The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-02-19

c0ndluOnS,
IN example of where the
IA Party carried on work in
the shop, reacted to the prob
lens Of the workers, and es-
tablished itself as the leader
of those workers, was the x Unit.
In the x factory, precisely because
of the activities of our unit, the
workers began to realize the i'm
portance Of organization and when
the employer tried to introduce the
Boot and Shoe Workers Union the
workers went out on strike.
Our unit was in the leadership of
the strike. Non-party workers quite
frequently consulted the Section
Organizer on certain strike prob
lens because they recognized the
Party as their leader and trusted in
the ability of the Party to solve
their problems.
1t is true, the strike was lost and
while we, no doubt, showed certain
weaknesses during the strike, such
as the failure to introduce economic
demands at the very outset of the
strike, failed to mobilize the work
ers from other United Shoe and
Leather Union shops in solidarity
with the strikers, failed to bring the
role of the Boot and Shoe Union in
the x shop to the masses in the
Boot and Shoe Workers Union, the
strike was lost for reasons beyond
our control.
At no time did the workers in any
way, even after the strike, lose any
respect or blame the Party for the
lost strike During the strike, our
Party grew organi7ationally as well
as ideologically.
THE question arises-how was 1t
4 possible for some of our shop nu-
clei to react to the problems of the
workers, to win concessions from
the employers, to establish them
selves as the leaders of the workers
in the given factory?
l. BY keeping in close contact
with the workers in the shop.
g. BY being alert to the problems
Of the workers and, not only react
ing, but also giving leadership to the
workers and to help them solve their
problems.
3. BY keeping close contact with
the Party organization and report
ing on the. events within the shop
to the Party.
4. BY the Party, as a whole, tax
ing advantage of those issues to es-
tablish itself as the leader of those
struggles and at the same time
build the Party organizationslly.
/ EFT us for a moment look at the
IL other side of the story. Let us
take shop unit which did not re-
act to problems. Take unit is,
where we have the opposite picture.
LII WAC AcSU lCW lllOllbllos JliC COilt-
rades have not reacted to one single
issue. The comrades have not re-
cruited one single member for the
Party.
First the unit became stagnant.
1t developed the theory that the
unit members could do better work
in their residential clubs than in the
factory in which they work, and
they very sharply questioned the
correctness of the Party form of
organization. Such misconceptions
flow from;
1. Lack of political understanding
of the Importance of building the
Party in the shops.
2. Lack of faith in the ability of
the masses to fight for better con-
ditions even after q defeated strike
3, Adopting defeatist attitude
and conceding to the terror of the
combined forces of the employers
and the bureaucracy of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor leadership
4. Being led by the opinions OF
the most backward workers instead
of giving leadership.
5. Over estimation of the terror
of the employer and influence OF
the American Federation of Labor
bureaucracy.
Complete failure to understand
present day events; the growing