The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-02-26
Resolution Submitted to the District
Plenum mo. y by the a. F. cf L.
Fraction, Jan. 9th, 1884

Plenum mo. y by the A. F. cf L.
Fraction, Jan. 9th, 1884
After serious discussion on the re-
Gently submitted directives on work
within the A. F. Of L. and Indepen-
dent Trade Unions by the Polburo Of
the &C, to the Party Districts-and
also the Thesis Of the 18th Plenum of
the E.C.CI, the A. F. of L. Party
Fraction In Detroit assumes full re-
sponsibility for the serious shortcom-
ings in fulfilling the tasks outlined in
the 18th Plenum directives. However,
W do not do this in the form OF. a
confessional to be repeated from time
to time, but with the firm conviction
that with the steps already taken
and others contemplated, the coming
months will show a considerable i'm
proyement in our work. In this respect
we feel that self-criticism is not an
aim in itself, but a means towards an
nd. It !" --'''"~ to do
), that we call to the attention G.
his Plenurl &C., Js--Is Tacts and
hat we Immediately liquidate the OBJ
Dortunist, defeatist neglect of trade
Mon work, particularly, work inside
he Tc13rm-5g unions.
Locally we cannot say that the A.
F. Of L. leaders have made consider
able prc9r9~~ - 40 work
rs in the important industries (steel,
auto and t...-- .---.4.-sss they
have established new functioning shop
locals in these industries, the workers
responding to a limited degree to
their organizational appeals Practi-
cally no struggles have taken place
and none are contemplated by the
leaders. On the other hand, the rev.
olutionary unions, in the meantime,
have gone backward, to the extent
that we have failed to build the re-
spective indsutrial unions and Or
Canize the uno-ganized for struggle
against the attacks of the employers
and their agents
This is a serious situation, which
should be viewed with the utmost
alarm. We do not intend to go into
a detailed explanation in this reso.u-
ton, why we have failed to build the
class unions and what are the i'm
mediate prospects Of accomplishing
this task. That the entire Party mem
ber5hip must be made conscious Of
the fact that the revolutionary unions
in the basic industries must be built
and the great mass of workers organ
lied into them for struggle against
the bosses is understood by the A. F.
of L. fraction to be the primary task
of the Party.
However, the facts and indications
are that many workers, for divers
reasons, have joined and are joining
the A. F. of L. unions locally. AS the
Polburo correctly points out, "the
rapid liquidation of the weaknesses
Of our work in the A. F. of L. is in
dictated by changed circumstances,
which are witnessed by the growth of
strikes, the desire of workers to enter
into trade unions, the policy of the
bourgeoisie to transform the A. F. of
L. into a mass organization, which
will be capable of disorganizing the
struggles of the workers, the left man
euvers of the A. F. of L. on the ques-
ton of wages and shorter work week,
its leadership of strikes, it's organiza-
tional measures, such as lowering in
itiation fees, which has the aim of
facilitating the entrance Of the
masses Of workers into the A. F. Of L,
unions, etc. :" These we believe are
sufficient reasons alone, why our
weaknesses must be Immediately
liquidated. But, ther are others. One
is, that for the first time the reform
ist unions are entering the basic in
dustries locally under favorable con-
ditions, that is as an instrument Of
the employers against the possibility
of the revolutionary unions putting
up effective resistance against the on
rlcughts of the bosses. Green's at
tempt to expose" the activity Of the
party in the trade union movement in
his secret document to Roosevelt in
d'c-tes further why this must be done.
We cannot in the present stage Of
DEVELOPMENT afford to tolerate 20
Icy of wait and see. To quote the
Polbu-o once more, "all this makes it
necessary that the Party in its work
should pay the most serious attention
to the organization Of opposition work
within the mass unions, to participate
actively in all local A. F. Of L. union
meetings, to organize opposition work
in the unions and in the factories, to
establish systematic work for the
Party fractions in the A. F. of L., to
fight from within for elected officials
in the locals and for winning over
these locals, to develop the initiative
of the membership in placing num-
Der Of questions Of inner life Of the