The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-15
Dressmakers Urged to
Vote for Left Wing
and Smash Clique
BY K. ABRAMowTTZ


Before we go to elect a new Execu-
tive Board and other officers in
Local % of the International Ladies
Garment Workers Union it is worth
while to see what Zimmerman, the
Lovestonite, and his executive with
the grace of Dubinsky have done
for the membership Of Local q,
Dressmakers Union since he is in
office.
Right after Zimmerman was
elected, the Left Wing Group pro-
posed that the local should initiate
a campaign for unity of both
unions, but Zimmerman instead,
answered demagogically, Let them
come into the International we will
then have a united 'front.'" When
the general strike came, the left
wigers in Local % asked to be rep
resented on the strike committee
but instead of that no meetings
were held with the workers and no
demands were worked out together
with the dressmakers; instead
meetings of the top, Dubinsky,
HICKMAN, Zimmerman were held
secretly, and only the mihtancy Of
the workers led by the left wing
made it possible to get the agree
ment signed. After the strike was
settled dad the agreement signed
we asked zimmerman what about
the demand OF limitations of con-
tractors. His answer was that there
are finishing touches to be made in
Washington when the code will be
worked out.
The dressmakers code was to be
signed and Zimmerman knew that
we were not going to have any
limitation. Again the Left Wing
called to his attention that the
dressmakers must be modified for
the demand. but Zimmerman in
stead spoke at Madison Square
Garden on the same platform with
Whalen who hailed the NRA,
Defends Wage Cut Code
With the signing Of the code, the
most important gains were gradu-
ally done away with; with the in
sertion Of a clause in the draft code,
providing that dressmakers who are
subnormal in production are not
entitled to the minimum, the basis
was laid for the abolition of the
minimum wage scale. The maxi
mum hours have been changed
by giving another hour to
the sample makers The Left
Wingers started a campaign against
the breaking Of the agreement, but
our dear manager only defended the
code, hailing it as a victory, and
only when the Left Wingers called
for protest meeting against the
code. Brother Zimmerman made a
gesture and called a so-caled pro-
test meeting against the length
ening of hours, although in the
'Women's Wear a day before the
meeting it was stated that it was
with the express agreement of Local
% leadership that such concession
should be granted to the bosses. AL
parties agreed to this clause. But
even at this protest meeting the
dressmakers and their so-called
leaders were divided in two. The
dressmakers stormed against the
code and Zimmerman with his
henchman bulldozed the dressmak-
ers and adopted resolution with
only a few hands raised. The in
creased wages that we got began tC
be cut and in some cases they are
now as they were prior to the strike
The Left Wing group exposed this
and warned the dressmakers against
the wage cuts, but Zimmerman in
stead of taking up fight against
the bosses and the Joint Board, sent
out a slanderous letter to the mem
bers with money used from the
treasury of the union against the