The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-09-26
YPSL Leader
Gags Shipping.
Clerks Union
By a Worker Correspondent

dustry are not exploited and taken
advantage of as ruthlessly as the
shipping clerks, porters, and errand
boys.
In spite of the MIRA. codes
which provide a 40-hour working
week, we are compelled to work
SO to 10 and more hours for S1A
and less. The speed-up is unbear-
able. Workers of our trade are anx-
ious and ready to fight to improve
conditions.
The miserable conditions in our
trade are well known to the ad
ministrati o. of our union, the La
dies Garment Shipping Clerks
Union, and to Mr.. Harold Lexem-
burg, the Soft-speaking leader of
the YP.S.L., who was never a ship
ping clerk and who was dishonesty
| elected to leadership in our union
by means of packing the election
hall with outside members of the
Y.P.S.L. like Nelson, Jack Horo-
WITT, Julie Kaplan, Fred Shevin.
Jerry and Teddy Levine, Melos
Most, Irwin Hass, Mr.. Luxembourg
and many others. who are not
workers Of the trade. but were Civ
en- membership cards and allowed
to vote with the specific objective
OF putting into leadership Mr.. Lex
emburg and our former president
Bill Levine, who was kicked out as
an unreliable" individual.
Let us carefully examine the
records of these misleaders who paw
lip service to liberty and democ-
racy. Do they live up to the mean
ing OF these beautiful sounding
words? 1 shall address myself now
10 Mr.. Horace Luxembourg himself.
lido you really believe that
packing our meeting with outsiders
10 vote and shape policies of our or
ganization is a step towards de-
mocracy and the building of the
union?
2-As an election maneuyer Won
promised us that you and your
cirque are the only ones who can
attain Tor us charter from the
international L "a dies Garment
Workers Union, and $500 and more
money for organization purposes
"here Is the charter and money?
5-By mass pressure of the mem
oership you were forced to reinstate
rank and file members whom YOU
expelled and suspended, without a
tral before the membership. for
opposing your high handed tactics
Is this by any chance a "step to-
ward Socialism in our time?
0At the last meeting, which
took place four months ago. and of
which you were chairman. YOU al
lowed Jerry Levine to knock one
OF our young brothers to the floor
for asking a point of order. which.
as you stated, is always in order
to ask. How do you account for
this?
Sour constitution was suspend
ed four months ago, for only a pc
ROD OF two weeks, during the I. L.
G. W. U. convention. Why don't
you live up to our constitution? Is
1t not because 1t is "too democrat
ic" and it gives too much power to
the members?
6-Why have you raised the dues
from 10 cents a week to Is cents
and the initiation fee from 40 cents
to S. without the consent of the
membership? Do you think such
measures and policies promote the
growth Of our union?
I've have been taxed so cents
each as a convention tax to send
delegate to the TLG.W.U. con-
Ventlon four months ago and to ask
for a charter. Why don't you at
least call membership meeting to
give a report Of the convention?
9-Don't you think that the
members are entitled to financial
report?
Gin spite of the fact that our
constitution provides for member
ship meetings every two weeks and
in spite of the continuous demands
of our members for meeting be-
cause Of bad conditions in the
trade, why no membership meet
ing? Is it not because you are
afraid the membership will GUST
you from leadership?
10-Why do you state that a gen.
eral membership meeting will be
called after the button striker Is
it against the interest of the work.
ers to call meeting before the
strike to prepare for and help the
strikers?
11-Why is it that at the begin
ming of the meeting of the button
fellows on Sept. 6, you said. This
is your union, control it yourselves.
and when 1t came to a real show
down, when I proposed that we
elect leading committee to be
composed of five from the ranks of
the boys of the shops and two from
the Executive Board, you at this
occasion peculiarly forgot what you
said before and asked to have only
four from the ranks and three from
the Executive Board, in order to
give you better chance to control
cur union?
12-Why is it that when it is
necessary to place someone on the
Executive Board you appoint yogr
friends instead of having a mem
bership meeting and allowing the
members to elect their own men?
13-Do you think you're helping
the Y.P.SL. by going up to the
shops and telling the bosses which
Of their workers are Communists?
Don't you think that this is cheap
and mean rafting?
14-And last, but not least, why
is it that you went to the American
Youth Congress as delegate from
our union. when YOU didn't even
90 to the trouble of calling a men,
bership meeting and tell us what