NEW YORK MOVES AHEAD FOR LABOR AND SOCIALIST DEFENSE BODY
Labor Battles President on Automobile Unionism DETROIT. — The desperate lengths to which the auto industrialists have been driven in their determination to maintain the open shop have been...
...The desperate lengths to which the auto industrialists have been driven in their determination to maintain the open shop have been clearly demonstrated by the series of articles published in the Detroit Free Press...
...The effect of these rules which makes it necessary ahat unemployed women be "domiciled in their own home* within -the past six months, condemns thousands of them to the Municipal Lodging House...
...Some of the states may provide for only two or three weeks of benefits in a year at $5 weekly rates...
...It is significant that although the auto workers have overwhelm* ingly voted against the official company union, the set-up of the new Auto Board's Representative Plan is, with but slight modifications, another company union...
...It was said by leaders of the Unemployed Union that a drive would be made to make possible the recognition of organizations of relief workers to engage in collective bargaining and prevent discrimination and injustices on the joba...
...The Wagner bill also fails to establish any minimum standards tor benefits to be paid by the states •s a basis for federal subsidy...
...All' workers are urged to attend...
...That the disruption of the united front was deliberately planned is proved by the fact that "before the meeting opened, the Western Worker (Communist) dated Jan...
...He urged that the insurance plan be scrapped in favor of a better one which he outlined...
...Mrs...
...It i* the most niggardly industry M treatment of its workers...
...John Lovejoy Elliott, director of the Ethical Culture Society, exposed the lack of appeals machinery to prevent unfair discharges of men on work relief...
...The immediate future will decide whether the auto industry will continue as the champion of the open shop...
...Next Wednesday, at 8:45 p.m., Norman Thomas will continue ths series over WEVD...
...The Wednesday before last Dr...
...The essployees should not be '«rw"*J itaa> because of this leek <±**ifsbt- en tea peri of oW tastooyer...
...By a series of demonstrations st a downtown Home Relief Bureau at Spring and Elizabeth Streets,' Manhattan, last Wednesday, the Workers Unemployed Union won immediate clothing orders for 25 of the demonstrators...
...The auto companies have been making much of the alleged fact that 90% of those voting in the automobile plant elections recorded themselves as not being affiliated with any labor organization, and only 5r/c favored the A. F. of L. As the above story from our Detroit correspondent points out—and as Frank J. Dillon, A. F. of L. organiser there, states—A...
...As The New Leader was going to press, a meeting of officials and active leaders in the union wore conferring on the strike call to be tent out to about 10,000 service employees in 800 apartment houses, Wall Street offices and hotels...
...Paul U. Kellogg, editor of The Survey and member of the advisory council rof the President's Committee on Economic Security, criticised the unemployment insurance proposals in the bill as'niggardly and inadequate and falling far below standard in the British system, in a speech this week before the Personnel Research Foundation at Hotel Astor...
...Maud Swart*, vice-president...
...10 conference and made the only official call for the conference a spurious docu-' inei.t previously issued by the Communists, and which is signed only by four Communist-controlled organizations, none of them unions...
...Employees affected are workers...
...Anything less will give the workers a false assurance of security against unemployment, which the Wagner bill as now cannot provide," The- officers of the New York Women's Trade Union League are: Rose SchneJderman,- president...
...Elsie Gltlck, educational director, and Eleanor Mishnun, organiser...
...Unionists Rap Unemployment Insurance Bill THE executive board of the New York Women's Trade Union - League hM adopted a statement at a recent meeting pointing out that the portion of the Wagner bill which deals with unemployment insurance has two gravi defects...
...Meanwhile, the owners and managers were hurriedly assembling their hordes of scabs and thugs to foil the strikers...
...Many other parts of the works program will be analyzed and dangers in it pointed out...
...in fact, in several smaller auto parts plants workers have stopped work and resumed only when guaranteed a raise in wages...
...He also attacked the $48 a month wage of relief workers as far too low...
...Unemployed Meeting to Hear U. S. Works Program Report A mass meeting to hear reports on the new works program of the Roosevelt administration and discuss a program of action will be held under the auspices of the Workers' Unemployed Union at the Labor Temple, 242 East 14th St., Saturday, February 2; at 8 pj»Amcng the speakers will be Norman Thomas, Ellen Wilkinson, British labor leader...
