The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-14
Elections in Shoe
Union Must Be Blow
At Sweat Shop Plan
Masks Are Torn OF of
Four Splitters and
Disrupters
BY I. ROSENBERG

anu IlaU1Ondl bl6CtlOllo VI OlACAdls.
The elections to be held on March /
%. The local elections should have
been held in the month of Sep !
tember but due to the general strike !
the organization was involved in at
that time, the elections had to be
postponed.
It was, however, as early as No
vember that the question of cleo
tons was placed on the order OF
business before the Joint Council,
pointing out the necessity of estab-
fishing an efficient functioning ap-
paratus to cope with all of the
pressing problems confronting the
organisation today. But all those
leaders of the shoe workers groups
that participated in the amalgama-
ton convention and pledged them
selves prior to and at the eonven-
ton for the cause Of unity began
10 place obstacles in the way of
speedy election.
FoHr Splitters
DeLiberty and Prince, of the Bro
tneFhood and Protective group; Blk
by, of the National; and Saffron, Of
the Metropolitan were singing the
same chorus: LET us discuss policy
first" For them it was not enough
that the Convention has adopted
the basis for unity whereby the con-
stitution grants every district the
right to have its form of organi-
zation.
They wanted a special referendum
to decide on whether or not the
shoe workers of New York are really
so much in love with the industrial
form of organization. Needless to
say. the representatives Of these
groups are ardent admirers OF the
obsolete craft system. But they
were not satisfied with that alone.
They proposed no more nor less
than that the leadership Of the
former industrial union shall resign
and the organization be taken over
by a committee of equal representa-
ton.
That meant in reality handing
over an organization of thousands
TO group who themselves claim
to represent no more than 3OO
workers. In other words, they were
ready to amalgamate If the Union
is handed over to them. The pro-
nosa1s were too ridiculous to be dis
cussed.
But plenty of time was lost on
account of that. The ooordinatlng
committee in Boston was waiting
to see which way the wind blew.
They realized that they too cannot
escape the responsibility by permit
ting a few small groups to hinder
the consolidation in New York. Thus
| came the call for mass meeting
under the auspices of the coordinat-
| ing committee. AT that mass meet
ing in Arcadia Hall a joint CONSOLE
dation was elected to go through
with the election.
Where are these groups now? The
Metropolitan though officially dis
solved is prevented from full particl-
patton in the consolidation work by
the Safrons. The Septum shop where
Saffron is employed is held back
from coming into the United by
Saffron who is trying to hand it over
to the Boot and Shoe. The Avalon,
formerly of the Metropolitan is COM
ing into the United, precisely because
this shop has leadership faithful
to the cause of amalgamation. The
Protective group is out following the
footsteps of Nolan. The Brother
hood with DeLiberty at the head
refuses to participate, though before
the convention this bird crossed him
self 3 times day for amalagamation.
The National local is formally in,
but Bixby has not forgotten his
splitting tactics and is negotiating
for an agreement with the j. I,
Cousins firm in the name of the
United Shoe and Leather Workers
Union; without the representatives
of the District organization present.
Mask Torn OFF
Herein lies the significance of this
election. The whole prediction
procedure has torn off the mask of
these elements who have been hid
ing themselves under mask of
pious wishes and exposes them as
opportunists of kind who are in
terested in the labor movement so
long as they can exploit it for their
individual interests.
Must Unite Workers
The outcome of this election must
bring in lead ership capable of
uniting the workers in the shops and
defeat all the splitters in the shoe
workers ranks. The election must
result in the establishment of solid
leadership devoted to an uncom-
promising struggle against the Boot
and Shoe racketeers, the banners,
Tesaros and Prekopios. Our task is
to destroy this racket. That means
an organization campaign in every
shop where the Boot and Shoe was
forced upon the workers by the
bosses, to set up opposition groups
that will split the racket to pieces.
What is required above all is a |
leadership that adheres uncompro-
misingly to the principle of class
struggle, the only guarantee that
such struggles to be undertaken will
lead the workers to security of their
jobs, decent living wage and build
up an organization, strong and pow
erful, to block and attempt on the
part of the bosses to bring back the