Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-05-08
Girls Slave for 2lc Hour Kress Store

handle the finances Tor llc locals
and branches etc. is Of vital inn
uortancc to the union. The mis-ap-
preparation, losing of funds and 9TH
cr discrepancies tend to promote
announcement, Generalization of
membership, and must be guarded
against by regular accounting Of IL
panccs with statecmnts TO be issued
periodically to the membership of
funds received and expended from
all locals and national office includ-
ing supplies received and issued.
How to Present Demands and
Develop Strike Struggles
We must remember that in build
ing branches Of the union we can
not work on a blue print basis.
General conditions may exist in the
mill or camp such as a wage-cut
coming up, intensified speed-up'
wholesale discrimination Of work
ers that makes it necessary TO de-
yelop immediate struggle regardless
of our organizational strength. we
must extend all efforts to bring the
workers into leadership of the new
branch as fast as possible, due to
the tempo of the MIRA and new at
tlyl<s OF the lumber operators in eN-
tracting more profits from the lum-
Der workers.
When u mill or camp branch is
formed it generally consists OF
small number Of workers unless a
situation exists where the sent-
mcnt may prevail where the entire
mill or camp is ready to line up
in the Union. 1t is this period where
the union must give real leadership.
This is the period where we VIII
gain prestige and influence among
the lumber workers. We must DEM
oustrate to them in action that We
have the only rank and file Union
in the lumber industry for their m
forests. Consequently, an immedl-
ate recruiting campaign is launched
i'm order to broaden out the Drahch
as quickly as possible.
In order to develop the group into
u solid branch Of the union it IS not
only necessary to work on the basis
of conducting struggle for our gen
.eral demands, but TO take up the
most immediate grievance that may
exist on the job. For example: I'M
safe equipment, against speed-up'
miserable working conditions, going
to work on the workers own time,
short handed crews, discrimination
AGAINST the branch leadership, and
the malicious firing of workers for
protesting grievances, etc. The WIN
ming of these immediate demands
under our leadership results in VIM
ming the majority Of the lumber
workers to our Union.
Time to Strike
II is a general theory that when
organization takes effect, the newly
orpanized branch of workers be-
come permeated with a strike mood
that often does not reflect a strike
mood of the workers in the entire
mill or camp. We must learn now
to measure our strength with lhe
sentiment of the workers and the
percentage of those who are ready
Tn rally to the struggle. Nor Is II
necessary for us to have the ma
iority organized before we can
for the elimination of the
most burning grievances Oh tLe
workers, The Branch Committee
must understand what are Ihe
burning grievances on the job ana
what grievance the majority of the
workers are willing to struggle ior.
4 broad grievance committee con-
sietinp of union and non union
workers should be elected by all
workers involved by proposal from
tho Branch Committee of compost
ton of broad grievance commit
tee. also plan Of action ana ue-
mands.
The elected grievance committee
shall then present the demands af-
ter endorsement of all the workers
in camp or mill to the company, and
report imediately back to the work.
ers the answer of the company. If
these demands are rejected the COM
mittee then should discuss the re-
lection and be ready to make pro-
pCsal to the entire workers involv-
ed to vote on strike or not. If it is
decided to strike then the commit
tee shall be responsible to organize
a picket line electing captains to
be in charge in order to keep the
workers intact and from scattering
all over the country, thus leaving
the camp or mill without picketing
forces The theory that is prevalent
among the lumber workers to
strike and then leave the job must
be combatted. The tactics of the
NLWU for the logging camps is for
all loggers involved to remain in
camp and set up picket headquar-
ters as close to camp as possible.
This tends to raise the militancy of
the backward workers, and also to
force the company to grant the de-
mands more quickly, and to keep
scabs away from the jobs. During
this time of struggls the strike
committee shall make reports to the