The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-06-14
SMWU Issues Unity Call;
Congress Gets Bill To
Break the Steel Strike
Continued from Page y

Of the steel workers are divided. The
greatest enemy of the steel workers
are those who fight against the
unity of steel workers. President
Roosevelt, the N. r. A. and the Iron
and Steel Institute are in complete
unity of purpose. Labor's new
magma charta in steel is a smash
ing attack against trade unions, and
in full support of company unions
and the wage-cutting, starvation
program of Wall Street"
Some members of the A. A. have
proposed a secret united front with
us. because they are afraid of being
labelled red. Brothers, you must
face facts fearleSsly. If you fight
for your demands YOU are red.
They will call you Communist
whether you belong to the Commu-
mist Party or not They will draw
red herring across your trail in
order to break the growing unity of
steel workers. Our union is not a
Communist union, but frankly. the
Communists are fighters and our
union welcomes all fighters into our
Esnks.
Some Of you say 20 us, If you
want unity. why don't you join the
A. A.?' But again speaking frankly,
we do not and cannot trust your
international officials, nor will we
place trust in the N R. A, and we
warn you against doing so. Instead
Of unity, your own international Of
ficials propose to split your own or
ganization by instructing every local
to expel the reds-the Communists.
They mean you, if you insist on
striking for the demands passed by
the April convention of the A. A"
The statement again endorses the
seven demands Of the steel workers,
adopted at the last A. A. conven-
don, but dropped by Mike Tighe and
the Committee Of Ten, which
dropped all except the demand for
recognition.
The statement then traces the
history Of the situation, by both or
CARNATIONS calling for strike prep
srations and for a national joint
conference of all workers organiza-
tons to prepare the strike, and con-
tinues, Had these proposals for
united action been adopted by the
Committee Of Ten, a united front
committee would have gone to
Washington, with a powerful or
ganized strike movement supporting
them, instead of being shunted from
one government official to another,
begging them to take action to avert
q strike as your Committee of Ten
was.
They would have served notice
on the President. the N. R. A., and
the Steel Institute that the only
way to avert a strike was to grant
all demands.
Under no circumstances can the
workers abandon the strike weapon,
the most powerful instrument of
struggle the workers have, the key
note of which is unity, united
fighting broad rank and file leader
ship, Your Committee Of Ten re-
fused the united front, fearing
that Mike Tighe would expel them
for doing so. OF course Tighe and
Company are opposed to the united
front. They are opposed to any
steps that will unite the workers
and lead to a successful strike, for
the very simple reason they oppose
all strikes. They only lead strikes
in order to break them.
The tasks before the steel work
ers are very clear. There is only
one way the demands of the strike
can be won, and that is on the
picket line and not belly crawling in
Washington. The N. R. A. company
union agreement proposed in Wash
ington can be defeated by a united
front of all steel workers, and by
the carrying through of the strike
decisions over the heads Ct Tighe
and company We are prepared to
meet the Committee of Ten, elected
at your convention, or any local
union committee, at any time to
form united front between both
organizations, in order to weld the
unity Of the steel workers against
the enemies Of the strike and to
mobilize all the workers for con-
certed strike action.
Steel workers, members of the
A. A, reject the company union
agreement of the N. R. A. and the
Iron and Steel Institute, Reject the
splitting tactics of Tighe and Com
pany. Place your convention and
local union on record for united
strike action. Steel workers. Negro
and white, American and foreign
born, brothers of the A. A., let moth
ing stand in the way of unity"
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