOLDEN
EGG, AND AT THE END OF
THE MEETING AGREED
THERE WAS NOTHING THE
COMPANY COULD DO"
Strike Despite Leaders
How is it then that Seaman Body
workers are out on strike in spite
Of H. rr 49, e -.