The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-10-29


File Committee, made the first re-
port, on the progress of the move
rnent during the last year and the
54th national convSntion Of the
A. F. of L., just completed in San
Francisco.
In, his opening remarks Vein
stock answered a red scare regard
ing the conference raised at the last
moment by VIM. Green, through his
henchman in Pittsburgh, Pat Pagan,
District Five president of the United
Nine Workers. Weinstock branded
charges by Green that the confer
enee does not represent the A. F.
of--L., and is using the name as a
suhterfuge," as AN open lie, and
not the first one Green has told"
weinstock pointed out that the
seth convention was representative,
not of the wide membership Of the
A. F. Of L., but of the national ex-
eclTtive council, and that the con-
ference here is rather the real
convention of the workers organized
within the A. F. Of L. framework.
Both sessions were given over to
the report of the national secretary
and those of the various city sec
retaries where rank and file COM
mittees have been in existence. To-
day a special session will be devoted
to conferences of delegates within
each industry.
"A resolutions committee of seven
teen delegates, including representa-
tiees of the workers in every indus
try from mining to baking, was set
up and will introduce measures to-
day intended to strengthen on every
industrial front the struggle for UNI
employment insurance (HR. 1899
and against the reactionary official
dom Of the A. F. of L.
Growth of Rank and File Movement
Commenting on the overwhelm-
ing ajority, over 90 per cent, Of the
delegates to the saith convention
who represented only the bureau
cvatic Leadership of the A, F
of L., Weinstock stated: "Of tht
total of 1913 delegates to the A. F
OF. L. convention, at most only II
per cent represented the rank anC
file Of the federation, these we're thu
delegates, many Of them new anc
confused, from the various fedora
locals. throughout the country.
Eft here we do represent thu
rank and file. Here we have direc
contact with the mines, the mills
the. factories and can take up al
the problems which we encounte
there. From here we must take bacl
to- our local unions concrete pro
posals. which will enable us tt
strengthen our fight to change tn
reactionary policy of A. F. of L
under its present off1cialdom."
He traced the growth of the ranl
ard file movement since its incep
ton following the Vancouver con
vention, how Green and Co. wer
finally. forced to recognize its de
mand for unemployment insuranc
by. the mass pressure which quickl
rallied to it; its growth until tn
present time, when $500 loca
unions, six state declarations of Ia
Dor. and five international union,
including the Amalgamated Asso
citation, the United Textile Work
e-s, the Mine, Mill and Sn1elte
Workers, the Moldsrs Internationa
in. all. representing over 10000
workers, have gone or record en-
dorsing the Workers Bill (HF
1899.
From a movement for unemploy
nlerlt insurance the rank and fl
committee has grown until it no
fights for all the demands of tn
rank and file workers Of the A. !
of l.
Rank and File Demands
These demands are now crys-
talized, said Weinstock, around
the following seven point pro-
gram:
l. For exemption of the unem-
ployed from payment of dues.
2. For the ousting of all gang
sters and racketeers within the
unions.
5. For the policy of class strug-
gle as against class COLLABORATION
Fer the right to strike.
a. Against the Jimcrow and al
other discriminatory practices ir
unions.
5. For organizing the morgan
lied, into industrial instead Of
craft unions.
6. Against the N.R.A. and thu
codes, for the abolition of com.
pany unions.
-. For the release of Ton
Mooney, Warren Billings, and thu
other class war prisoners.
The militant strikes of the pa
year, Weinstock pointed out, ha'
brought no change in the has
policies of the A. F. of L. top Leaf
ers, but in the locals the fight of Il
workers is taking on new chara
teristics; walkouts and hard battl
are being fought against the en-
ployers over the heads of the of
cialdom.
Workers Answer Red Scare
He exposed the failure on Il
part of Green, Lewis, and Co,
quell the rank and file moveme
by raising the red scare, sendil
out circular letters ordering the e
pulsion Of Communists. In mai
unions the workers rejected the
letters and in number of cas-