Details of the struggle between the A.F.L.’s United Textile Workers and the T.U.U.L.’s National Textile Workers Industrial Union for leadership of the workers of Easton, Pennsylvania’s mills.

‘Easton Silk Workers Show How to Conduct a Militant Fight’ from The Daily Worker. Vol. 7 No. 179. July 26, 1930.

Wage Cuts, Part Time and Unemployment Must Be Answered; Join N.T.W.I.U.

TWO years ago the silk workers of both Easton, Pa., and Philipsburg, N.J., were being organized into the only militant textile union, the National Textile Workers. Already there were shop committees, mass meetings, etc. Suddenly there appeared organizers from the reactionary United Textile Workers’ Union. The silk workers, being inexperienced, fell for the lies handed out to them. They believed that by being a part of the A.F. of L. they would get support in their struggles against wage-cuts.

The skilled silk workers, like the loom-fixers, twisters and warpers, were already members of the U.T.W. and naturally induced the weavers to join with them. The N.T.W.U. had sent all its best forces to Fall River, New Bedford and Gastonia, so it had not sufficient strength left to prevent the reactionary U.T.W. from spreading. Thus, U.T.W. Local 1660 was organized, about 900 members.

The bosses did not oppose the U.T.W., knowing that it would sooner or later betray the workers. Therefore the employers of the Gumming Silk Co., Nonpareil Silk Co. and others recognized this union and so began the existence of the Easton and Phillipsburg U.T.W.U. and the betrayal of the silk workers by its leaders.

Once Fought for Wages.

The Easton and Phillipsburg silk workers always fought militantly for higher wages and their rights as workers, before the U.T.W. came in.

In 1926-27, when the bosses cut the wages 10 per cent, the silk workers, under militant leadership, answered with strikes. There were seven local strikes.

In 1929, when the U.T.W. was organized, the workers demanded a wage scale including all mills. But the committee in charge of making this wage scale decided that the wages in the Nonpareil, Steward and Mryline silk mills were high enough.

In the Altchular Bros. and others, the workers were forced to work for less than even the Nonpareil wage scale for the same work, because the U.T.W. refused to permit a strike for higher wages.

Hours of Work.

The Easton and Phillipsburg silk mills mostly work day and night. The day shift works nine hours a day and five hours on Saturday and the night shift ten hours a day. When Local 1660 was organized the U.T.W. leaders consented to an increase of one hour each shift, without any extra pay, although the union agreement calls for time and a half for overtime.

During the last six months of 1929 and the first six months of 1930 there were several strikes under the leadership of the U.T.W. Almost all of these strikes were lost.

The Wallace Silk Co. refused to recognize even the U.T.W. and began to throw out members of Local 1660. The leaders declared a strike, that is, they recalled those workers who were members of the union. In other words, they helped Mr. Wallace to kick the union members out. They did not build real rank and file strike committees and spread the strike. The U.T.W.U. leaders refused to permit picketing. It is now six months since the Wallace Silk Co. has been running with scabs and no picketing is done. This in spite of the fact that Local 1660 has about 1,200 members, including loom fixers, etc., while the Wallace Silk Co. has only 100 people working. The leaders even refuse to pay benefits, forcing a small group of workers to go hungry, although the local is strong enough to support them. The same applies to the Altchular Bros. Silk Co., who at first recognized the union, but later cut wages. Here, too, the workers were told to leave their jobs, but no picketing or strike benefit is allowed. For two months the plant has been run by scabs and nothing is done about it.

A New Wage Cut.

Since March the bosses have let most of the mills run part time, while the Nonpareil Silk Co. closed its mill completely. McGinly, the president of the company, called the workers (about 225) and stated that he is forced to “even the wages” with Allentown mills, that he cannot compete with them, etc., and that if the workers agree to a wage-cut of one-half a cent a yard for day workers and 1 cent for night workers both the mills will be running full time.

This question was taken up by the executive committee of the local, which refused to let the members take it up themselves. The members of Local 1660 only have a right to pay $1 a month dues, but when it comes to the working conditions they have no rights at all. The bosses declared a lockout while the leaders were discussing the wage-cut. This lockout has lasted four weeks, and although according to the constitution the members are entitled to $6 a week benefit, no benefit is paid. In this way the U.T.W. leaders help the bosses starve the workers into accepting the wage-cut.

Right after the Nonpareil came the Steward Silk Co. and others with a wage-cut of 10 per cent, to go into effect by July.

The committee of Local 1660 invited Vice-President Kelly from New York. William F. From Washington came Mr. T. Davis, department of labor representative; also the representative of the state department of labor and industry, Mr. L.G. Hines; also the “aristocratic” Kiwanis Club sent their representative, Mr. Driler. There also participated Easton’s most honored citizens, such as Dr. B.R. Feild, Rev. Allan S. Meck, William H. Heil, Herberger and others, mostly successful business men and politicians, as well as all the silk mill owners. Thus the wage-cutting conference for the Easton workers was started.

During this conference the lockout at the Nonpareil was ended, because the bosses knew that the U.T.W.U. leaders, especially the traitor, Mr. Kelly, would be “reasonable,” which means that he will betray the workers.

Duplicity Clearly Shown.

On Thursday, July 10, there was called a general meeting of all the U.T.W. Kelly at this meeting reported that the union has reached an agreement with all the bosses about the wage-cut. This report showed that the wage-cut means not only a 10 per cent cut on crepe, but a 10 to 25 per cent cut on all work!

The discussion lasted four hours. Kelly took the floor about seven times to defend the plan, on the ground that it is a method of evening up the wages. That is, where wages are lower, 10 per cent will be cut, and where they were higher, 25 per cent will be cut!

With these wage-cuts goes an agreement for six months, and, according to the statements in the local press, it can be assumed that at the end of these six months new wage-cuts are contemplated.

After long discussion the meeting was dispersed, for the workers refused to accept the wage-cut.

The next meeting was called in a hall that holds about 350 and has only 196 chairs for a union that has 900 weavers alone and with the skilled workers over 1,200. It was so arranged that the first to come were those workers not affected and who are the supporters of the machine. More than half of the members stood out in the hall and stairway and therefore could not vote or discuss. At this meeting Kelly brought forward the original plan of an all around 10 per cent wage-cut. Two hundred voted for this and 100 against any wage-cut, while the majority, who were outside, could not vote at all.

The bosses in the Easton and Phillipsburg silk mills will not remain satisfied with this wage-cut alone. Their cry that Allentown workers work cheaper means that they will try to cut some more because the bosses in Allentown are doing the same, so as to force the effects of the economic crisis on the shoulders of the silk workers, with the help of “honorable gentlemen,” including the U.T.W.U. leaders.

Fellow-workers, the only way to stop these unceasing wage-cuts and general worsening of conditions is by leaving the bosses’ union, the U.T.W.U., and forming a local of the only textile workers’ union, which is organized in the interest of the textile workers, as well as run by the textile workers themselves! This union is the National Textile Workers’ Industrial Union. We can do this by turning our entire Local 1660, except for the traitors, into the N.T.W.U. and together with the textile workers of Allentown and the other workers we will go forward to a victorious struggle against all wage-cuts, no matter where they take place!

The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1930/v07-n179-NY-jul-26-1930-DW-LOC.pdf