Document emerging from the first Trade Union Educational League conference.

‘T.U.E.L. Program of the Building Trades Workers’ from Labor Herald. Vol. 1 No. 7. September, 1922.

Never in the history of the building industry has such a determined effort been made by the employers to wipe out organized labor. The situation is, indeed, critical. Something has to be done to stop the retreat of the building trades’ workers, and done quickly or else the building industry throughout the country will be manned entirely by non-union labor, which means that our standard of living and our working conditions will gradually sink down to a slavery level.

In the past, when individual trades did business with single contractors, the craft unions, if well organized, were generally speaking able to gain something for their members. But, when the contractors united and formed contractors’ associations, the individual trades found it impossible to fight successfully these new and more powerful organizations of employers. Hence the different trades federated for mutual support, and building trades councils came into being throughout the building industry. Under this new and stronger form of organization, the building trades workers benefited materially. The standard of living was raised, the eight-hour day became general, and great changes for the better were made in general working conditions.

But the law of change is ever at work. The employers have so strengthened their organizations that federations of crafts are not only unable to better the conditions of the building trades workers, but are actually in full retreat. They are forced to accept wage cuts and to relinquish working conditions that we have won in many a hard fought and bitter struggle. The cause of our disastrous defeats is that we have failed to keep pace with the times. Although the employers have gone on steadily consolidating their organizations, we have neglected to do so with ours. Our present great need, and the one thing that we must have if we are to prosper and progress as a body of workers, is the complete amalgamation of all the building trades unions into one organization covering the entire industry.

British Industrial Unions

In joining all our scattered forces in one organization, we are only following the lines that building trades workers and others have taken in European countries. In Great Britain, for example, the building trades workers are far ahead of us in the point of consolidation of their forces. They have one principal organization known as the Amalgamated Union of Building Trades Workers of Great Britain and Ireland. It is a fusion of 16 different organizations. These organizations, numbering about 500,000 members all told, now do business under one head. No argument is required to prove that the general organization is much stronger and better able to protect its members than any of the individual crafts were. Dealing with the general subject of consolidation in a recent issue of the official journal, The Operative Builder, Gen’l Sec’y-Treas Hicks had this to say:

“I am sure that the great campaign of 1911 to 1914 for full and complete amalgamation of all building trades into one industrial organization had a most marked effect in developing the minds of the workers to bigger and better forms of unity. It helped them to realize that it was not sufficient simply to desire better things, but that if they wanted to realize them, they had to work for them. Complete amalgamation has not yet been realized, but again let me say. I feel as confident of its coming into being as of daylight following darkness.”

This getting together movement in Great Britain is not confined to the building trades workers; it is a general movement in all the basic industries. The National Union of Railwaymen of Great Britain is a general amalgamation of all railway workers into one organization. One feature of this organization, which is of paramount interest to our industry, is that it is divided into four departments to facilitate the proper handling of the varied business of the many crafts making up the industry. These four departments are as follows: (1) Locomotive, (2) Traffic, (3) Goods and Cartage, (4) Engineering Shops and Permanent Way. This body has a membership of over 400,000. Another type of great industrial union is the newly formed National Transport and General Workers’ Union of Great Britain. This organization, which has a membership of 500,000, is rapidly completing the industrialization of its forces. It was formed by an amalgamation of 12 crafts. On the same principle as the N.U.R., it is divided into five national departments for the efficient representation of the workers. These departments are: (1) Docks, (2) Waterways, (3) Clerical, (4) General Workers, (5) Road Transport.

German Building Trades Workers’ Union

Like the British, the German workers in the building trades have made great strides towards the creation of an industrial union. Their principal organization is known as the German Building Trades Federation. It was formed in 1909 by an amalgamation of the brick layers and building laborers. Since then the pavers, stucco workers, plasterers, and several small crafts, have joined forces with it. It is out to include within its ranks all the trades in the building industry. At present it has a membership of 477,285, composed as follows: Foremen 2,935, Bricklayers and Masons 192,121, Tile Layers and Terrazo Workers, 1,446, Plasterers 9,290, Cement and Concrete Workers, 7,179, Isolaters and Stone and Wood Pavers 1,961, Helpers 185,706, Hoisting Engineers, 1,033, Excavation Workers 75,664.

