The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-23
White Collar Men
Spurn Tradition of
"NOn-ReSiStance'
Crisis Has Made Them
Feel Identity With
Other Workers
By PHILIP STERLING

identified their social and cultural
interests with those of their en-
ployers, and therefore, according to
their pre-depression notions, it
would have been nothing less than
a grave social error, an unforgive-
able faux pas for them to organize
to protect their wage-scaleS, their
working conditions, their jobs.
But the world economic crisis
which has frightened the belts Of
brain workers, has also opened
their eyes. The increasing failure
OF the ruling class to which they
looked up in the matter of giving
them jobs, decent living conditions
and opportunities to lead useful
lives in the professions for which
they have been trained, has iven
them a new slant on organization.
The increasing effectiveness of
militant action as exemplitied
by other sections of the working
class and their own increasing in
security has driven from the minds
Of the white collar workers every
doubt of the need for organization.
Just run down the list of white
collar organizations which have
sprung up during the past year and
a half-the Federation of Archi-
tects. Engineers, Chemists and
TechnicianS, the Associated Office,
Professional and Emergency En-
ployees; the Emergency Home Re
lief Bureau Employees Association;
the Unemployed Teachers AsSocia-
ton; the Artists Union; the News
paper Guild, and the older Office
Workers Union-all of these in New
York City alone. On smaller scale.
both in New York and in other
parts of the country, similar or
CARNATIONS exist embracing social
workers, teachers, specialized tech
nicians, unskilled white collar
workers.
Of the New York organizations
one has made itself national in
scope, the Federation of Architects,
Engineers, Chemists and Techni-
clans. It has a New York member
ship of 5000 and a nation wide en-
rollment of 1000 in dozen impor-
tant industrial cities such as Buffalo,
Pittsburgh Chicago, Philadelphia,
and Cleveland
A concrete reason for the upward
swing of the will to organize among
the white collar workers can be seen
in the rate of unemployment in the
chief three sections OF the organiza-
ton The rate of unemployment
among architects is now 95 per
cent, according to Federation off,
Gals. Among engineers it is IS per
cent and among chemists, IS per
cent.
The Federation is an outgroWth
OF an older organization, the Union
Of Technical Men, started during
the blush of Coolidge prosperity
when white collar workers had
reached their zenith of economic
security
The Associated Office and Profess
sioral Emergency Employees has
1900 members engaged on some As
work relief projects, most of which
are now under the administration
OF the Works Division of the De-
partment of Public Welfare. These
projects include adult education,
research, engineering, architecture
and social service. A close bond
exists between the Federation and
the Associated Employees because
the majority of the Federation
membership is now employed in
these various relief projects. There
is little overlapping of membership,
however
OF equally great potential import
ance is the Emergency Home Relief
Bureau Employees Association with
a membership of 2,400 This organi-
cation includes all employees i'm
the City'S Home Relief Bureau, be
they investigators, receptionists,
clerical workers or unspeciahzed at
PENDANTS.
Under the direct administration
of branch Of the city government,
this organization offers the closest
link between the white collar work
ers and manual workers and with
out question the daily experiences
OF the Home Relief Bureau EN-
ployes with the examples OF or
ganizatlon set by New York's job