The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-02-14
Shoe Referendum
OF NRA a Robbery;
1000 In Fake Vote
Union Demands Inquiry
Of Voting Lists and
Improved Conditions

YEW Y0RR-It was on NOV. 2
that the National Labor Board rem
dered its decision In the New York
general shoe strike calling of the
strike and ordering a referendum of
he shoe workers in the shops where
The bosses refused to settle with the
former Shoe and Leather Workers In
Z istrtal Union, to get record Of the
)rkers' own decision on the union
ey wished to join.
Prior to the N. r. A. decision,
Grover Whalen, then head Of the New
York N, r. A., had called in the de-
fupct Boot and Shoe Union "a. F. Of
- and had personally sanctioned an
agreement between this union and
the shoe bosses, although the A. F. of
L. union had at no time had any
connection with the strike.
Wanted Referendum
The shoe workers did not oppose a
feferendum. They knew that If it
we're real referendum conducted
Without intimidation or terror, that
the Boot and Shoe Union would not
poll any votes. In fact the Boot and
Shoe was so discredited in the New
York district that the one remaining
ioeal of 800 members it had controlled
mad broken away from it after a rank
and file revolt had taken place.
fragrant Robbery
The N. r.. A. elections were sched-
lied for Jan. 2 They were held on
FEB. | after a surprise notice had
been sent to the union two days in
advance of the date set for the vote.
BY fragrant robbery Of votes and
fraudulent methods the bosses were
able to utilize the referendum to bring
the scah Boot and Shoe Union into a
number of shops.
IN. r. A. elections are traps to i'm
pose A. F. Of L. company unions on the
workers under the guise Of impartial
eeletions," said Fred Biedenkapp, in
an interview with the Daily Worker
on the N. R. A. elections. The United
Shoe and Leather Workers Union,
formerly the Industrial Union, has
protested the elections and has ehal-
lenged the vote in the ten shops
where the vote for the union was re-
porSed in the minority. In nine shops
majority voted for the Union"
How the n. r. A. helped the bosses
put over the fraudulent election was
explained by Biedenkapp,
The referendum, which was sched-
m . FFrSz 20 -
month to give the bosses more time
70 prepare to accomplish their work
Of cheating the strikers out of the
election said Biedepkapp. ION Jan.
20 we were told by the Regional Board
that the voting would probably be
postponed again and that only in
Washington was the exact date of the
referendum known. No one knew by
hat methods the election was to be
trried out"
On Jan. 80 Bledenkapp was in
,Flned that tie elections would take
ace on Feb. l. A special committee
from the Union which came to pro-
lest to the Regional Board we're told
that the demands Of the union for
time could not be considered. De-
mands of the union to investigate the
nosses' payrolls to assure that only
those eligible to vote would be in
Volved and to submit it's own list of
those who had the right to vote were
1enied.
N. r. A. Picks Shops
Explaining how the N. r. A. maneu-
cred the elections, Biedenkapp told
lie details. The National Labor Board
picked all shops where elections were
to be held. Slipper shops slated for
elections were eliminated because the
bosses claimed they were not ready,
An important Board Of Trade shop,
Myer Brothers, was taken off the list
at the request of the attorney for the