The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-04
The NeaV York Taxi Strike.
Some Lessons

ton Of work stands out like a beacon light in the
N.R.A. fog; it should serve as a guide for workers
in every industry in their struggle against COM
pany unions, for union recognition and union con-
dtions
The general strike is now over The hackmen
have returned to the garages. They have not
their major demand-recognition of the union
But they marched back under union leadership
headed by their garage chairmen. The union has
grown in strength and influence and the hackmen
have profted by the experiences of the strike They
will have nothing to do with the company union.
They understand the strikebreaking nature of the
N.R,A and their erstwhile friend" Mayor La
Guardia.
Consolidating its forces for greater struggles
ahead, the Taxi Drivers Union of Greater New
York stands today as the undisputed leader OF
the cab drivers.
THE history of the struggle of the taxi drivers is
divided into two periods: the period of the
February strike when the Taxi Drivers Union was
formed and the period of the second general strike
the strike against company unions.
Since the first strike the taxi drivers have made
great advances. During the first strike, when the
union was still in the process OF formation, Judge
Panken and Matthew Levy, Socialist Party leaders,
sitting with the top committee of thirteen con-
cocted a shameless betrayal agreement which sent
the men back to work with nothing but bundle
Of vague promises They tried to pin the faith Of
the men to the N.R.A. and Mayor LaGuardia But
the NR.A and LaGuardia never carried out
single one Of these promises.
The question of the five cent tax was never
settled. Instead, the Mayor and Mr. Allen of the
N.R.A. handed the drivers a code-a code which
through the minimum wage joker would bring the
wages Of the drivers down to miserable $12 week
But in the course of the first strike the men
amalgamated all existing taxi drivers unions into
the one fighting union they have today. In this
they had the full support of the Communist Party
This the first step in the fight to unionize
and improve conditions in the taxi industry
THEN came the second strike. garage chair
was fired from Parmelee garage for
union activities. The men walked out of all Parme-
lee garages demanding his reinstatement and recog-
milton of the union.
small committee of two from each local of
the union set up to lead the strike The Com
munists in the union fought for broad strike
committee "a demOcratically elected committee
representing each garage. The Communist policy
proved to be correct and thereafter the strike was
led by a broad committee.
The strike was then spread to every garage in
the city. 1t general waIkout
Judge Panken's shameless BETRAYAL of the first
strike made him very unpopular He did not dare
to appear at the strike meetings during the second
strike. So the Socialist leaders worked secretly
advising Samuel Smith president of the Bronx local
Of the union, to split with the Manhattan local
which was led by Samuel Orner and Joseph Gilbert
the recognized leaders of the strike
Modified against the strikers was the capitalist
press, groups of professional gangsters provoca-
telrs, the city government, the N.R.A represented
DV the Regional labor oo1io
more subtle FORM leaders of the American Fedora
ton OF Labor and the Socialist Party
The Mayor and the Regional Labor Board tried
10 orlVe the men back to work and then take
vote on the company union in the garages under
the eyes OF company officials and stool pigeons
Through their heroic militant action the strikers
forced the Mayor to agree to pebiscite while the
men were on strike. They even compelled the fleet
owners to meet with them and discuss terms of
settlement
The strike was actually on the verge of being
settled-and on the taxi drivers terms-on Mon
day OF last week The big fleet owners were COM
PEELED to agree to plebiscte
VINO helped the big fleet owners out of this
tough spot? None other than President Roosevelt
and William Green, head Of the American Fedora
uon OF Labor! It their plan in the auto STRIFE
-thelr plan OF putting the company unions on the
same basis as the bona-fde unions of the ante
''N~NA"AN
The Roosevelt Plan" the plan by which the auto
workers were betrayed was praised to the high
heavens The same plan-which worked so well
for General Motors and the ether auto kings-uas
suggested Tor the taxi strike. Fleet owners refused
to meet any longer with representatives of the
drivers
meanwhile the strike continued. But faced with
new forces the strikers wisely considered plan
worked out by the strike committee to return To
work IN a body on the basis Of no discrimination.
we VIII return under the leadership of our union
garage committees to consolidate our forces for
greater struggles of the future" said the strikers
iney VoIed on this plan and returned to work
marching behind their garage charmen
How different was the termination of this strike
LED by its rank and file strike committee. to the
termination OF strikes led by A. F. of L. leaders.
Here the men voted to go back. They marched
back as union men, organized and Disciplined
with the union stronger and the men expressing
full confidence in the union
one OF the mistakes of the strike was the fact
that the questions of wages and conditions were not
raise sharay enough along with the major demand