Amalgamation/Chapter 6
CHAPTER VI.
Trade Union Educational League
THE Trade Union Educational League occupies a unique place in the labor movement. It was born out of the need of the American labor movement for a stimulant that would vitalize it into life and activity. It is the first attempt to carry education to the heart of the trade union movement in a systematic and organized manner. Deserted by the radical element for so many years, the trade unions have stagnated and stood still, while the organization of industry and the capitalist system has gone on rapidly. Especially has the leadership of labor degenerated, until today it is the laughing-stock of the unionists of the world. The American labor movement, as exemplified by its official leadership, has become a stagnant pool, conservative, capitalistic, and reactionary to the last degree. It is the function of the League, through the organization of the militants, to change all this and to put our labor movement where it rightfully belongs, in the forefront of the world labor war for the emancipation of the toilers of all lands.
Organized in Chicago in November, 1920, the League now (June, 1923) covers every industrial city and town in the United States and Canada with its groups of militants. The charge made by Mr. Gompers that the League was imported from Russia to destroy the American labor movement is definitely refuted by the fact that it already has a long history in this country. Its earliest forerunner was the Syndicalist League of North America, organized in 1912. This body, formed according to the principles of French Syndicalism, was designed to crystallize militant sentiment in the trade union movement. But the dual union idea being generally prevalent at the time, it died after two years' struggle for existence. The next effort was the International Trade Union Educational League, formed in 1916. For the same reason, the dominance of dual union tactics, this organization also died shortly. It was only with the foundation of the present League that a receptive field was at hand for the organization of the militants in the mass unions generally.
The League's Program
The Trade Union Educational League is a revolutionary organization. It holds that the capitalist system, because of the contradictions in itself, not only exploits and robs the workers but must also lead to such a collapse that it will have to be replaced by a new society in which the principle of production for use, not for profit, shall prevail. The League subscribes to the formation of a Workers' Republic. It advocates the dictatorship of the proletariat, which means that none but the hand and brain workers, industrial and agricultural, should rule society. To this end one of its chief aims is to propagate revolutionary ideals amongst the masses. Upon all occasions it seeks to point out the injustices and incompetencies of the present industrial and political system, and to indicate the only remedy, the abolition of the capitalist system and the establishment of the rule of the workers. The League gives its heartiest support to Soviet Russia, the first attempt of the world's workers to put their inspiring and scientific program into effect.
In the preparation of the working class for its inevitable role of controlling production and society generally, the League does all in its power to strengthen the various types of labor activity and organization. Above all it stresses the necessity for the most compact organization possible on the industrial field. It condemns the present primitive system of craft unionism and demands a complete reorganization of the labor movement upon an industrial basis. Its campaign in this direction is meeting with wonderful success. Amalgamation has now become, because of the League's efforts, the principal issue before the labor movement. Great numbers of organizations have endorsed its program, including 14 State Federations of Labor, 7 International Unions, scores of central labor councils, and thousands of local unions. The establishment of industrial unionism in America is a project for the very near future. As a first step, the League is advocating the consolidation of the crafts in the various industries into single unions, each of which shall cover an industry. But the evolution will not stop there. The process of amalgamation must go on unceasingly until, finally, industrial unionism has become class unionism, and the whole mass of Labor has been brought into one army under one head. With one common interest and one common goal, the whole working class must be so organized that it can move as a unit against the exploiters.
Together with an industrialized labor movement, the League strives for a strong political organization of the workers. It advocates the class struggle and condemns the principle of class collaboration, has been forced upon the labor movement as a whole, has not only reduced the workers to a political zero in the various legislative bodies, but it has also been the means of poisoning the unions with capitalistic economies and corruption. The building up of a militant labor party is one of the most important necessities of the labor movement. In this work the League is doing yeoman service. It is carrying the fight on this issue into local and national unions everywhere and defeating the reactionaries. One of its most important propaganda feats was the taking of a referendum vote on the subject of independent working class political action, among 35,000 local unions. The further progress of Labor in this country awaits the development of a great party of the working class.
The Trade Union Educational League is bitterly opposed to the policy of national isolation set up by the reactionary labor bureaucracy in Washington. Mr, Gompers is so lily-white capitalistic that he refused to continue association even with the pale-pink Amsterdam International of Trade Unions. The latter made some mild statement which he interpreted as socialistic. That was enough. He immediately issued a manifesto denouncing it and withdrawing our affiliation. Consequently our movement stands isolated from association with the workers of Europe and the world. On the basis that capitalism is worldwide in scope and that the fight of the workers, to be successful, must therefore encompass the toilers of every nation, the Trade Union Educational League demands and is working for the affiliation of our labor movement to the fighting organization of the world's workers, the Red International of Labor Unions.
A new type of militant leadership for the labor movement is another plank in the general platform of the League. As things now stand in the trade unions, the leadership is a disgrace and a tragedy to the workers. Our present trade union officials, with few exceptions, are overbearing and tyrannical with the workers and subservient and timid towards the capitalists. They are overpaid, unimaginative, ignorant, and all too often, corrupt. They must be replaced by fighters, men who know what the class struggle is and who have the courage to fight it through to its inevitable conclusion. The raising of the standard of American labor leadership is one of the greatest tasks being undertaken by the League.
The League Organization
The Trade Union Educational League is based upon the principle of organizing the militants in all mass trade unions, A. F. of L. and independent alike. Its policy is the reverse of that of the old-time dual unionists who advocated pulling the militants out of these masses and forming them into little separate groups. The League is not a dual union in any sense of the word. It is purely an educational organization. It issues no membership cards, collects no dues, and gives out no charters. To join it all that is necessary is to belong to some mass labor union, accept the principles of the League, and subscribe to its official organ, The Labor Herald. This journal, published monthly, is one of the best in this country; it is brimful of timely articles, bristling comment and international labor news.
The system of organization adopted by the League follows the industries in its general make-up. In each industrial center it has a group whose members are drawn from the different craft unions in all industries. These local general groups carry on the educational work generally in the various centers. Nationally, in the several industries there are also committees. These have been described elsewhere in this pamphlet. They encompass all the militants in their several industries and superintend the work of education. Further the League divides itself into four districts, Eastern States, Central States, Western States, and Canada. Conferences are held from time to time by each of the National Industrial Sections, and also by the four districts. The League itself holds general conferences yearly. The organization is financed by voluntary contributions of individuals and local unions, by the sale of literature, and through the Sustaining Fund.
Every worker who has his own best interests at heart and who understands the problem of the labor struggle should join hands with the League. It is a forgone conclusion that there is no hope for the American working class organized as it now is. We are at the absolute mercy of the bosses. Owning the jobs and controlling the Government they can sit back and dictate the terms of work. Our organizations, political and industrial, are too weak to withstand their wills. The whole movement must be reorganized and regenerated according to the League's plan. This fact is so self-evident that one can hardly imagine intelligent workers holding off for long from starting into this work of preserving and building up the labor movement. We have come to a parting of the ways. One way, the way of inaction, leads surely to "open shopism" and slavery. The other, the way of militant activity, leads to stronger organization and finally to freedom. It is up to us. We hold our social destiny in our own hands.