American Communist-Sponsored Groups: American Labor Alliance (1920 - 1921)

ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORYThe American Labor Alliance for Trade Relations With Russia emerged as a byproduct of the international protest movement against the blockade of Soviet Russia by the Entente powers, including the United States.

In October of 1919, a protest of Russian immigrants was held in New York City, which attempted to march down Fifth Avenue. The parade was broken up by force by the city's mounted police. A week later another parade was held at the same location, this organized by American women under the moniker "American Women's Emergency Committee." This second march against the blockade was not suppressed.
For one year this American Women's Emergency Committee conducted agitation to end the Russian blockade and conduct positive relief efforts to the Russian people. It was not until October of 1920 that an appeal was made by this organization to the city's trade union establishment to assist in this cause.
A committee including members of the Women's Emergency Committee and representatives of the Farmer-Labor Party and Socialist Party of New York was established and a temporary Executive Committee named, operating under the name Humanitarian Labor Alliance. This temporary Executive Committee called a conference to which all of New York's unions were invited to send 5 delegates each.


1. Conference of the Humanitarian Labor Alliance -- New York City -- Nov. 21, 1920
This conference of the Humanitarian Labor Alliance was attended by 512 delegates, representing over 100 local unions of the AF of L and assorted other labor organizations. The gathering passed a resolution calling for the end of the blockade against Soviet Russia, raised funds amongst the delegates, and elected a permanent Executive Committee to carry forward the work of the organization. This gathering included representatives of various political organizations, much broader than merely the Communist Party -- the conference was addressed by, among others, Socialist Party stalwart James H. Maurer of Pennsylvania and Sidney Hillman, head of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America.
The next week, the permanent Executive Committee met and elected officers of the organization. The name of the organization was changed at this meeting to The American Labor Alliance for Trade Relations With Russia. The group also hired a full-time organizer, Duncan McDonald of Illinois. The organization began its work of publicity, sending out a stream of news releases to labor newspapers around the country through the Federated Press.



2. Founding Convention of the American Labor Alliance -- New York City -- Aug. 4 (?), 1921
The American Labor Alliance was formally launched at a Convention held in New York in Aug. 8, 1921. Twelve organizations were represented at the lauch, most or all of which had close ties to the Communist movement. A constitution was adopted, a document which stated the formal name of the organization as "The American Labor Alliance" (i.e. dropping the "for Trade Relations with Soviet Russia" suffix). The ALA was to be an alliance of affiliated organizations rather than a membership group itself; finances were to be generated by "voluntary contributions from afÞliated organizations and from sympathizers." Membership in the ALA was open to "Any organization which declares itself to be in agreement with the purpose of the ALA and which agrees to abide by its working rules," upon the majority vote of a 7 member Executive Board, which was to be elected by the convention.
Members of the Executive Board elected by the founding convention were: J.P. Cannon, Associated Tailor Clubs; William Woodworth, Marxian Educational Society; L.E. Katterfeld and Edgar Owens, National Defense Committee; Michael Dardella, Ukrainian Workers Club; Dr. Walenka, Friends of Soviet Russia; and Caleb Harrison, Industrial Socialist League. A meeting of this group held immediately after the close of the convention selected Caleb Harrison as Executive Secretary. Headquarters were established at 201 W 13th St., New York City.
This new variant of the ALA seems to have been stillborn; by September 1921 it was governed by a body not mentioned in the organization's constitution, a "Provisional Executive Committee," which determined to transform the group into a dues-paying membership organization based on local groups, en route to establishing a "revolutionary political party" of the class conscious proletariat. This organization was the Workers Party of America, the overground "Legal Political Party" of the underground Communist Party of America.