The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-09-29
By William 2. Foster

1 League, Of which he IS general
secretary, has issued a statement
addressed to all members Of the
A. F. of L. and to the delegates
who viii attend the 54th annual
convention Of the American Fed
Grafton Of Labor, to be held in
San Francisco, beginning on
Monday.
The statement follows:
TRADE UNION UNITY LEAGUE
799 Broadway
New York, N. Y.
VIM. z. Foster, General Secretary
September %, 1884
To the Delegates to the saith An
nual Convention of the American
Federation of Labor.
To all Locals and the Entire Mem
bership of the American Federation
Of Labor.
Brothers:
We are addressing you on the
vital question Of the uniflcation OF
the trade union movement for the
defense of basic rights, against the
Iceaseless attacks by the employers
on the right to organize and on
wages, working conditions and liv-
ing standards for the improvement
of conditions, for the fight against
company unions. We are proposing
what we consider to be the major
necessary steps to establish unifica-
ton of the trade union movement
in order to develop more effective
action against the employers now
more powerfully organized than
ever before.
Your convention meets at time
when the labor movement and the
workers generally are faced with
the most vicious and concerted at
tack on the part of the employers.
The National Manufacturers Asso-
citation has publicly declared that it
sees in the present great strike Of
the textile workers not merely the
question of the struggle Of the tex
tile workers, but that the outcome
of the textile strike will have great
bearing on the whole of the future
development in the labor move
ment. For this reason they declare
they are opposed to any concessions
to the textile workers. The report OF
the Winant Board, one of the most
brazen disregard for the conditions
of the textile workers, ordering a
half million workers back to work
at the point of the bayonet with
out any concessions, and already
receiving the blessings of President
Roosevelt, shows the extent of the
attack against the workers now
being carried through by the en-
ployers. The Hot Springs program
of the Durable Goods Industries
monopoly capital, calling for fur
Their reduction Of wages, unlimited
increase of hours, abolition Of gov
eminent relief, uncompromising OPP
position to all forms of unemploy-
ment insurance, letting of all re-
strictions on mergers, trusts, cartels,
etc, shows clearly that well-de-
fined and planned attack is under
way against all workers and their
organizations.
Cites Military Attacks
The employers in their fight to
lower wages and destroy the trade
unions are receiving the full sup
port of the military forces Of the
government. At no time in the
history of the labor movement have
the military forces been modified
to such an extent as in the textile
strike. Already more than dozen
workers have been killed and hun
dreds wounded, while even larger
numbers are thrown into jails ano
concentration camps as is the case
in Georgia, the adopted" state Of
President Roosevelt. These concen-
tration camps are in no way differ
ent from those established by Hitler
We believe that today every hon
est worker can see that the position
L our organization has taken from
( the very beginning on the N RIA.
has been proven entirely correct
We pointed out that the N.R.A. was
an instrument of the employers fol
the purpose of defeating the de-
mands Of the workers through ar
bitration if possible, and through
force and violence if need be. WI
branded as false the promises Of
the administration that the NR.A
will do away with unemployment
| through shortening hours, raist
, wages through the introduction o.
the minimum wage codes, and give
labor the right to organize through
the Section IA provision of the Ma.
tional Recovery Act. We warned
that the labor leaders who accepted
, the N.R.A. and served on its various
boards were really helping to chair
the workers to the slavery program
, of the employers.
Greater Speed-Up
And what has actually happened
: Is it not clear that the shortening
of hours to the extent that they
, have taken place have been mainly
at the expense of the workers, re.
: sulting on the one hand in lower.
ing of weekly wages, and on The
, other hand has aided the employer
who introduced further speed-up o.
} work? Is it not definitely establish
, ed that the minimum wage codes
; far from raising wages, have &C
tually been used to lower wages II
the level provided in the minimum
: codes, while at the same time mos
workers are not even receiving thi
minimum because the employer
find many devices to get around tht
/ minimum provisions? And what ha
? become of the famous Section IA
{ Has it not been used to give stand
ing and to help put over the com
pany unions, while the workers
fight for the recognition of the
trade unions has been met will
dismissal of union members, terro
against strikers and every know
, form of intimidation? Where tn