...Herman Wdskow, vice-president of the Printing Pressmen's Union...
...However, many who undoubtedly favor a bonaflde labos>organi»ation have through intimidation voted for an individual rather than,an organization...
...Will "Hip Fofct Lobe/ From Wagner BUI Botil»" David Lasser, chairman of the Workers Unemployed Union, and chairman of the Provisional ft*, tional Committee of Unemployed, has been invited to appear before the Ways arrd~Meirrs^rmTniitter6r the House of Representatives Fri...
...Building Service Strike Imminent A mass meeting under the auspices of Local 82-B of the Building Service Employes International Union wil be held Friday evening, February 1, at Rockland Palace, 155th Street and Eigth Ave...
...Elliott pointed out, with reference to the new works program of the president, that if wages and other conditions on the job were not made liveable, we would be in danger of creating a new class of peon in America composed of millions of unemployed and relief workers...
...F. of L. members were instructed not to participate in the elections...
...10 signed Monday night...
...The executive board is composed of these officers and other members, including those from various trade unions in the city...
...Communists Disrupt "United Front" Action in Sacramento (Special to The New Leader) CACRAMENTO, January 27.—The Communist Party, continuing its disruptive policy, which has been jeopardizing the liberty of the 18 defendants in the criminal syndicalift trial, today smashed the united front agreement reached on Jan...
...Sections of the Wagner-LewisDoughton bill are "pitiably inadequate to meet the existing problem," President William Green of the A. F. of L. told the House Ways and Means and the Senate Finance Committees in Washing' ton...
...Edward C. Msgulre, attorney for the Building Service Employees' Union, ended Ms plea before the board recently with a demand for a sii ihs trrrbi isTJsea ^Se^flmel-* ican Arbitration Association...
...The agreement had been reached as a result of the agitation begun by the NonPui tismi Labor Defense after some of the prisoners had voiced dissatisfaction with the ntfitndrniT'lhf lull I iinlimul Tabor Dofnnao, and the Berkeley sub-section of the Communist Tarty had passed a resolution denouncing the sabotage of the case By the Communist Party...
...No dues are paid by those selecting a representative, no membership meetings are held, and representatives are paid by the company while attending their committee meetings...
...day, February 1, to present the viewpoint of the unemployed on social security...
...The Workers Unemployed Union is demanding a minimum wage of $30 a week for a 30-hour week.\ The mass meeting will be the start of a campaign to win support for the program of the Unemployed Union...
...The elections sponsored by the Auto Labor Board have been disappointng as...
...The bill fails to secure certain reserves...
...It also is expected that the Automobile Code, to which not only the automobile unions but also the NRA Labor Advisory Board is opposed, will be renewed as is for three months more...
...far as organized labor is concerned, but it is an encouraging sign to see the opposition to the' official company union...
...All members of the American Federation of Labor and the MESA were instructed not to participate...
...According to reports, the president plans to pay average wages of $50 a month on his works projects...
...Maguire contended, declaring "that inadequate wages and long hours should not be countenanced in the building industry merely because other industries maintained similar conditions...
...James J. Bambrick, president of the union, will report on the strike situation...
...28 was already printed ond contained no mention of the united front committee and its...
...Members of the executive board and presidents of the 15 locals in lha Greater New York Council attended...
...Had the labor representative on the board, Richard Byrd, really worked in the interests of those who elected him, the present scheme might never have materialised...
...Using the results of the plant elections now being sponsored by the Auto Labor Board as their barometer, and citing them as an indication of the temper of the auto workers towards bonaflde labor organizations, this newspaper, long one of the most reactionary in the counry, has sold itself to the interests which advocate the open shop policy...
...The Socialist Party of California was among those who had participated in the united front committee...
...and not a word about the joint call for Feb...
...Byrd, soon after his appointment, entered Into an agreement with the two other members, of the board and has failed his fellow workers completely...
...The voting was being held under the auspices of the Leo Wolman Automobile Labor Board, to which labor is unalterably opposed...
...The losses incurred by ere were primarily due to specuta' tion and underestimating futon rentals and incomes...
...There will be singing also...
...The American Federation of Labor has repeatedly tried to have him removed, but so far have been unsuccessful...
...Much sentiment has been expressed by the auto workers in favor of a strike...
