The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-14
Example of Good Shop York

Leu us lake, lot example, the case OF a Ger
tain metal shop, the experiences of which I
have personally examined. This shop is of
medium size in the lighter section of industry.
It employs in this period about 500 workers.
A year ago we had stagnant nucleus of three
members. Following the Open Letter, the Party
committee in the section where this factory is
located, assigned some politically capable COM
rades to work with and help the nucleus. In
connection with the Metal Workers Union, the
shop was drawn into strike movement, to-
gether with many other small metal shops. The
demands of the strikers were won, and the en-
ployers signed contract with the union The
nucleus was still functioning very weakly 1t
had worked only as a fraction of the union
without showing the Party face. Consequently,
it recruited very slowly. The workers in the
shops didn't know the Party existed there. The
union leaders were afraid that if the Party nu-
cleus took any initiative it might disrupt the
mass organization of the union in the shop AS
a result of this political weakness, the shop
committee OF the union elected as its chairman
one Of the most reactionary elements In the
shop, a very conscious supporter Of the Social
list Party leadership, and an enemy Of the
union. The opinion prevailed that this was the
way to secure full unity of the shop, but this
shop chairman sabotaged the work of the union
The shop nucleus meeting every week with the
personal participation of representatives of the
section, and discussing all the problems of the
shop and the union, gradually became conscious
of these weaknesses and dangers. They saw the
boss becoming very arrogant again and threat
ening to refuse to renew his contract with the
union, or to consider the new demands the
workers we're formulating They saw spirit of
paSSivty and defeatism spreading among the
workers in the shop. The nucleus decided that
it must become active and make it's presence
known in the entire shop It's first move was
to secure the defeat and removal of the sabo-
tagging shop chairman. A shop paper began
to appear regularly. It is interesting to note
that our trade union leaders resisted the devel-
oping initiative Of the shop nucleus They were
afraid Of it; they even developed the theory
that the shop nucleus was merely fraction OF
the union, and subject to the directives of the
leading fraction of the union as whole. But
the nucleus correctly and successfully overcame
this resistance. At the crucial moment when it
seemed that the union in the shop was about
to be wiped out, the nucleus distributed
throughout the shop to every worker a leafiet
in which, speaking as unit of the Communist
Party, it pointed out the dangers to the workers,
called upon them to rally their forces to the
union and to win their demands. Within day
the atmosphere in the shop was entirely trans
formed; defeatism and decentralization vanished.
The Communist who had been discharged for
distributing the leaflets in the shop was quickly
reinstated in his job by the action of the en-
tire body Of workers. who threatened immedi-
afo cA-
The employer quickly changed his tone, and
instead of tearing up the union contract, he
negotiated new one, embodying additional
gains for the workers. The union meeting in
the factory thereupon invited an official speaker
from the Communist Party to come and speak
at their meeting; greeted the speaker with an
ovation. 1t Is the common talk of the shop
that "our union is strong because we have an
active, strong Communist Party nucleus among
U.S." The Party and Y.CL. membership in this
shop now comprises IA per cent of the whole
body OF workers The shop is 100 per cent
unionized in the revolutionary union These
workers are raw and inexperienced, the type
usually known as backward" The leaders of
the shop nucleus and the shop committee of
the union is now composed of new, active cap
able forces in command of the situation, dis
playing strong initiative; the individuals who
make up this leadership were three months ago
looked upon as backward workers. who rarely
raised their voices in meetings.
Imagine the tremendous steps forward our
Party would make if the experience of this shop
was repeated in just half of our existing shop
nuclei! Imagine how quickly we could develop
mighty mass Party when we get few hun
dred strongholds like this throughout the coun-
try, especially in the basic industries! What a
Transformation would take place in the Chicago
District if the clearinghouse and Steel nuclei
would repeat this experience, if the comrades
had not forgotten their own good resolutions!
What new District Pittsburgh would become
if a similar work we're done in the Jones and
Laughlin steel mill!
The greatest weakness of our shop nuclei is
that they are not so much secret from the bosses
as they are from the workers in their shops They
are afraid to speak to the workers in the name
OF the Party. They rarely issue leaflets Less
than Is per cent of our shop nuclei issue a
shop paper of any kind We even find theories
popping up,-for example, in Cleveland and in
some sections of New York. that Party shop
papers are really a danger and hindrance to
penetrating the factories, that we must work by
stages and have first only union papers; then
later on carefully begin to introduce Party
shop papers. This opportunistic hiding the face
of the Party in the shops is the most serious
right danger.
How Street Nucleus Can Build
Communist Strongholds
Our street nuclei are also beginning in some
cases to learn how to do mass work on their
own account. We now have 1882 street nuclei
What tremendous power even these can be-
come when they learn Bolshevik methods OF