A poster hanging in my home. The election platform released in English and Polish for the Detroit-area city of Hamtramck during the Great Depression.

‘Workers, Vote Communist–Vote Against Hunger and Fascism’ Hamtramck, Michigan Communist Party Municipal Election Pamphlet, 1934.

WORKERS, VOTE COMMUNIST—VOTE AGAINST HUNGER AND FASCISM

The ELECTION CAMPAIGN PLATFORM of the WORKERS CANDIDATES in the Hamtramck Municipal Election of 1934 The following Candidates are proposed by the Communist Party in Hamtramck and endorsed by the Workers United Front Conference. FOR MAYOR—George Kristalsky–FOR COUNCILMEN—Richard Ruffini, Cass Bailey, Michael Laslo, Jennie Romaniuk, Frank Dziubik–FOR TREASURER–Emil Sobol–FOR CITY CLERK–R Michael Zackler.

The Hamtramck Municipal Primary Election will be held Wednesday, March 7, 1934.

WORKERS OF HAMTRAMCK:  

On March 7th, 1934, the City Primary Election will take place. In the weeks preceding this election, political parties and their candidates will appeal to you for support. This election, as the capitalists and their candidates will say, is a non-partisan election. But it is non-partisan in name only. They use the cover of non-partisan elections to fool you into thinking that “good men” are being brought forward who have nothing to do with the rotten and corrupt political machines. These “good men” ask you to intrust them with the jobs of governing the city.

The working people of Hamtramck will face more serious problems than at any previous time. Unemployment on the main has not decreased. The NRA promised jobs for the workers, only to help the capitalists, such as Chrysler-Dodge, etc. Very few workers received jobs. The minimum wage of Mr. Roosevelt’s NRA program is made the maximum wage by the employers. The new demagogic scheme of C.W.A. which is trying to fool the workers by saying 4 million workers will be employed is not only a method to fool the workers, but to cut the welfare relief entirely. The bosses’ program of cutting off the workers from the relief rolls, wage-cuts, lay-offs and discrimination of Negroes and Foreign-born is already going ahead at full speed. Many families have been refused relief. Many single men have been cut of welfare relief, and told to starve or go to Eloise, (insane asylum). The youth of Hamtramck left to starve or forced to steal which gives the police an opportunity to shoot and kill as in the case of (Mike Wasen who was killed by Hamtramck Police). Workers over the age of 40 are discriminated and refused jobs in Chrysler-Dodge and other factories in Hamtramck.

These are the conditions prevailing in Hamtramck. What has Mayor Jezewski and the present City Administration done to relieve this situation? Their answer was police clubbings, shootings, killings, jailings, evictions, discriminations of Negro and Foreign-born workers.

The only candidates ever elected in Hamtramck were those supported by the capitalist parties’ political machines, in the interest of Chrysler-Dodge and the bankers and real estate sharks as against the interest of the workers. The Hamtramck politicians are oiling their election machines in order to again fool you in the coming election campaign. They are promising you everything but after the election you will find that everything remains as it was. Taxes will go up, relief to the unemployed will be cut, and wages of the workers will go down, while the profits of the grafters and racketeers and the big tax dodgers, such as Chrysler-Dodge and others will go up, like Banker Kolowich who “misused workers” money, has been found not-guilty by judge Lewandowski. Workers who demand bread for unemployed, (Joe York, Maur, Jack Welch) sentenced to 90 days in jail by same Judge Lewandowski. Workers will be cheated, exploited, denied the right to live while the political bosses will rob the City Treasury of high salaries and grafts. Mayor Jezewski and the entire City Administration have failed miserably to make good their pledges to the workers who elected them into office in the last election.

These false promises only helped to determine what political group amongst the grafters shall have its fingers in the governments treasury and what politician shall order the police to club, shoot and starve the workers. This condition can be changed only if we workers, ourselves, take a hand in the government. It can be changed only if we workers stop waiting for the things that the bosses politicians promise to do for us. It can be changed only if we workers ourselves enter the field of political action and consciously fight for our own interests. That is, to put our own workers’ candidates into offices. Our slogan should be in this election campaign “Working class against Capitalist class”. All workers vote for the workers candidates. Enough of these promises—we want action.

