Though the most notorious, the Mine Workers Union has hardly been the only U.S. union whose bureaucrats used gangsters and murder against internal enemies over the years. After the Communist-led Left won elections to New York City’s Join Board in 1926–and thereby leadership over the activities of the city’s I.L.G.W.U.’ locals, the conflict between lefts and rights, whose leadership came largely from the Socialist Party, intensified with the criminal gangs employed by the Sigman-Dubinsky leadership used for violent assaults against their enemies. The conflict took on a life of its own, very specific to the businesses and locals involved, with many dozens of events like the one below happening in the city of those years.

‘Samuel Cohen, Left Wing Picket, Shot by Reactionary Gang’ from The Daily Worker. Vol. 4 No. 22. February 8, 1927.

Closed Car With Gunmen Ran Around Breaking Traffic Rules But Was Not Stopped by Police

Samuel Cohen. Executive Board member of Local 35. International Ladies’ Garment Workers union, was wounded in the right leg when he was fired at by gangsters from an automobile at 67th street and Broadway as he was leading the picket line at Reisman, Rothman, and Beaver, 521 Seventh Avenue at 7 o’clock yesterday morning. The gangsters escaped.

In Three Cars.

Cohen, in an exclusive interview with The DAILY WORKER states that there were altogether between fifteen and eighteen gangsters, in three ears. The pickets had been barred by the police from marching down Fifty-seventh street, where the struck shop stands, and were on Tenth avenue.

The three cars came down Fifty-seventh street, and when near a group of pickets, including Cohen, all stopped. From the center car three men alighted, and each standing with one foot on the ground and one on the running board, fired one shot—after which all three cars moved on away. The police came, but did not make any serious effort to follow the cars.

Will Not Quit.

Cohen is resting easily at 1427 Madison street, his home, and declares he will never stop his activities to build up the International Ladies Garment Workers union, whatever the bosses or Sigman’s gangsters may do to him.

Policeman Albert Schweizer jays that he was unable to stop the car as it speeded away for fear a shot from him would hit passersby. The gunmen had entered Sixth Ave. from the west and drew up at the south curb of Fifty-seventh street, in violation of Traffic ordinances, but without interference.

This is the third time within a week that gangsters have attacked pickets of this shop, which was called on strike last Monday by the Joint Board after three workers were discharged for refusing to register with the International.

Other Shootings.

On last Wednesday gangsters fired from an automobile into the air, and on Friday, Theodore Tirins of Local 35 was attacked and beaten with lead pipe by gangsters. All but one of them escaped in their automobile. He gave his name as Joseph Zcuruch, and was found to have a long police record, with three previous convictions for felonies, and was held without bail by the Fifty-fourth street Court, charged with felonious assault.

Right Wing Gang.

Louis Hyman, manager of the Joint Board, pointed out that the gangsters were not hired by the employers, but are “right wing gangsters who have been recognized in other sections of the garment dispute.” He said, “This is the same bunch of gangsters that has been terrorizing the entire garment district and attacking workers known to be sympathetic to the Joint Board in the present dispute. The Joint Board has called a number of strikes in shops where workers have been discharged for refusing to register with the International, and picket. lines have been established before these shops. Although President Sigman has boasted that workers would not be forced to register with him, he continues to hire gangsters to shoot and beat them up when they try to protect their fellow workers against unjust discrimination by going on the picket lines.”