The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 27, 1925, Page 3

YELLOW DOG CONTRACT OF YELLOW CAB Not Even. an “Open’ Shop Pretense The following is an exact copy of a “yellow dog” contract of the Yellow Taxi company which it forces on all its employes. It is sufficient proof that this union-hating concern is not entitled to a red cent of patronage from any unionist or ‘union sympa- thizer. The Yellow’ Cab outfit is one of the most hostile upholders of the union wrecking, open shop movement, The contract follows: “Non-Union Agreement—Yellow Cab Company “(No,)... (Date)... “The undersigned, whose “craft is that of a in accepting employ- ment from Yellow Cab company in its. +» does so upon the understanding and agreement with said employer: .. “(1). That as to said craft, said shop, garage and taxicab business has been operated and will continue to be operated, upon the non-union basis and non-union. “(2) That said employer will not recognize, nor have any dealings with, any labor union composed of persons engaged in or representing said craft. “(3) That said employee is not a member of any labor union. While employed by said employer, said em- ployee will not become a member of any labor union and will have no dealings, communications or inter- views with the officers, agents or members of. any, labor union in rela- tion to membership by said employee in such labor union, or in relation to said employe’s said employment. “(4) That it is the intention and desire of the said employer and em- ployee that the employment relation between them be kept entirely free from interfernce or intervention in any respect by any labor union, its officers or agents. “Employe’s Name “Employe’s Addres: .... League of. Nations Labor Office Would Chain Crews to Ships WASHINGTON, Feb. 25.—Interna- tional Seamen’s Union of America, has issued to the seamen’s organizations thruout the world a memorandum pro- testing against the terms of a proposal made by the’ conference on the status of seamen, held under the auspices of the Intl. Labor Office at Geneva, in June, 1920, that an international code for seamen be drafted and adopted by the nations. The report of this Geneva confer- ence urged that “violations of provis- fons in contracts of engagement be- tween seamen and employers should not be dealt with as criminal offenses, unless they be violations of clauses ‘of a public character maintaining pub- lle policy as distinguished from priv- ate interest, and even then only at the instance of public authorities.” The I. S. U. points out that the quit- ting of jobs by sailors on ships tied up at the dock in a safe harbor may be made a violation of “public” in- terest by hostile public authorities, and the freedom of seamen to quit their vessels be thereby destroyed. Loom Fixers Object to Short Time Work FULTON, N. Y., Feb. 25.—Loom- fixers are on strike in the American ‘Woolen company plant here. Their demand is for work every day that the local plant is operating. EASTERN SPLITTING HEADS ONLY ARGUMENT OF A.C. W. FAKERS Members Beaten by Thugs and Cops BROOKLYN, N. Y., Feb. 25.—High handed reactionaries were at their best at the regular union meeting of Local 54, Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, in Brooklyn on Thursday, when they used thugs and Police to beat the members, splitting their heads and throwing them out of the building via the fire escape, and causing their arrest. The trouble started when the pro- gressives asked that the alleged scab record of J. Glaveckas, who had usurped the presidency of the local, be investigated. Also under handed methods of the reactionaries, which recalls a bit of history of the local. Everybody Satisfied But Reactionary Yellows Three years ago the local voted to have the election of officers take place in December in order that the new officers might take hold with the be- ginning of the year. For two years this rule has been followed and the local had been forging ahead effect- ively in its struggle against the boss- es, no one questioning the right of the local to elect in December instead of in January as had been the custom before. The fly in the ointment, however, was the constant rise of the progress- ive element which always elected its officers to the chagrin of the reaction- aries and their friends among the bosses. These reactionaries trumped up an excuse: for a pile of dirty work in secretly urging upon the members that the December elections were not legal, and that the January meeting packed the house with reactionary elements and by a