Unemployed Organizations in Illinois, New York And California Carry on Battle for the Jobless
Rasmtmen, Paul
Unemployed Organizations in Illinois, New York And California Carry on Battle for the Jobless IWA Pushes Militant Program on Coast for Genuine Relief and New Social Order ly Paul...
...Supplementary relief for all families which have an income equal to the food budget of the given family has been cut off...
...A permanent program and organization will be ratified and officers elected...
...Oscar Sturm of Staunton, IWA secretary and leader of the unemployed, reports being swamped with requests for speakers^and information, while field workers report great interest in organization along the militant and common sense lines of the IWA...
...Cash relief is sought to cover adequate help to all jobless regardless of color, creed, sex or political opinion...
...Sweeping county after county with \ts militant program of real relief and a changed social order, the Illinois Workers Alliance, a statewide federation of jobless groups, has now grown to an affiliated and chartered strength of 66 locals...
...When Comrade J. Mehnhardt, national •orpanizev of the Amalgamated Meat Cutter & Butcher Workmen, who succeeded in organizing .'100 butcher workers, tried to start negotiations with the bosses, he wa< thrown out at first, as previously reported...
...f ganization previous to and during the CWA might have enabled them to hang on to that system as an immediate gain...
...All the locals of the Workers' Unemployed Unjon also are carrying on a campaign for the passage of the Workers' Unemployment Insurance Bill, introduced by Representative Lundeen of Minnesota...
...Occupancy of unhealthy, dark, damp basements was inexcusable, in view of the large number of vacant apartments, it was pointed out...
...It aims to bring the unemployed and the workers together into one organization...
...If a family has an income sufficient for food (as the relief bureau determines), the family will get no help for rent, lights, gas, etc...
...The Regional Labor Hoard recently, on complaint of the union, ordered the reinstatement of William Frazier, a watchman, porter and elevator operator employed by the 250 West 3»th Street Building, on the ground of illegal discharge...
...The Workers—in all departments returned to their jobs...
...F. of L...
...A postcard campaign is in full swing, in which the members are getting friends and sympathizer* to write cards to their Congressmen calling on them to sign the petition which alone can bring the bill out of the House Committee on Labor, which is trying to squelch the bill, and on to the floor of the House...
...Olive and Carlinville in southern Illinois...
...This, the IWA leaders point out, is not due to the work of Cook County's cor-iupt politicians at Springfield and Washington, but due to the mass organization and militancy of the Chicago Workers' Committee, an IWA member group...
...It has friendly relations with organized labor, and sends fraternal delegates to Alameda County Central Labor Council...
...For a period all rent payments in the city were stopped...
...Comrade Amicus Most, organizer of ttje Taxicab Drivers Union, made a stirring address on the need for organization of the building service employees of New York City...
...At all times the association has a committee at county relief headquarters to aid the unemployed...
...The case is before the regional labor board, which, however, the firm doesn't recognize...
...They cheered the delegation which presented demands to the supervisor for transmission to the relief administration, and the grievances for immediate attention...
...home relief bureau on Monday...
...This is the policy guiding the work of the secretary and the field organizer...
...The organization is "non-partisan," but supports a class-conscious program...
...are on strike for recognition, a 10% increase, a 50 cent hourly minimum and other conditions...
...IWA leaders feel strongly that jobless groups must stop supporting Republican politicians here and Democratic politicians there, but launch a determined fight for the specific objectives of the jobless at this time...
...Support The New Leader Labor Section...
...Chicago jobless units are still getting from two to five times greater relief allocations than the outstate communities...
...Building Service Employees Demand End of Slavery Enactment of a blanket code to cover the employees of the real estate industry...
...A satisfactory Result is expected in the near future...
...In almost every case the committee has forced the welfare officials j to extend relief and has obtained back pay for CWA workers...
...Cash Relief Demanded The program of the IWA calls for close cooperation with farmer and trade union groups...
...Denials of rent, clothing, fuel, ice, electric, gas and water bills—even proper medical care—arc common...
...Groups are visited or contacted af their own request, not through any plan of "capturing'' locals...
...A militant fight is being waged to force county welfare officials to increase relief, and for free medical service...
...The association sat in with the city representatives as the only representatives of labor...
...No "Capturing" Policy The state office has adopted the following policy towards Communist and CP-controlled groups: While a Communist dominated unit is not eligible for affiliation, this does not exclude groups which may have individual CP members on their membership roll...
...Workers throughout the state are waking up to the fact that larger and more militant orAllentown Butchers Win Union Recognition By Walter Wenderich A L L E N T 0 W N, Pa...
