The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-06-04
Press Guild
Convention
Opens Tues
N. Y. Delegates To Back
Bill for Unemployment
Insurance CHR. 1899

Delegates from newspaper guilds
Of more than go cities meet in st.
Paul, MINI, tomorrow for the first
real national convention of the
American Newspaper Guild. About
5000 editorial workers will be rep
resented.
Two croSs-currentS present in
every city guild will probably be
transferred to the national scene:
the tendency on the one hand to
make the organization professional
enterprise collaboration with the
publishers; and Oh the other, to
bring forward more sharply the is
sue of trade unionism.
The Newspaper Guild of New
York will be represented by seven
delegates.
For II. r. 1898
Among the instructions which the
New York delegation has been given
by its representative assembly is to
present for national approval and
backing the Workers Unemployment
and Social Insurance Bill H. r.
1898.
Still divided on the question of
utilization with the American Fed
Grafton of Labor, delegates from
New York will seek TO delay any
action which may lead to such af-
filiation at this time. The attitude
of the New York guild is by no
means clear on the whole subject.
1t might be fair to say that ma
jority Of the membership is opposed
to joining hands with the corrupt
and treacherouS A. F. of L. leader
ship, but the greater portion are OPP
posed for the wrong reason.
1t is their idea that newspaper
men are professionals and thus
should not identify themselves with
the labor movement. Through ca
Jolery and soft-soaping does this
group feel that they can obtain
more crumbs from the publishers.
There are others, however, who
are seeking to maintain their guild
independent because they see the
constant sell-outs of the A. F. OF L.
leaders. Some Of the guild mem
bers learned a good lesson when
they went over to investigate the
Paterson strike of compositors, only
to find that the other A. F.. Of l..
unions, the preSsmen and stereo-
typers, were not permitted to strike
in the same shops.
The New York delegates to st.
Paul have also been instructed to
express their solidarity with the
other workers in the newspaper in
dustry, and to pledge cooperation.
They will also seek to pledge all
guilds to cooperate with other
white-collar workers in the news
paper industry and to help them
organize.
Many under N. r.. A. Spell
AS for the New York Guild itself
many of its members are still under
the spell of the N. r. A. collective
bargaining joker. But beautiful
expose Of the N. r. A. was offered
ut meeting last week when letters
from the Newspaper Industrial
Board, the National Labor Board
Compliance Division, the Regional
Labor Board and the publishers To-
cal association were read. Each one
passed the buck to the other. No
one, apparently, had the power to
force the individual publishers Of
the city to recognize the guild. an
organization of more than l,6OO
newspapermen and women. The
buck passing letters aroused con-
siderable laughter among the del
egates.
Despite the advice of Morris
Ernst, free counsel for the guild and
who (sicD is paid counsel for one
OF the vice presidents of the New
York Times, the newspapermen of
New York will quickly learn that
the way to gain recognition is to
fight for it in their own shops. The
way to start it is to strengthen their
chapters and fight to improve con-
d1t1ons in their editorial rooms.