THE THREAT TO THE LABOR MOVEMENT
time in the history of the U. M. W. A/ since it established itself in the industry.
The coal operators are violating the working condition clauses of the agreement almost at will.
Company unionism is making strides in the anthracite districts.
In the face of these facts the Lewis machine makes war on the most loyal elements in the union and abrogates all existing provisions for rank and file democracy.
The program of the Lewis machine promises only further weakening of the union. Its failure to date is self-evident.
The Left Wing Program.
WHAT is it in the program of the left wing that the Lewis machine fears?
The "Save the Union" program consists of the following principal demands:
Organization of the unorganized fields—abolition of corruption in the union—honest elections—democracy in the union—no wage-cut—nationalization of the mines—a labor party—freedom of opinion in the union.
This is a program which, with a leadership responsible to the rank and file, will build the union into a powerful weapon of the coal miners.
But this program requires struggle to enforce. It means that the union rejects the worker-employer co-operation-efficiency union doctrines of labor officialdom.
It is this that President Lewis and his henchmen hate and fear.
THE left wing in the U. M. W. A., as in the needle trades and other unions, is fighting for trade unionism—not the trade unionism which is to be an adjunct of capitalist production but trade unionism as an instrument of the workingclass.
The U. M. W. A. officialdom is part, and a powerful part, of the united front of labor leaders, socialist party bureaucrats, bosses and the government which we have seen in action in other sections of the labor movement.
CORRECTIONS.
1. On Page 37 in Point 4, read "writing" instead of "uniting."
2. On Page 37 in Point 7, read "$3,000" instead of "$300."
3. On Page 37 in Point 8, read "trade unions" instead of "trade union."
4. On Page 40 in the fourth line of the second paragraph in the second column, read "developing" instead of "develop."
5. On Page 40 in the third paragraph, second column, there should be a comma after the word "workers" in the fourth line and after the words "their class" in the fifth line of same paragraph.
