The Daily Worker

Fight Wage Cuts!
Down with Rule!

The National Committee of the Trade Union Educational League has issued a statement concerning the meaning of the reign of terror against the members begun by the officials of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. The statement points out the means the workers should adopt to struggle against this preparation for a surrender of their shop conditions. It reads as follows:

A STATEMENT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE AMALGAMATED CLOTHING WORKERS OF AMERICA. BY THE TRADE UNION EDUCATIONAL LEAGUE.

WORKERS in the men's clothing industry are faced with the necessity of a serious struggle against wage-cuts. And at this very moment, a murderous assault has been delivered against militant and progressive members of the union, who are proposing a struggle against the employers to defeat the wage-cuts.

This assault has come, not from the employers, but has been delivered by officials and agents of the high officials of the union itself.

Members of the A. C. W. of A. were slugged and beaten up at the general membership meeting of the union in Chicago on Friday, November 13. The same thing happened in New York City on the same night, at the meeting of the Pantsmakers' Local, which is engaged in a struggle with the bosses.

These assaults at regular meetings of the union were followed on Sunday by a raid upon a private gathering of progressive members from various shops, which had met at Biltmore Hall, Chicago, to discuss ways and means of fighting against wage-cuts, where gangsters entered with guns in their hands, lined up the workers present against the wall, and then proceeded to beat them up and to wreck the hall.

Many workers were seriously injured by the murderous assaults; several were severely beaten over the head with blunt instruments; one man is reported to be losing an eye as the result of the terrific beating administered.

This disgraceful reign of terror occurred during the presence in Chicago of President Sidney Hillman. If it was not carried out under his orders, he surely knew at least what was going on. It must have had his consent. It can hardly be passed aside as the result of some local quarrel. It has every appearance of being a definite national, official policy of the administration of the union.

Workers! We call to your attention that it was exactly this same kind of tactics that were used by Morris Kaufman of the Furriers' Union two years ago, when the workers in that industry wanted a struggle against the employers.

It was this kind of tactics that were used by Morris Sigman of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, when the workers wanted to fight against the loss of their conditions and Sigman wanted to hand their interests over to the governor's commission.

It is exactly the kind of tactics used by union officials everywhere when they are preparing to surrender to the employers. In order to carry out the surrender, they first prepare the ground by slugging and terrorizing those whom they fear will demand a fight against the employers.

The officials cannot escape the responsibility for these assaults. Those who committed them are hired by the officials, and one of the thugs was himself a business agent. Their names are known, and will be furnished upon demand to any committee properly authorized by the union. They cannot escape, either, from the meaning of these assaults, the meaning that they can only be a preparation for putting over more wage cuts on the already suffering workers in the clothing industry.

Workers in the men's clothing industry, such events as these in your union require an immediate protest and action to remove such conditions.

Demand the struggle against all wage-cuts!

Demand the cessation of thuggery against the members!

Demand the punishment by the union of those who committed these assaults!

Demand the removal of all officials who are implicated in these pogroms!

NATIONAL COMMITTEE,
TRADE UNION EDUCATIONAL LEAGUE.