Page:William Z. Foster, James P. Cannon and Earl Browder - Trade Unions in America.djvu/11

 revolutionary." Some of its affiliated national unions however, retain their connections with the corresponding Amsterdam organization. Among the unions retaining such affiliations are the Miners, Longshoremen, Machinists, and Ladies Garment Workers. The Canadian Trades and Labor Congress, although its constituent units are in the A. F. of L. remains affiliated to Amsterdam. In the A. F. of L. the movement for international affiliation is yet weak, both for Amsterdam and Moscow, but the growing strength of the Red International adherents within the unions, plus the desire to forestall the world unity movement of the R. I. L. U. is bringing the officialdom to consider reaffiliation to Amsterdam. The central labor councils of Minneapolis, Detroit and Seattle sent delegates to the R. I. L. U. Congresses, but could not affiliate directly. The Nova Scotia miners voted to affiliate, but had their charter taken from them by the head of the miners' union, John L. Lewis. The United Labor Council is affiliated to the Red International of Labor Unions. The I. W. W. has no international affiliation. At its 1923 convention it voted down propositions of affiliation both to the Moscow and Berlin Syndicalist Internationals. There is a strong element in the organization which holds that the I. W. W. is in itself the international.

The conservative trade unions have strongly developed insurance features, including benefits for strikes, death, sickness, unemployment, etc. This is especially true of the organizations of the most skilled workers, the unions of unskilled workers being unable to collect the high dues (which sometimes are as much as $10.00 per month) necessary to maintain such insurance. The four railroad brotherhoods have exceptionally highly developed insurance departments. Likewise the printers; in their recent great national strike the latter paid out $17,000,000 in strike benefits. On the other hand, all the revolutionary organizations are opposed to the insurance system. They charge low dues and depend upon their