It is not a platform of promises but one of struggle for the interests of the working class. The Communist Party does not promise the workers that its candidates when elected will do everything for the workers, but we can declare that our candidates will organize and lead the workers in the struggles for their daily and immediate needs and against bosses and their grafting politicians.

A Communist administration will tax the big capitalists and corporations and not tax the workers out of their homes. The Communist city administration will make Chrysler-Dodge and other large corporations pay for relief of the unemployed and not press more out of the poor to make the rich still richer. The Communist administration will build homes for the homeless and not evict the workers. The Communist administration will organize the workers and lead them into struggle against the program of Chrysler-Dodge and all other automobile bosses, as incorporated in their code under the NRA, and will organize and lead the workers into struggle for a workers code, such as proposed by the Auto Workers Union which calls for:

1. A minimum of 75c per hour for all factory workers; a 30 percent increase for all those now earning 58c or more per hour. A maximum of a 6 hour day, 5 day week. A guarantee of 40 full weeks work a year; $22.50 a week minimum that is a guarantee minimum yearly earnings of $900.00 for all workers in the industry.

2. Immediate cash relief for all unemployed without any discrimination against Negroes or Foreign-born at the rate of $10.00 per week for each single person, $15.00 per week for each family of 3 and additional $2.00 per week for each dependent, pending the enactment of UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE paid by the employers and Federal Government for all unemployed workers.

3. Free hot nourishing lunches in the public schools, clothing, shoes, books, and school supplies to all children of unemployed and part-time workers.

4. SOCIAL INSURANCE paid by industry and government covering sickness, occupational disease, accident, maternity, old age pension, etc. Opening of the City Clinic to give sufficient medical attention to the unemployed and part-time workers and their families.

5. No discrimination against Negro workers and immediate hiring of Negro workers to work on all jobs in all departments in the shops.

6. The right of workers to belong to the union of their choice, to elect shops and department committees without fear of victimization. Workers to have the right to strike to enforce their demands regarding wages, hours, conditions and other vital needs of the workers.

7. The abolition of the inhuman speed-up system on the belt, etc. That the City pass an ordinance that it should be unlawful to discharge or refuse employment to any worker solely because he or she has reached the age of 40 or more years, as is practiced by Chrysler-Dodge and other employers in Hamtramck.

8. An extensive program of public works to be started immediately such as, paving all unpaved streets in Hamtramck, grade separations at Conant and Grand Trunk RR, and Caniff and Grand Trunk RR, building of sufficient playgrounds and recreational centers in the neighborhoods, eliminating slums and run down houses, especially in the Negro sections.

9. Full union wages to be paid to all workers employed on relief jobs and all public works, such as CWA. In no case less than 75c per hour, for no more than 6 hours a day with 5 days a week. No discrimination against Negro, foreign-born, women, and young workers. Equal pay for equal work.

10. Absolute prevention of any evictions of unemployed or part-time workers, such evictions to be made criminal offenses. All relief allowances to apply without distinction as to race, nationality, religion or political beliefs or affiliations, citizenship or length of residents. Gas, electric, water, fuel and rent to be paid by the welfare department to all unemployed and part time workers.

A Communist administration will organize and lead the workers in the struggle against discrimination and deportation of foreign-born workers. A Communist administration will have as its task to educate, organize, and lead the working class against imperialist war preparation and for the defense of the Soviet Union. A Communist administration has as its aim to defend the daily interests of all workers and the toiling masses, generally, to educate them, to organize them, and to lead them into final struggle for the abolition of the capitalist system and the establishment of a Workers’ and Farmers’ Government.

Access to original pamphlet: https://digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt%3A31735061658609/viewer#page/1/mode/2up