The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-02-25
Vital Material
In Az of L Rank
AndFiIe Journal
A. F. of L. FEDERATIONIST, Feb
ruary issue, cents copy.
by del

THE A. F. of L. Rank and File
l Federationist, the official organ
of the A. F. of L. Committee for
Unemployment Insurance and Re-
lief, is chuck full Of factual material
and interesting articles Of vital i'm
portance to workers in the A. F. OF
L. and to all workers generally.
Written in clear and simple Ian
guage and set up in attractive form
with lively illustrations and head
lines. the Federationist deals with
the looming steel strike, the split
in the building trades, the victory
of the rank and file in the Paterson
textile union. carries news Of the
activities Of the rank and file COM
mittees throughout the country and
takes up many other problems af-
fecting the workers in the A. F. Of
L. unions.
The Congress for Unemployment
and Social Insurance, held in Wash
ington recently, is featured in two
interesting stories which give inn
petus for further fight for the
Workers Bill, H. R. 1927 Elmer
Brown, chairman Of the Congress,
and rank and file leader in the
Typographical Union Of New York,
gives vivid picture Of the Congress.
William Green Was Out" pre-
sents a lively account of the recep-
ton given to the A F. of L. delega-
ton in the chambers Of the Execu-
tive Council of the A. F. of L. In
pungent and no uncertain language
the speakers Of the delegation ex-
posed the policy Of the A. F. of L.
top leadership as regards unemploy-
ment insurance, pointing to the
need for bill which would meet
the problem of unemployment and
safeguard the interests Of the work.
ers in the A. F. of L. unions.
Valuable lessons for every class
conscious worker and for the entire
rank and file movement, are brought
out in the story of the Paterson Dye
Workers.
OF utmost Importance at this mo-
ment is the article dealing with the
split in the building trades depart
ment, and its subsequent result, the
administration proposal for a $50
wage on all relief projects. Louis
Weinstock. national secretary Of the
A. F. Of L. Committee, shows that
the split is a result Of the fight be-
tween the top leaders who are out
for political and personal glory.
WITH a nationwide steel strike
" looming, and with Mike Tighe's
bureaucratic expulsion Of militant
leaders of the steel workers, steel
Strike Looms" and "Steel Labor and
the NRA" are very timely and
important articles to study. steel
Strike Looms" written by member
of the Amalgamated Association of
Iron, Steel and Tin Workers, who
has been in the thick and thin of
the struggle of the steel workers
gives a clear picture of the condi-
lions which led up TO the present
rebellion of the membership in the
steel lodges.
The second article written by a
member of the staff of the Labor
Research Association, is conclusive
proof that the Steel Labor Board is
merely an establishment to keep
back the resentment of the workers
against the steel barons, and that at
no time has the board condemned
the anti-labor actions Of the big
steel trusts, despite testimony of
workers exposing the rotten meth
DDS Of intimidation, terrorism and
spying used by the companies
against the workers.
One successful fight for rank and
file control in an A. F. of L. union
is told in splendid account by a
member of the Butte miners Local
No. /. Also Of great value and in
terest is the page Rank and File
in Action" which gives brief re-
view of the activities of the various
rank and file committees through
/ out the country. In all cities the
workers in the A. F. Of l.. are car
rying on a fight for unemployment
insurance, for trade union democ-
racy and for rank and file control
with many good results recorded. It
Is, indeed, to be regretted that no
news is carried of the activities of
the rank and file in the South. par
/ ticularly Of the Negro members in
the A. F. of l.. So serious short
coming should be overcome immedi-
ately and Negro problems and ac-
tivities given careful attention.
open Forum" is one feature
which will be very popular with the
workers in the A. F. of l.. The pur-
pose of this column is to stimulate
discussion among the rank and file
on all questions of greatest interest
to them in the form Of contributing
letters to the Federationist.
The A. F. of L. Rank and File
Federationist throughout its sixteen
pages, carries a message Of action
to the thousands of workers in the
A. F. Of L. unions. 1t is an invalu-
able weapon in the hands of the
rank and file in the A. F. of L. to
push the enactment Of the Workers
Bill H. r. 1927 and to win better
conditions and higher wages. The
Federationist is an educator and or
ganizer which must reach every
corner in the country and point the
way to the thousands Of workers in
the A. F. of L. unions that the only
way to make the unions instru-
ments of struggle for the benefit
Of the workers is to wrest control
4 from the tor, officia1dor, srd ,1Iaoa