The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-23
Milwaukee Store Strike Holds
Many Lessons for Workers

The Boston Store strike in Mil
waukee was the first large depart
ment store strike in the country,
involving clerks, maintenance men
and teamsters.
The conditions prevailing at the
Boston Store are similar to those in
other large stores. The strike was
an outgrowth of rotten working
conditions, speed-up and a commits
sion system which intensifies exploit
tation. The NR.A. did not inn
prove the conditions Of the depart
ment store workers, although it did
increase the profits of the Boston
Store owners. The low NR.A min
imum became the general wage
standard. The only solution the
workers could see was to organize
into a union and fight.
The leadership of the American
Federation of Labor, when forming
the Retail Clerks Union, stated at
the very outset that they did not
believe in strikes" and that they
would endeavor to avoid strikes.
However, life itself exposed the
compromising position of the Amer
lean Federation of Labor leadership.
The strike took place against the
will and desires of the union Off
Gals.
Strike Offers Lessons
The strike offers very valuable
lessons to the workers generally,
and particularly for District Eigh-
teen of the Communist Party. OF
the many strikes in recent periods
this was a strike where the Com
munist Party had the most intimate
connection with the masses of
workers although there were no
members of the Communist Party
among the workers in the Boston
Store when the strike began. Yet
during the six weeks of the strike
the Party was able to influence its
character and course up to a GER
tain point, and build Communist
nucleus recruited from among the
best strikers.
When the top leadership of the
American Federation of Labor at
tacks the Communists, they raise
the hypocritical cry about the Com
munists not being sincere in want
ing to improve the conditions of
the workers.
Yet when we examine the Boston
Store strike; the demands as we'll
as the leadership it is obvious that
it is the labor bureaucracy that is
not interested in improving the
conditions of the workers.
This is further verified by the
demands originally put forward by
the leadership on the first day of
the strike, and the proposals they
accepted at the time of the settle
ment. Instead of drawing up a set
of realizable demands the trade
union leadership of the three locals
involved raised demands which on
the face of things were not very
realistic,
When the press asked Mr.. Koer-
ner, business agent of the Clerks
Union on the first day of the strike,
why he put forward such demands,
he answered that he does not ex-
pect that these demands will be
granted-but there is no harm in
putting them forward. This stupid
leader showed his true colors at
the very outset of the strike.
Wrong Strategy Employed
Before the strike was called there
was an intensive organiational drive
going on among all department
store workers in the city. From a
point of view of strike strategy this
drive should have continued with
the objective of involving these
workers in a strike at the same time
that the Boston Store workers
walked out. The workers in thee
other stores had grievances of their