The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-28

The Fishermen and Cannery
Workers Industrial Union was or
ganized in our city in August, 1883.
We recruited the local organizer into
the Party. At present the union has
about 400 members, most of them
cannery workers. The attendance at
meetings fell off from 200 to prac-
tically nothing. Our organizer was
gradually isolated from the rank
and file; and an active, non-party
member gained the leading influ-
ence in the union. We were in dan
ger of losing this union when, after
dance where a chauvinist out
break occurred, the executive COM
mittee voted to discontinue meetings
at our hall A foolish attempt had
been made to gain control of the
union through the organization of
youth section by the YCL. This
was the decisive factor in the at
tempt to pull away from our Work
ers Center and the Party.
Realizing the seriousness of the
situation, although I had never
worked among fishermen before, I
set out to correct it. Through our
Party member, who had been showed
into the background, I met Mr.. Y,
the leader in the union. He out
lined the situation, telling me his
grievances; objecting strenuously to
the attempt to gain control Of the
II oil
opposed the attempts to recruit
among the union members into the
Party. Finally, he privately in
formed me that he was getting no
help from our Party member in the
union who had ceased his personal
relations with him since joining the
Party, and who had gone to the
united front meetings as delegate
of the Party and not the union.
Furthermore, he showed me numer-
Gus examples where the Party men,
Der had failed to be responsible for
work in the union
I then briefly explained to Mr.. Y.
that the Communist Party was 60
ing to make a serious attempt to
gain influence and leadership in the
union. Going into this carefully, I
showed him that our policy was not
mechanical control, but leadership
by collective activity and leading the
workers into struggle. explained
to him that recruiting Party mem
bers from the union was not only
right, but a serious duty. Then
offered to help get a union paper
published, but that it must be COL
lective product. Also, carefully ex-
planned to him our methods of work
ing through fractions. We discussed
meeting he intended to call, and
I warned him not to call the meet
ing because the preparations were
insufficient. He went ahead any,
how; and seeing he was determined,
I tried to help him as much as pos
sible. But he stubbornly kept every
thing about the meeting to himself.
AS I predicted, the meeting was a
fiat failure However, instead of
looking at it in that way, our COM
rades approached the few workers
who came and brought to them the
questions Of organization and made
appointments for the leading work
ers to come to our Party headquar-
tiers. Mr.. Y. then came to me and
arranged for a personal discussion.
The next day we went over every
thing together. I told him, then
after pointing out where I agreed
with him on our mistakes and where
I thought he was wrong; that it was
not necessary for him to join the
Party, but if he did, we could tackle
the problems more effectively. did
not press him on this point; but
took up plan of action to build up
the union meetings.
On the basis of this plan, another
meeting was called; and with the
help of few comrades, we got out
leaflets and several hundred letters.
This meeting was little better than
the first one, but Mr.. Y. failed to
carry through our proposals. After
the meeting, we got together and
analysed the weaknesses and mis-
takes. During the meeting I had
gotten aside well-informed fisher
man, and on the basis of his criti-
cism, I made some additional pro-
noSa1S to Mr. Y He consented to