its now famous resolution calling for the consolidation of all the craft unions into industrial unions. Led by Mr. Gompers himself, the reactionaries declared war against the movement. But to no avail, amalgamation sentiment ran on like a flood everywhere. Since then (this is being written in October, 1922) thousands of local unions, scores of central labor councils, and five international unions,[1] Railway Clerks, Maintenance of Way, Butcher Workmen, Fire Fighters, and Amalgamated Food Workers, have adopted and endorsed general amalgamation projects. The State Federations of labor have been particularly responsive. During the past four months thirteen of them have acted upon the proposition and in eleven instances, viz.: Minnesota, Washington, Utah, Colorado, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Michigan, Indiana, Oregon, South Dakota, and Ohio, the amalgamationists won out overwhelmingly in spite of desperate resistance from the reactionaries. And in the two failures, California and Illinois, the craft unionists secured the victory only by narrow margins. The movement for solidarity is irresistible.
A high point in the campaign was the Detroit convention of the Maintenance of Way, when the 1,500 delegates not only endorsed amalgamation on five separate occasions, but they also cleaned out 19 of 21 of their general officials, including the President, Grable. Even the independent unions have been deeply affected by the amalgamation movement. A year ago the whole tendency was for them to split and split again, but now they are exhibiting strong get-together movements. In the boot and shoe and textile industries amalgamations of the independents are now under way, and further consolidations may be looked for in the near future. The amalgamation campaign, now sweeping victoriously onward, will culminate inevitably in a profound re-organization of the labor movement. It is a veritable triumph for industrial unionism, and the Trade Union Educational League is the heart of it all.
In Conclusion
The American labor movement is bankrupt. With its reactionary bureaucracy and antiquated political and industrial policies and organization, it is altogether unfit to cope with the alert, highly-organized capitalist class. Politically it has long been a cipher, and now it is in
- ↑ At its May, 1922, convention the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America also reiterated more strongly than ever its demand for amalgamation of all the unions in the clothing industry.
