When the Bigiwgs — —

of the central associations see their influence waning, they resort to the crudest means to lure the lost “sheep” back into the fold. Many have lost their jobs as a result of the working alliance between the union and the employer. Only recently it was discovered that a construction worker was not given a job on three building sites, although he had been placed there when asked for proof; why he was not hired? because he was not a member of the construction union. The foreman explained to this colleague: “We have a collective agreement with the association not to hire people who are not members of the building trade association.” So that's how far the labor union has come. Once the bigwigs barter away the proletarians' labor, make peace with the exploiters, and as thanks, the employer undertakes to drive members to the association. There is similar evidence from the metal industry. This also seems to be the case in the Central Association of Bakers and Confectioners. The bigwigs go to great lengths to keep everything in their cage. A young journeyman baker who, after a four-year apprenticeship, belonged to the association as a journeyman for one year, but realized during this one year that his membership of the central association only helped the bigwigs to secure his unemployed existence, declared his resignation. He told himself that even without a membership book in his pocket, a worker can be a colleague and show solidarity. He sent the association the following letter:

“Enclosed I return my membership book and declare my resignation from the association. Efforts on the part of the association's management to reverse my resignation are futile, as my resignation is justified and I therefore forbid myself to be visited by the association's treasurers.”

What the gentlemen from Besenbinderhof had to say in response is so interesting that it must be published here:

“We are responding to the resignation sent to us for the simple reason that it sounds strange when a colleague writes: “My resignation is justified”. It would be interesting enough to hear the reasons, but it will be no different in this case, as it is for many of our young colleagues. You assume you know something about the trade union movement and are not even in a position to prove through collegiality that you stand by your colleagues. How can you, as a 21-year-old young man, form an opinion about the trade union work of our organization if you have stood outside our ranks up to now and, the main thing is, have no idea at all of the working methods of the pre-war period, as they were common in our profession. Perhaps it wouldn't do any harm if all these people who think they don't need any organization had to stand in the bakery again night after night. For an employee who has a firm character and doesn't just want to live off the achievements of his other colleagues, as long as he is a journeyman, there is nothing else for such a colleague but to be a member of his association. Let's look at the master bakers, there are no unorganized people there. There's really no need to indirectly threaten us with a lawsuit if our officials try to integrate you into our ranks again. You won't die as a journeyman baker at Master Baker B. and we will still have the opportunity to see you again in other companies. Until then, however, we are still waiting for the reasons that prompted you to leave. Among our colleagues in Hamburg-Altona, those who leave our ranks are known as “contribution shysters”. You are hereby requested to come to the meeting on Sunday, September 7 and, as befits a man, to explain your reasons to the entire collegiate body.”

Mr. Bigwig, a former master baker, has really worked his brains out. However, it is clear from the letter that they only want the contributions if the member also knows nothing about the trade union movement. Collegiality can also be demonstrated without a book. By writing “Night after night in the bakery”, he is making it clear that it is 1924 and no longer 1914, but nevertheless the business community is doing its business. Perhaps it wouldn't do any harm if he himself spent another 10 hours in the bakery. As a 21-year-old man, you sometimes have more greetings in your head than such an ossified bureaucrat. You can also stand by your classmates as an unorganized or disorganized person; there are “contribution shy” people who do more for their class 1; do it than those “leaders” ever did. Perhaps the young journeyman will one day have the opportunity to see the bigwig again, either unemployed or working in a company, so that he can tell him something about centralist professional organization and federalist class organization or about reformism and class struggle. Until then, we will know how to ensure that many more workers' eyes are opened to the true nature of the central trade unions, so that they learn to recognize that there can be no original working community between entrepreneurship and the original workforce, that only the class struggle can eliminate exploitation, and that we, as the victorious class, can establish the community of goods, the economy of needs, communism. Therefore, not as the “communists” shout: “Into the trade unions!”, but out of the free trade union cell prison! Not: Back to the labor community, but away with it! Not the “revolutionization” of state support, but its destruction is an absolute revolutionary necessity. Parties and trade unions are bulwarks of the exploitative state. The revolutionary unions [AAUE] are the foundation of the new society.