The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-05-22
Hosiery Men Struck
After NRA Election
Brought Co. Union
BY Worker Correspondent

INDIANAPOLIS, May 2
In a demonstration Of rank
and file solidarity and mile
fancy unparalleled in open
shop indianapolis, 1900 full
fashioned knitters and sym-
/ pathizers picketed at the Real
Silk Hosiery Mills, accompanied by
the entire force Of the National and
Fulton Street Mills, Real Silk sub
salaries. The strikers remained
firm in the seventh week of their
strike for union recognition, increase
of wages to union scale, and aboli~
ton Of the bonus and penalty sys-
TEN.
Picket lines continued intact de-
spite open provocation. poles
brutality. vicious paid advertise
ments, published by employers in
the capitalist press, snti-pieketing
decisions, and the presence Of inc
ported armed thugs mssquerading
as Special deputies" who rode
through the city in arrnered cars
terrorizing both strikers and private
citizens.
struck After N. R, A. Election
The strike arose out Of workers
dissatisfaction with an N. r. A.
election" held last October. At this
election" 5000 employees Of Real
Silk were asked to vote on whether
they should be represented by their
own union or a company union. The
vote went for the company union
by about 1000 votes. But only the
800 actual knitters we're qualified to
vote-only they could be represented
according to the bylaws Of the Full
Fashioned Hosiery Workers a. p.
of L.. she vote was padded by
intimidated Office workers. hremen,
walters. and specially hired tenn
porary help
Six months Of negotiation proved
futile. Then, declaring themselves
100 per cent for their own union,
the knitters went on strike So did
the workers at National and Fulton,
where. although the NJ r. A, cleo
ton resulted in an overwhelming
majority against company unions,
the workers again found they were
: tricked by the Roosevelt machinery.
Police Terror
Under the guidance Of A. P, of L.
, labor misleader Smith, the militant
Real silk workers were held down
, while scabs came into the mill TO
take their Jobs. After two weeks Of
, this the rank and file took picketing
, into their own hands. They formed
strong picket lines to block entrance
for scabs and those employees who
continued to work.
At this juncture the employers
,, resorted to importing armed hood
lums 49, an act Of terrorism which
aroused such militant opposition
that after a week these thugs dis
appeared. Not, however. until the
police agreed to protect" scabs and
their property did this occur. Since
then the police have engaged in
their regular function of strike
breaking, beating up workers, and
shooting at peaceful pickets and
: neighboring citizens.
Injunction Issued
As climax to their strike-break~
I ing activities. the police ordered the
uicket lines dispersed. An injunc-
ton against this order was obtained
by the strikers-an injunction which
lasted only one day. Now deci-
sion of the Indiana Supreme Court
has upheld the police in their at
tempt to end picketing
| But rank and file strikers con-
tinue to picket despite the legal ma
5, chinery and brutality used against
= them. Nor have they been stopped
0 bv a strike breaking decision Of the
= National Labor Board upholding the
= company union until next October.
t After this ruling the Communist
a Party of indianapolis Immediately
e put out leaflets urging the strikers
to take the strike into their own
{ hands. The leaflets further urged
: the election Of rank and file COM
s. mittee to take over the conduct OF
h the strike and fight for three de-
: mands. These demands are
!, II Recognition of union of the
e strikers own choosing; ~ in
Is crease in wages; 3)replacement Of
o every striker,
: The last of these demands is in
e sharp contrast to the position Of the
d A. r. Of L. union organizer AS a
j. result of this leaflets influence over
e the strikers, this labor betrayer de-
d clared that between the employers
Il and the Communist Party. he pre-
I ferred to trust the employers and
II deal with them AS another evil
/ dence of his betraying role, he de-
le handed the removal from the picket
! line of volunteers from the I. L. D.
= and the Unemployed Council,
Rank and File Barred
le Militant strikers. however, voiced
J. support of this Communist leafet at
7r strike meeting. They declared
W they could see nothing wrong With
1t the leafet, which realistically stated
l. their true demands. They also re-
at pended, against their organizers ex-
1t pressed wish, to a May Day leaflet
t. distributed by the Communist Party
ut calling for demonstration.
ut Since two "arhitrators" sent from
is washington have already failed to
n break the militant spirit Of the
N strikers with suggestions of sell-out
L. compromises. the latest ATTEMPT OF
le the breaking class collabors-
4 tinnists is q National Labor Board