The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-11-09
BY TOM KEENAN,


PITTSBURGH, Pa, Nov. 8.-See-
ing the dissatisfaction of rank and
file members with the do-nothing
politics of Mike Tighe, the top lead
ers of the Amalgamated Association
of Iron Steel, and Tin Workers CA.
F. of L. are being forced to use
more radical phrases to try to head
off the growing determination of
steel workers to put up fight for
union recognition and better condi-
tions.
At a District 1 conference last
Sunday, Vice-President Edward
Miller, the man who is being
groomed to step into Tighe's shoes
when the latter retires, was driven
to the length of declaring that the
steel industry will only be organized
through a general strike in all
mills" in order to hush the de-
mands of delegates for action.
Thousands BIacklisted
Miller was attending the regular
bi-monthly district conference in
Homestead in his role as "overseer"
for the International office when a
delegate from the Allegheny Steel
Co. lodge in Breckenridge gained
the floor near the close of the
meeting to demand some action on
the part of Tighe and company.
The delegate told how he had
been fired from his Job in the
Breckenridge mill for approaching
members of the strong company
union there and asking them to
join the A. A. He concluded by de-
manding to know what the inter-
national officials intend to do in
forcing employers to re-hire himself
and thousands of other blacklisted
steel workers who are today in a
similar predicament. Tighe, he
said, had already informed him
that the union can take no action
in individual cases such as his own.
In reply Miller chose to be very
mysterious about trump cards which
the top leaders are now holding up
their sleeves" and which they can
not yet reveal to the rank and file
membership because the time is
"inopportune."
The case of George Issoski's re-
lease from an insane asylum re-
Gently, he cited as an example Of
this, but failed to mention that "A.
leaders are taking no action what
ever to utilize the whole frame-up
as a means of breaking through the
J. and L. terror in Ahquippa, being
content to "let Governor Pinchot
handle it."
Forbeck AdjournS Meeting
The delegates intimation that a
strike in any mill would be an eff
fective way of meeting the blacklist
weapon in that plant, Miller an
swered by stating that a general
steel strike would be the correct
tactic and would organize the whole
industry, but that the time is not
ripe for such action. He did not
say anything about preparation now
for such future strike action.
The vice-president concluded with
an appeal for peace in the union
(meaning to drop the growing fight
against Tighe and company, and
Earl Forbeck, chairman of the first
district, sensing the danger of con-
tinued discussion along these lines,
promptly adjourned the meeting.
But the continued raising of such
issues by delegates at district con-
ferences is not the only indication
of the dissatisfaction of the work
ers with present policies of the
union, and their resentment at the
sellout Of the strike last spring by
Tighe and Green.
In Allenport. for example, in the
Pittsburgh Steel Company's plant,
the A. A. men reflect the same atti-
tude. OF the 1900 workers en-
ployed there, approximately So per