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

Association. Mike Tighe, President
of the Amalgamated Association of
Iron. Steel and Tin Workers and
Company, and back Of them VIM.
Green, have been defeated in their
attempts to stifie the organization
of the steel workers. who have
awakened to the realization that
only through the strength of their
organization, ready to strike and
fight until demands are won. can
they ever better their conditions.
The important steel workers con-
ference of Feb. 3, to which the
rank and file miners of the U. NJ.
W. Of A. have been invited, has
been strenuously opposed by Tighe,
who has tried every means to pre-
vent the A A. lodges from attend
ing.
In this, Tighe has used the same
maneuvers which the steel bosses
employ. He has tried to raise the
RED scare" to split the workers,
shouting Red" and "Communist"
at every A. A. member who shows
determination to fight for his de-
mands. Here he shows himself to
be in the same class as the Vi
cious "Duquesne Times which calls
all rank and file union leaders
Communists" and demands that
they be hung from the nearest
vacant tree.
But his splitting tactics have been
in vain The steel workers, recog-
nize that every sincere fighter
against the bosses is called Com
munist, and that Communists are
sincere fighters for the workers de-
mands.
In statements to the capitalist
papers, Tighe has tried to "out-
law" the Feb. 3 conference. He
has sent letters to every lodge
threatening to revoke their charters
if they send delegates.
To make of the Amalgamated a
rank and file controlled union is
the reason the Feb. 5 conference
is called. That is why Tighe is so
bitterly opposed to the meeting. He
has charged that the rank and file
want to build another union than
the A. A, but he knows this is a
lie. The rank and file only wants
to make the A. A. a real, fighting
union which can win.
The rank and file A. A. members,
although poorly organized, came
near to launching strike which
could have won the unions de-
mands last summer. Only the in
tervention Of VIM. Green, to pro-
pose one Of President Roosevelt's
impartial boards, halted the
strike
The comparatively new lodges of
the A. A. ready to fight, were the
ones which took IN the issue of
striking at the last convention.
And months ago Tighe already fore
cast his intention to throttle these,
the majority Of the lodges, by re-
fusing them seats at the coming
convention in April
The steel workers can depend
upon it, that Tighe. and Bill Green,
and the other A. F. of L. mislead-
ers are trying to hatch up some
plan whereby they can prevent an
organization drive for building the
A. A. as a rank d-file-controlled
union. They will try to work things
so that the control of all policies
and actions of the Analgamated
are under their thumbs.
But the steel workers can defeat
them in their goal by bringing the
organization drive under the con-
troll of an elected committee from
the ranks. Rank and file leaders,
who understand the conditions IN
the mills. should be set up as an
organization committee at the Feb.
8 conference. who would direct all
the activities and control all the
funds Of the organization drive.
Only such a committee could see
to It that all the steel workers are
recruited in the drive. employed
and unemployed alike, whether the
worker can pay two dollars, or
nickel, or nothing-so long as they
are willing to fight.
When these see the union really
controlled by the members, ready
to fight for their economic de-
mands and accept all who will join
in the fight-then they will not be
found holding back from joining.
In Aliauippa, in Duquesne, two
of the strongest lodges of the
Amalgamatsd, the workers organized
on this basis. Bere the workers are
ready for action.
An organization drive. conducted
along the above lines. will soon es-
tahlisf equally strong lodges in
every other mill Then the steel
workers, acting together. can pre-
sent their demands to all the en-
plcyers 81 an hour minimum; the
six-hour dav, f1ve-day week: recog-
milton of the A. A.; equal rights
for NEGRO workers; adjustment of
Ncrth-South wage differentials; en-
actment CT the Workers Unemploy-
ment Insurance Bill III. r. 282D
by Congress. And if the bosses re-
fuse-shut down every mill in a
general steel strike until they are
granted.
The FEB. 8 conference is the first
stepl