The toiler., October 16, 1920, Page PAGE 10, Image 10

About The toiler. (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922

Image provided by: Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, OH

PAGE 10
THE TOILER
SATURDAY, OCT. 16th, 1020.
Appeal To The Labor Unions
By The Communist International
(The following appeal from the Third Inter
national to the labor movement of the world is
now being featured in the European labor press. It
is reprinted here for the information of the lead
ers of the Toiler. Editor's note.)
The labor unions numbered over ten million
members on the eve of the fourth of August, 1914,
when first the imperialistic slaughter began.
Nevertheless, the labor unions almost everywhere
failed to offer any serious opposition to the im
perialistic butchery. On the contrary, in an over
whelming majority of cases, the leaders of the old
labor union movement had placed themselves and
their organizations entirely at the disposal of cap
italist governments. The whole apparatus of the
old labor unions was given over to the service
of the imperialistic general staff. All the laws
dealing with the protection of labor were revoked
by the bourgeoisie with the full essent of the
labor union leaders. Compulsory work equivalent
to penal servitude for labor, extending even to
sixty year old women, was introduced by the
bourgeoisie with the approval of these very same
leaders of the unions. Moreover, the administra
tion of the old labor unions had delivered their
organizations into a moral slavery to the bourge
oisie. Papers and magazines published by the old
labor unions were sending their blessings to the
workers who went to death for the sake and in
the interest of capital. These papers repeated
capitalistic lies about the "defence of the father
land" and made themselves everywhere the pro
pagators of bourgeois ideas among the mass off
organized workers.
Old Unions tyere Powerless
Corroded by the gangrene of opportunism,
betrayed by leaders, nursed in the lukewarm
atmosphere of reformism, the old labor unions
showed themselves powerless to offer any kind of
a protest against the imperialistic slaughter.
The so-called "independent" unions, directed
by the Legiens virtually united with the trea
cherous yellow unions the suppliers of strike
breakers, . i
) Cnrl Legien at the time of the war was
the Secretary of all the "international" trades
unions with headquurters in Berlin. Edit. Note.
But, presently, the war is over! An imperial
istic peace, concluded at the expense of the people,
showed even to the blind the purpose for which
this imperialistic war was waged. The armies are
demobilized, the workers return to their organiza
tions. What will happen to the labor unions? What
course will they now follow?
The old leaders of the labor unions again are
attempting, to force these unions upon the bourg
eois path. From the ranks of the "leaders" of
the old movement came forth the most loathsome
executioners of the working class, such as Noske
in Germany and Paidel in Hungary. Tomorrow
Messrs Jouhaux in France and Gompers in Amer
ica, if circumstances are favorable, will become the
very same Noskes the same hangmen of the
working class as we have seen them in more than
one country.
Characteristics Of The Old Unions
What were the characteristics of the old
labor union movement which brought it to actual
capitulation before the Iwurgeoisie? The narrown
ess of craft unionism ! The organized separatism !
The making a fetish of bourgeois legality ! Depend
ing upon the aristocracy of labor viewing with
contempt the mass of semi-skilled common labor!
High membership dues, inaccessible to the average
worker! Concentration of all management of the
unions into the hands of the bureaucratic official
dom, degenerating more and more into a caste of
functionaries of the labor union movement! The
propagation of a "neutral" attitude towards the
problems of proletarian political struggle equival
ent in deed to the political support of the bourge
oisie! The perversion of the system of collective
bargaining, which in actual consequence led. to
the point where collective agreements were con
cluded by the labor union bnreaucracy, enslaving
the workers of a given trade for a number of
years to the capitalist! The boasting of those in
significant improvements (for example, the only
nominal increase in wages) which the unions
succeeded in obtaining frop.i employers in a peace
ful manner. The accentuation, as if of primary
importance, of the. problems of charity and petty