The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-01-03
Cleaners Ban the
AFL RacketeerS
in Los Angeles


LOS ANGELES, Cal. - For a
number of years Mr.. Glassman
has been misleading the cleaning
and dye plant workers of Los An
geles, as organizer of the Cleaners,
Dyers and Pressers Union, a con-
cession granted him by Mr.. Casey
of the A. F. of L. The workers
have finally become so tired of
Glassman's triekery that they have
organized an Independent Cleaners
and Dyers Local in and around Los
Angeles.
There was nothing for them to
lose by this, as Glassman's union
was an organization by Glassman
and for Glassman, and the bosses.
He was the dues-getter and signer
of the checks. The workers received
no accounting of anything.
When the bosses wanted to put
couple of competitors into line
last summer, Glassman obliged
them by calling a general strike, and
when the thing didn't turn out the
way the bosses wanted it to, he sent
the workers back to work without
even asking them.
The union was supposed to be
affiliated with the A. F. of L. How
ever, we had no A. T. of L. stamps
in our books, although dues were
paid up. In reality, the local was
not even affiliated with the A. F. of
L., and our books were not good
for any A. F. of L. Identification.
Even at the present time, the old
secretary, who was kicked out of
office by Glassman and Casey of the
A. F. of L., still receives the mail
from the national board of the A.
F. of L. No per capita tax has been
sent in, either.
The Independent Union has grown
slowly, but surely. The more active
workers in the trade have joined it.
Now we find Glassman associated
with a partner" a fellow that was
some years ago business agent in
the same local, and known to every
worker as the biggest exploiter in
the business. He was the owner of
the biggest chain store system of
cleaning shops in the city. He was
the one that was paying cents for
pressing a suit. These two, with
the help of the bosses, started to
organize two separate unions. One
was to organize the drivers, the
other to organize the inside help,
and so divide the workers. A check
off system was instituted, and they
started to organize in the shops.
The Independent Union started a
broad campaign exposing these two
and fighting the check-off system.
The two labor-fakers then i ssued
leaf1et in the name of the Indepen-
dent Union, printed in red ink,
with lot of revolutionary phrases
and propaganda" calling the
workers to general strike, and
condemning the A. F. of L.
Their strategy in issuing this
fraudulent leafet was, first, to
scare the workers by telling them
that the independent union is red
and communistic, and second, to
rally the A. F. of L, to their assist
ance.
L he SAGEQGlNG COuHlllbSt VI buG
Independent Union Immediately
issued leaflet exposing the takers
leafet. Every worker in the indus
try now knows who issued this pro-
vocative leaf1et.
This exposure has given prestige
to the Independent Union, and has
withdrawn the workers from Lewis
rab,, orJ CIoce,,,or, .,,bO ara not
allowed in the shops.
Every worker can now see for
himself what kind of leadership he
may receive from the A. F. of L.
and its type of organization. l hope
that they will realize that their
place is in militant rank and file
union such as the Independent
Cleaners and Dyers Union in Los
Angeles.