...The strike was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but was held up on the lastminute plea of Henry vCurran, who is impartial chairman of ths arbitration committee of ths union and realty interests...
...This failure to set uniform minimum atandards might deter the states from establishing adequate standards (such as are proposed in the Byrne-Killgrew bill in New York State) for fear of driving industry to other states with lower standards...
...All the non-Communist organizations, including the Socialist Party, the American Civil Liberties Union, tile Workers' Part,y and Non-Partisan Labor Defense, withdrew from the disrupters...
...He asked for liberalisation of its provisions all along the line and disclosed that the president's committee had turned down recommendations of the advisory sub-committee of which he was a member...
...The election, although sponsored by the government and guaranteed to be kept absolutely secret, has nevertheless a mental reaction on the worker when held on the company premises...
...P. delegates, und by cue of the defendants, Javk Warnick (a C. P. member), wiped out of existence the call for the Feb...
...activities...
...Again the notorious espionage system in the industry and the fear of losing jobs have unquestionably affected the real sentiment...
...Mrs...
...In addition there will be representatives of unemployed groups in the Eastern Federation of Unemployed, who will be in New York for a conference of the Eastern Federation...
...I know of no othre Industry that has so consistently refused to aid in the national recovery program by paying its «¦»* ployees a fair living wage...
...There can be no doubt that the action of the board has brought matters to a head...
...As it now stands it fixes the rate of contributions on unpredictable business indices...
...Bertha R. Psret, secretary...
...At a meeting of the united front committee, the Communists and their various "organizations," despite appeals by all non-C...
...The plan is a deliberate attempt to maintain the open shop, offering at the samo time a compromise to the worker and deluding him into thinking that he has an organisation working in his interest...
...Ellett and Mary Fox Hit Rliaf Machinery The radio series of the Workers Unemployed Union continues its dramatic exposure of the relief administration of New York...
...In addition to the speakers at the mass meeting, the Rebel Arts Puppeteers will present a puppet show, including two playlets...
...Wo believe that the requirement of S per cent contributions by employers, and the minimum stand* ards established in the New York bill, which is the result of years of study by experts, should be.written into the Federal bill as minimum requirements to be demanded in •very state," the statement reads...
...Richard S. Childs, treasurer...
...It Is confidently expected that the turnout at this meeting will be fully as gj' * as the series of big gatherings chat the union has held in recent weeks...
...This committee is supposed to have been ironing out differences between the men, who are among the city's most oppressed workers, and the bosses, who have been making every effort to cheat end chisel themselves out of the temporary agreement which averted the city-wide tie-up in December...
...David Lasser and Edward Welsh of the Workers Unemployed Union...
...Before Comrade Lasser left for Washington, he said that he intended to tear apart the Wagner-Lewis bill when he appears before the t'ongresnional Committee as being "a cheap patent medicine that hasn't even the virtue of looking like anything else, It is merely labeled 'unemployment insurance' in the hope that the unwary will buy it without further examination...
...On Wednesday, January 30, Mary Fox, executive secretary of the LID, spoke on the plight of the single women under relief and the ridiculous ret idence qualification laws to prevent jingle women from obtaining home relief...
...The vlciousness of their attack clearly 'indicates the fear of a general strike in the industry...
...Mary E. Dreier, vice-president...
...I know of no excuse for the continuance of long hours in this industry...
...Even liberally minded social workers who are hot Socialists are incensed at the shabby nature of the bill...
...If this is not done, it Was pointed out, the works program might resemble the forced labor camps of the Hitler regime, for then foremen would hold a life and death control over their workers...
...All industries should support their workers according to the American standard of living," Mr...
...Despite this fact, and despite Dillon's letter to Secretary of Labor Perkins maintaining that the Wolman board is a "positive menace to the preservation of industrial peace in the automobile industry," and protesting against further elections, it seems that labor will be dedefeated by President Roosevelt and Miss Perkins on both issues...
...Thus, although contributions begin on January 1, 1930, if employers are only required to contribute 1 per cent of their payrolls, it is apparent that even in 1038 substantial', benefits cannot be paid...
...It's too had,'' Comrade Lasser continued, "that some radicals seem to be taken in by the fake label on the bottle...
Vol. 18 • February 1935 • No. 65
