The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-12-22

The Shop Paper
An Organizer
and Agitator
BY JACK CLIFFORD
District Shop Paper Director Dis
trict 2 Y. C. L.

| trlct L. 4. L..
ONCE the Seventh National Con-
y vention of the Young Communist
League held this past June, our
League has instituted another
method of shop organization-the
building unit. The building unit is
to be organized in buildings which
have at least several shops Cor fac
tories) in them in which we do not
have enough League members to
organize shop nuclei Regardless of
trade. Even if one or more of the
shops do have nuclei in them, we
still organize the new recruits from
the other shops and service en-
ployees into the building unit, I'M
til such time as we have enough
members to organize shop nuclei.
Need Broad Approach
The comrades in these building
units naturally must have a much
broader organizational approach to
the youth in the building. This
means that the comrades must use
broader methods in trying to get
them into the League. A comrade
in one trade, in discussing with a
worker in another trade, cannot just
discuss the conditions of his own
shop, but must also discuss the con-
ditions of the other shop and must
explain the connection between the
two. The same applies to discussing
political subjects, when discussed in
connection with the conditions in
the shop Gas they should be-.
One of the most effective methods
Of doing this, and doing 1t broadly
and yet specifically, is through
building bulletins and leaflets. Leaf
let's, however, are not issued regu-
larry. In the first place, leaflets
cannot contain all the news for one
shop, let alone all the shops in a
building. In the second place, leaf
lets are used when there is one
specific point to be brought to the
attention Of the workers.
Regular Bulletins
Bulletins, however, can be issued
regularly. IN the bulletin we can
explain all our campaigns and shop
conditions lin this case the existing
conditions of the various shops in
the building and the conditions Of
the service employees). We can
teach our aims and principles to
the workers through the bulletins,
and we can rally them around us in
fighting for better conditions. Thus
we can educate the youth in the
various shops and among the serv-
ice employees in the class struggle,
organize them around us, build up
revolutionary prestige among them
for our League, lead them in their
struggles by giving fighting direc-
tiveS, and bring them into the union
and League.
Tt would be comparatively simple
to get information from the young
workers in the building for expose
articles, by making friends with the
service employees and getting them
to tell of their conditions (Which
they will do if they know we work
in the building) by speaking to
other young workers in the elevator,
etc.
The elevator men also hold key
propaganda positions, as they know
and speak to all the workers.
We must take great care with
the first issue Of our bulletins. Very
often, by issuing an unattractive
bulletin, with poor articles, we turn
the youth away from us, instead of
drawing them closer, and it often
takes long time to overcome this.
A neat first issue (the succeeding
ones should be even better) with
articles explaining who we are, tell
ing about conditions and giving the
correct Interpretation. as well as
suggestions on how to improve them,
will Immediately give us prestige,
even though the young workers may
not at first agree with our policy
and mistrust us.
In the bulletin we must discuss
the economic conditions in connec-
ton with our political campaigns
elections, war, the use of police
and national guards in strikes, etc. I,
and the connection between the
government and the bosses. In this
connection we should use the Soviet
Union as contrast, and explain to
the youth why they cannot be eco
nomically secure under the capt
talist system, and why it must he
overthrown and the dictatorship of
the proletariat set up. However, we
must not make the stupid mistake
of going to the other extreme and
forget the economic questions. These
are two parts of the same question.
We must guard against becoming
abstract. Every article, every de-
mand, every suggestion must be
practical. We must give real ex-
amples and real explanations. In
this way we will be able through
the bulletin to rally the youth
around our banner.
Naturally, we must not make the
bulletin our only activity, but must
make it one integral part of our
activities. The bulletin must be fol-
lowed up with action on the part
of our League members, speaking
to the young workers about the
League and the bulletin in connec-
ton with their shop. speaking to
them about the demands in the
bulletins, inviting them to our open
meetings, discussing with them
more in detail how to better condi-
lions in their shop, getting them to
fight for better conditions in an Or
ganized manner, and getting them
to join our Young Communist
League.
We must also in orr discuSsione