The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-02
Office Union
Makes Great
Advances
Works Out Methods To
Overcome Weakness
in Organization

On June 10 and II, delegates
representing thousands of office and
white collar workers from different
cities met for the first time to for
mulate program for the establish
ing of a National Office Workers
Union. Representatives from the
largest department stores, offices
and insurance houses in Chicago,
Philadelphia, New Haven, Hart
ford and New York exchanged ex-
periences in the organization and
development of their groups and
locals.
c. Jenkins of Chicago reported
the recent establishment of groups
in Marshal Fields and the Chicago
Mail Order, two of the largest en-
ployees of white collar workers in
that city. In Philadelphia, the local
has been concentrating on Sears
Robuck, another large mail order
house, where a group as large as
45 has been organized. In New
Haven and Hartford we have the
number of insurance workers.
Laura Carmen in brief history
of the New York local stated that
the o. w. U. was an outgrowth of
the conflicts and explosions from
the now defunct Bookkeepers,
Stenographers and Accountants
Union in 1928 To date there are
in New York IL functioning groups
in the department stores, such as
Macys, Gimbels, Wannamakers, ETC.,
a number in book publishing houses
and many miscellaneous groups in
Wall Street, insurance firms and
small Offices. Within the past
months these groups have been con-
solidated by the formation of De-
partment Store Section and Book
Publishing Section of the Union.
The discussion on the reports
brought forth number of weak
nesSeS in the locals which had pre-
viously been experienced in New
York City in the early stages of the
Unions development The Con-
ference, however, succeeded in
working out correct methods to
overcome these organizational DIFF
ficulties.
| In the National Organization Re
port the tremendous organizationaI
growth of the white collar workers
in the United States was stressed
and was substantiated by the re-
port on Macaulay and Wannamaker
| actions in New York, the recent
strikes of the telegraph messengers
in Cleveland, Detroit, Minneapolis,
the struggles in department stores
in the West and the numerous re-
quests coming in from different
parts of the country asking for in
formation on the Union and how
to organize.
| Tt was also pointed out that
along with this organi2ational growth
among this category Of workers.
there are springing up such fascist
organizations as the American
White Collar League in Pittsburgh,
to foster spirit of class collab-
Grafton. 1t Is therefore imperative
that we establish militant Ma
tional Office Workers Union to lead
these workers in their struggles and
not leave them as a potential force
| for fascism.
The Conference elected a Ma
tional Committee with Ruth Paul
as Chairman, jenkins and Glass
from Chicago, Jean Dunno from
Philadelphia, Florence Mercer from
New Haven, Gertrude Lane and
Minnie Cohen from New York. The
tasks of the Committee are:
Ito be responsible for the work
of the existing locals.
2-To finance a National Organ
izer to be sent out into the field
3-To establish union groups in
the following cities, wherever we
now have basis for the Union,
Buffalo, Boston, Pittsburg, Cleve-
land and Detroit, before the calling
of the National Convention.
1.-The calling of a National Con-
vention in October.