...The cases were attended to on the spot, one worker receiving her food ticket before she left the bureau despite the "rule" that tickets could be delivered only in the workers' homes...
...Evictions on a mass scale began to take place but the decision to withhold rent was revoked after the determined protest of the unemploye dat every relief station...
...The cold and brutal attitude of the "new deal" administration at Washington in calmly reclaiming the temporary "soupbone" that had been thrown to the workers in the form of CWA has caused intense resentment...
...Jobless leaders from Wisconsin and Missouri will be invited to appear...
...Negotiations are being carried on to settle the demands of'the workers with respect to a living wage, better working conditions, etc...
...A state convention has been called for late in July...
...Pass It nn to your neighbor...
...WUU Points Out Need for Increasing Group's Strength in Order to Win Demands ¦y Saul Parker While the funds for the unemployed are tied up by the "literal" administration of New York City, relief is rapidly reaching a crisis comparable to the situation under the Tammany regime...
...Similar groups are being organized in other sections of the Bay area...
...Strikebreakers were not to be had...
...inexcusable discrimination is taking place in town after town...
...It also ruled that his hours be 48 instead of 84, and that back pay be given him since last June for all the overtime he worked in excess of 4H hours...
...LA CROSSE, Wis.—Led by the United Federal Rubber Workers' Union, 1500 employes of the La Crosse Rubber Mills Co...
...Unemployed Organizations in Illinois, New York And California Carry on Battle for the Jobless IWA Pushes Militant Program on Coast for Genuine Relief and New Social Order ly Paul Rasmtmen CHICAGO...
...Several hundred workers heard and approved the denunciation of the relief system and the city's knowtowing to the bankers...
...One Congressman has already answered that he has signed the petition and will support it when it comes up...
...The 1,(100 members of the union heard "war declared" tfgainst the practice of landlords' compelling superintendents and other employer** to live in basement apartments...
...Organizers find allocations pitifully below even a minimum standard of decency—less than a dollar a week per person is common in many Illinois counties...
...All forms of work relief are opposed, even to the point of forming picket lines as was done early this month in Mt...
...Organization work is spreading to Kane, Kendall, Will-Iroquois and Livingston counties...
...Several new locals are in the process of organization and will soon hold their first meetings...
...New members are coming in at the rate of 15 to 20 a day...
...in view of the chaotic conditions, inhuman hours and starvation wages among the building service employees was demanded at a recent mass meeting of Local .12-11 of the Ruild-ing Service Emplyoees Inturna-tional Uniun (A...
...The distribution of clothing has been cut...
...It is headed by George W. Graydon, a Socialist, himself one of the unemployed...
...asked for a conference with organizer Mehnhardt and proved willing to recognize the right of the wqrkers ,u> organize...
...The constant pressure of the Washington Heights local of the WUU on the district alderman, Elias H. Jacobs, has resulted in his presentation of a plan for,the unemployed which adopts the demands of the WUU'presented* repeatedly to him by delegations elected by the local...
...The union it citing this decision In its appeal to workers to line up with It...
...BERKELEY, Cal.—Under Socialist leadership, more than 500 unemployed and workers have organ ized themselves into the California Workers' Association...
...We are not out to clash with Unemployed Councils, nor are we interested in influencing groups at present in their state and national groups...
...The association speakers got city managers and officials to condemn the State Emergency Relief Administration plans as inadequate and to propose additional means of caring for unemployed...
...The butcher workers of Arbogart & Bastian in Allen'own, who struck May 3. have won their fust battle since the existence of their union...
...The downtown locals of the Workers' Unemployed Union held a joint demonstration at the Spring and Elizabeth Sts...
...One of these, the Alameda County Road Workers' Association, recently expelled members who are Legionnaires or active in the Democratic Party...
...Against these and other grievances against the relief system, there can be no effective answer except the determined struggle of the organized unemployed...
...Aggressive locals in La Salle, Franklin, Christian, Macoupin and other counties havel been partially successful in raising relief standards...
...As a result of this activity, a meeting was held recently in Berkeley of the League of California Municipalities, representing several scores of cities...
...Relief conditions are bad...
...The firm gave in...
...The necessity of organization and struggle are made more obvious by such achievements...
...The locals of the Workers' Unemployed Union are actively engaged in building the organization, through street meetings, leaflets, etc...
...But the butchers taught their stubborn meat barons a lesson: united they were ready to tight for their rights...
Vol. 17 • June 1934 • No. 67
