The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-20
JOblessness
HitsNeWY York
Hatters Hard
''Boss Sweeties" Blame
Communists For
Unemployment
BY a Halter

NEW YORk.-Unemploy Is
now hitting the hat trade harder
than it ever did before. The month
Of August, when the season is sup
posed to be at its peak, finds most
shops working part time, and
number of shops completely at
standstin. Reports from out Of
town tell of a situation no better
than in New York City.
Some elements in the trade, those
known as bosses sweethearts," and
supporters of the union ofhcialdom
are trying to make capital from this
situation and blame the recent
strike and those who were most
active in it, the Communists and
the Rank and File Group, for lack
of work in the shops. They CON
veniently shut their eyes to certain
facts which prove that they ar6-
to be polite-not telling the TRUTH.
They, for instance, fail to explain,
when they say that there is no +
work in the union shops becauSe
of the strike, why the Golden Rod 4
doesn't work full time, or why
there is no full work in shop like
the Omaha, where they pay only
90 cents a dozen, or why Newark
matters come to New York to look
for jobs?
They forget all this and forget
the fact the entire hat industry,
not only the New York district, is
in a crisis, that not only the felt
hat trade but also the straw hat
trade, and the millinery trade. But
why do they forget all this? There
is only one reason. They are eager
to undermine the prestige of the
Communists and the Rank and File
Group and their militant policies.
They want to discredit all militant
action and in particular the strike,
powerful weapon in our hands
against the bosses.
Manufacturers Plan Attack
Behind this propaganda against
cur last strike and against the Rank
and File Group is a maneuver of
the hat manufacturers to split our
ranks, to weaken our organization,
to disarm us and to leave us open
to an attack they are preparing to
make on our conditions and wages.
simultaneously, another step is
being taken by the manufacturers
in preparation for their planned
attack, that is their proposal 10
establish a committee in the trade,
to take up grievances in the shops,
with which our local officials are
in agreement. The establishment of
such a committee can do nothing
but deprive us of one of our rights
for which the halter union fought
in the past, namely, of calling the
shop committee or of having a shop
call whenever a shop crew desires
to take up any grievance of the
men or women in the shop. That
this right will be taken away from
us if we agree to a committee with
the manufacturers, the manufac-
turers themselves admit. Yet, our
union officials agree to this.
TIL matters must be on the look
out against these maneuvers of the
manufacturers. They want to util-.
ize these hard times in ocder to pre-
vent us from fighting for increases
and better conditions and in the
future, to prevent us from fighting
back against their planned attacks,
for which they have been lately or
ganizing their bosses association
with more energy than ever before
To counterfeit their attack, we
must unite our ranks more than
ever before, regardless of political
or religious opinions, regardless of
nationality or of any other differ
ence in our ranks that the bosses
try to use for their own benefit.
We must fight and expose those in
our ranks who are working hand IN
hand with the bosses. We must put
those bosses sweetheartS" in their
place, expose them before all work
ers in the trade. We must take up
at our meetings the problems OF
unemployment and part-time work
that We are faced with and demand
that the government relief agencies
/ take care Of them until we sue
coed to secure jobs and work for