In its official organ, “Der Grundstein,” of March 11, 1922, the following six reasons are urged why all the building workers should amalgamate in the general organization.

1. Amalgamation would result in a uniformity of the entire forces of the union administration, and with it a rationalization of all trade union work of the building workers’ Uniformity of management would mean a great saving of time, energy and finance, as well as a better utilization of all union forces.

2. Through amalgamation jurisdictional disputes now existing between the various crafts in the building industry would be automatically eliminated.

3. Through amalgamation a feeling of solidarity. of building workers would be promoted, which would not only create a necessary idealism, but would have a great practical significance.

4. Through amalgamation the negotiation of wage agreements of those crafts which already have agreements in common would be simplified and conducted at a much lower expense.

5. Through amalgamation the building trades laws beneficial to building workers could be better utilized.

6. Through amalgamation a solid basis could be established for the socialization of the building industry.

Up until its convention of 1922, the German Building Trades Federation was a general mixed union. But at that time, in order to systematize its business and to attract the still outstanding crafts, it departmentalized itself along the lines of the British unions mentioned above. The following are the departments as established: (1) Architects, engineers, technicians, foremen, surveyors; (2) Excavation workers, tunnel workers, etc.; (3) Building material workers, cement workers, brick makers, lime kiln workers, quarry men; (4) Stone cutters, stone setters, rammers and pavers, asphalt workers; (5) Bricklayers, masons, plasterers, tile layers, concrete workers, mosaic workers; (6) Trades engaged in the installation for heat, light and water; (7) Carpenters and other wood workers; (8) Roofers and chimney sweepers; (9) Painters and decorators.

The German Building Trades Federation is now carrying on a vigorous campaign for complete amalgamation of the several crafts still outstanding. Some of these, notably the painters, have voted to go along with the proposition. But the carpenters are the big stumbling block. Their officials are fighting the proposition tooth and nail. But the heads of the amalgamated organization are carrying on the campaign for solidarity regardless of them. Already they have succeeded in winning the support of many of the local organizations of carpenters, Recently their official paper declared: “The cause of delay toward amalgamation has generally been the personal opposition of union officials. Amalgamation must come, if not with them, then in spite of them.”

A Plan of Amalgamation

As early as 1913 the need for a greater solidarity among the building trades workers was evident, and Del. O.A. Tvietmoe succeeded in having the Seattle Convention of the Building Trades Department of the A.F. of L. endorse the principle of amalgamation in a resolution calling for the fusion of the many building trades unions into six groups, viz., Mason group, Iron group, Pipe Fitting and Power group, Building Finishing group, and Wood Working group. Had this resolution been put into effect, the whole history of the building trades struggle would have been different. But as it was not, we have suffered accordingly. What we must do now is to proceed substantially along the lines indicated by the Seattle resolution, by joining all the building trades unions into one body consisting of a number of specialized departments, based upon the same principles as those of the European unions above noted. We propose the following grouping of the trades in these departments, not as a blue print proposition to be followed exactly, but as an indication of the general course to be taken. Whenever two organizations have voted for amalgamation, these two should immediately join together and set the example for the others. The proposed department are:

(1) Building Material Dept., brickmakers, quarry workers, gravel pit workers, mill men; (2) Building Finishers and Maintenance Dept., painters, paper hangers, decorators, glaziers, art glass workers, composition roofers, asphalt, slate and tile roofers, janitors, elevator operators, front cleaners, window washers; (3) Wrecking, Moving and General Laborer Dept., general laborers, wreckers, sewer and tunnel miners, teamsters; (4) Wood Working Dept., carpenters, cabinet makers, lathers, pile drivers; (5) Pipe Fitting and Power Dept., asbestos workers, electrical workers, fixture hangers, hoisting engineers, steam shovel men, plumbers, gas fitters, sprinkling fitters, pipe and drain layers, steam fitters; (6) Iron Dept., bridge and structural iron workers, boilermakers, sheet metal workers, machinists, elevator constructors, machinery movers, (7) Technical Dept., technical engineers, architects, surveyors, time keepers, draftsmen, clerical force, etc.; (8) Mason Dept., bricklayers, masons, plasterers, marble setters, cement finishers, marble, slate and stone cutters, polishers, rubbers and sawyers, mosaic, granite and terrazo helpers, tile layers and helpers, hod carriers, tuck pointers.

Advantages of Amalgamation

One of the main arguments used against amalgamation is that trade lines would be completely broken down and the wages of the skilled would sink to the level of the unskilled. But this is contrary to the facts. Wherever the workers are organized industrially, the wages of the skilled are higher in that industry than in those industries where they are still doing business along the old craft union lines. The reasons are obvious. The craft union is a much smaller organization. Its vision is narrow, it depends solely upon its own efforts, it neither gives nor receives support from the other crafts in the same industry. 50% of its energy is used fighting other organizations over jurisdiction.

An industrial union, on the other hand, in the building industry would mean a membership of over 1,000,000, it would end all jurisdictional disputes and bring about cooperation between all the trades. With the duplication of the work of officials reduced to a minimum and all the hitherto lost energy turned toward the upbuilding of the organization, it would be incomparably more fitted to protect the interests of the workers than are the present craft unions.

Departmentalized as suggested above, with one general headquarters, one set of general officers, and one united front, the present confusion in the building trades would be eliminated. Departmental conventions could be held in the same place and just prior to the general convention. All questions relating to their individual trades would be handled by them, but all questions or laws effecting the entire industry, such as general working conditions, wage agreements, etc., would be determined by the general convention, and when decided upon, would be enforced by the entire organization. The general result would be a much more efficiently organized state of affairs than now prevails in the building industry. The present chaos would come to an end.

Building Trades Workers! To remain separated as we now are is suicidal. Amalgamation is the next logical step and is in harmony with progress. It will eliminate the disastrous jurisdictional disputes, and prevent forever such shameful situations as now exists in the building trades of Chicago, where one-half of the craft unions are fighting against the “open shop” while the rest have accepted it. Amalgamation will increase our industrial power enormously.

Amalgamation will be brought about only when the rank and file awaken and force the issue upon the reluctant officialdom. At every local meeting it should be discussed. Every candidate for union office should be asked to state his position on this important question, and opposition should be made against anti-amalgamationists. Amalgamation should be discussed in all our journals and made a live issue throughout the entire building trades industry. Amalgamation is the one thing that can put our organizations in such a condition that they can effectively maintain a successful front against the militant employers. Amalgamation is the key to the fight in the building industry. Let us bring it to pass.

The Labor Herald was the monthly publication of the Trade Union Educational League (TUEL), in immensely important link between the IWW of the 1910s and the CIO of the 1930s. It was begun by veteran labor organizer and Communist leader William Z. Foster in 1920 as an attempt to unite militants within various unions while continuing the industrial unionism tradition of the IWW, though it was opposed to “dual unionism” and favored the formation of a Labor Party. Although it would become financially supported by the Communist International and Communist Party of America, it remained autonomous, was a network and not a membership organization, and included many radicals outside the Communist Party. In 1924 Labor Herald was folded into Workers Monthly, an explicitly Party organ and in 1927 ‘Labor Unity’ became the organ of a now CP dominated TUEL. In 1929 and the turn towards Red Unions in the Third Period, TUEL was wound up and replaced by the Trade Union Unity League, a section of the Red International of Labor Unions (Profitern) and continued to publish Labor Unity until 1935. Labor Herald remains an important labor-orientated journal by revolutionaries in US left history and would be referenced by activists, along with TUEL, along after it’s heyday.

Link to PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/laborherald/v1n07-sep-1922.pdf