The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-02-12
Roosevelt Promises
TOSteel Men Turn to
Ashes Of Go. Union
Continued from Page u


a. F. of l. officialdom's strikebreak-
ing) and nothing can bulge it.
The action Of the Wierton Steel
officials is the crux of the steel trusts
drive for company unions under the
NR.A. The latest executive order,
which was supposed to grant new
elections to the Wierton workers, has
been interpreted by General John
son and Donald Richberg to mean
the legalizdtion of existing company
unions.
Refuses Payroll
Mr.. Weir, basing himself on this
deciTon of the Roosevelt's executive
order, refuses to hand over pay roll
lists for the proposed poll by the
Labor Board. To date nothing is
being done about it.
The workers are being terrorizeu.
New company gunner have been
hired by Weir. Militant workers are
being picked off and fired. The daily
promises of the National Labor Board
amount to nothing for the men. In
fact, they strengthen the company
unions.
Behind Weir stand the most pow
erful corporations of the steel trust,
United States Steel, Jones & Laugh
lin, Carnegie Steel, Bethlehem Steel
Corporation, and others. Through
their creature, the Steel Institute
they maneuver through General
Johnson, President Roosevelt, and
the National Labor Board.
Warding off Strike
The latest promises of Roosevelt
we're deliberately made and then
broken to ward off a new threatened
strike, and to whitewash the MIRA.
promises and illusions. Talk of tn
Department of Justice stepping in to
force elections has been hushed up
The close relationship between
General johnson and Mr.. Weir, pre-
7ident of the Weirton Steel Co., is
shown by a recent statement of John
son declaring: "Mr Weir helped me
in the steel code negotiations more
than anyone else"
Meanwhile, the officials of the
Amalgamated Association of Iron,
Steel 81 Tin Workers, the A. F. of L.
union in steel, are dragging the
workers along the road of the end
less and disheartening promises, de-
liberately stopping mobilization for
action which alone can win the de-
mand of union recognition.
RooSevelt'S promises on their face
show the duplicity of the MIRA. He
told the workers they would be
polled, first, to see if they want
elections for their own representa-
tives outside the company union. II
such was the case, they would be
granted such elections.
The National Labor Board is moi
even getting to first base. No pol
has started, though the capitalist
press on several occasion said II
would start a week ago.
What Men Want
That Roosevelt knows what the
men want is also clear. The whol<
Weirton Steel Corporation was closed
sight last September by a strike, the
first in 90 years. The steel workers
in one solid mass braved state police
tear gas, machine guns, company
thugs for over a month demonstrate
ing their demand for recognition o.
their own union. They went back
only on the promise that the N.R.A
would supervise an election.
Instead, they had to face the terrol
of q company union election and Il
pick officials thrust on them.
Over 5000 signed petitions de.
handing they be given another cleo
tions.
In spite OF all this Roosevelt, work
ing with the steel trust, talks of
poll to get the opinion Of them
and then does nothing to get thi'
| poll.