The Red Thread: The Passaic Textile Strike

249 Pages·2021·13.623 MB·English

by  Jacob A. Zumoff

The Red Thread

The Red Thread
The Passaic Textile Strike
JACOB A. ZUMOFF
Rutgers University Press
New Brunswick, Camden, and Newark, New Jersey, and London
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Zumoff, Jacob A., author.
Title: The red thread: the Passaic textile strike / Jacob A. Zumoff.
Description: New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, [2021] |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020043346 | ISBN 9781978809895 (paperback) |
ISBN 9781978809901 (cloth) | ISBN 9781978809918 (epub) |
ISBN 9781978809925 (mobi) | ISBN 9781978809932 (pdf)
Subjects: LCSH: Textile Workers’ Strike, Passaic, N.J., 1926. | Wages—
Textile workers— New Jersey— Passaic.
Classification: LCC HD5325.T42 1926 Z86 2021 | DDC 331.892/87700974923— dc23
LC rec ord available at https:// lccn. loc .g ov / 2020043346
A British Cataloging- in- Publication rec ord for this book is available from the British Library.
Copyright © 2021 by Jacob A. Zumoff
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from
the publisher. Please contact Rutgers University Press, 106 Somerset Street, New Brunswick,
NJ 08901. The only exception to this prohibition is “fair use” as defined by U.S. copyright law.
The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American National
Standard for Information Sciences— Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials,
ANSI Z39.48-1992.
www .r utgersuniversitypress . org
Manufactured in the United States of Amer i ca
Contents
Illustrations vii
Abbreviations Used in Text ix
Introduction: The Passaic Textile Strike of 1926 1
1 Passaic, New Jersey 11
2 The Strike Begins 22
3 The Communist Party and the Start of the Passaic Strike 31
4 B ringing Passaic to the L abor Movement 50
5 Enter the Politicians 61
6 Repression and Class- Struggle Defense 78
7 Building Relief and Solidarity 100
8 Women, the F amily, and the Passaic Strike 113
9 The End of the Strike 133
10 After the Strike 152
Acknowle dgments 167
Abbreviations Used in Notes 171
Notes 175
Selected Bibliography 217
Index 221
v

Illustrations
Map of Strike Zone 13
Julius Forstmann 19
Daily Worker, March 19, 1926 26
Gus Deak 29
Advertisement for Passaic pamphlet 33
James P. Cannon 40
Support rally for strike in New York City 58
United Front Committee mass rally 73
Police arresting woman striker 80
Police clubbing strikers 82
Albert Weisbord in jail 89
Labor Defender, May 1927 94
Hell in New Jersey pamphlet 106
Strikers’ relief store 109
Elizabeth Gurley Flynn speaking at strike meeting 119
Strikers marching in East Paterson 122
Strikers’ c hildren on truck 129
vii
viii • Illustrations
Strike pamphlet by Mary Heaton Vorse 131
Black workers join the strike in Lodi 153
Jack Rubenstein 159
Abbreviations Used in Text
ACLU American Civil Liberties Union
AFL American Federation of Labor
AFPS American Fund for Public Ser vice (Garland Fund)
AME African Methodist Episcopalian
ASW Associated Silk Workers of Amer i ca
ATWA Amalgamated Textile Workers of Amer i ca
CEC Central Executive Committee (of Communist Party)
CIO Congress of Industrial Organ izations
CP Communist Party
DEC District Executive Committee (of Communist Party)
ILD International Labor Defense
ILGWU International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union
IWA International Workers’ Aid
IWW Industrial Workers of the World
NSDC National Silk Dyeing Com pany
NTWU National Textile Workers Union
SPC Social Prob lems Club
TUC Trade Union Committee (of Communist Party)
TUEL Trade Union Educational League
TWOC Textile Workers Organ izing Committee
TWUA Textile Workers Union of Amer i ca
UCWCH United Council of Working- Class House wives
UFC United Front Committee of Textile Workers
UMW United Mine Workers of Amer i ca
UPDW United Piece Dye Works
ix