slender vote’ car- ried the motion to declare the oe es ber election void. Yellow Socialist Scab. J. Glaveckas, yellow socialist and companion of the. bosses, who ‘is said to have scabbed in the 8S. Acker man shop when the union struck the shop, wiggled himself in as presi- dent. The odious record of the new presi- dent could not be: forgotten by the progressives and at the February meeting on Thursday they made a mo- tion for an “investigation. The move had apparently been expected, for no sooner was the motion made for a clearing up of Glavecka’s record, than thugs stationed in the different parts of the hall began to use black jacks on the progressives and throw them out of the building down the fire es- cape. Sluggers and Police with Socialists. In this assault K. Jankaitis si tained a blow that split his scalp several inches, a number of women were seriously injured and thrown out with the men and the police call- ed to make arrests. Jankaitis was taken to jail and his bail fixed at $500, and in the morning it was raised to $1,000. After the raid on the progressives, Glaveckas and his followers suspend- ed nine of the most active members of the union for five years, threaten- ing them with expulsion if they of- fered objections and put up a fight against this highhanded procedure. The progressives have called a mass meeting of all the members for 7:30 Friday evening, Feb. 27, at 127 Have- meyer St., corner of Grant, Brooklyn. - CAPITALISM AS A WHOLE AIDS COAL OPERATORS TO BREAK UP UNION BY ORDERING SCAB COAL ‘Total production of coal in the three major nonunion states rose from 116,944,165 tons in 1921 to 173,124,907 tons in 1923 and to 174,290,000 tons in 1924 while production in the three leading unionized states rose from 121,865,048 tons in 1921 to 146,085,617 tons in 1923 and then fell back to 119,420,000 tons in 1924 or lower than 1921. ae UNEMPLOYMENT GROWS IN GREAT BRITAIN; NOW 11.5 PER CENT LONDON, Feb. 25.—A slight im- provement in employment in Eng- land occurred in the latter part of January, but at the end of the month the total unemployed remained higher than in the early part of December. _ Among 11,500,000 people who are insured against unemployment, the percentage of unemployed at the end of January was 11.5, against 10.9 at the end of December, and last year’s lowest rel li of 94 ab the ond of The production of these states in 1928 and 1924 was: Tons of Coal 1923 1924 Nonunion Kentucky .. 44,777,317 45,000,000 ‘West Va. ....107,889,941 110,000,000 Union Illinois .....0 79,310,075 67,880,000 26,229,099 22,840,000 w+ 40,546,443 29,200,000 Business interests have shifted the demand for coal to the nonunion states to make union miners bear the burden of deflating an industry over- expanded by coal profiteers, Tho scab coal costs more than union coal, capitalist business as a whole is will- ing to bear the temporary increased cost, in order to destroy the miners’ union. Then all miners will be forced aad j DISTRICT WAITERS HUNGER AS THEY SERVE HOTEL GUESTS From $5 Weekly Salary Worker Sends Bae Imagine working in a place where you serve all kinds of food and yet you are starving! This is the situa- tion of one worker who is a waiter in a New York hotel and who writes the DAILY WORKER Wednesday to send his dollar for the insurance pol- icy fund. His name is James Vassilavas and his letter reads as follows: “I am working in one of the New York hotels as a waiter and I would like to have the other workers know the life that we live. “Every day we have to get up at 6 o'clock in the morning (or at 5:30 if we live far away up town) in order to be on the dining room floor at 6:45. From then until 10 o'clock, we can hardly make 50 cents. After 10 o’clock we go out till 11:30 and then must be on the floor again until 3. We have to stand in the dining room like statues. “We go out again at 3, with 50 or 75 cents, and then we have to come back to work again at 5:30, for the third time. From 5:30 to 9 o'clock, we work—and make at the most $1.00, “So every day is passing, and we can’t make in tips more than $2.50. And even if we do make it, we have to go out and spend half of it every day for food. The meals they give us are fit only for dogs. Nobody can eat that food. Imagine working in a place where you serve all kinds of food and yet you starve to death. We are staying for everything. “As for wages, we receive $5.00 ev- ery week, which we have to turn over to the boss for a decent room to sleep in. If you get a room for $3.00 or $4.00, you will not be able to mney in it.” GLEAN HOUSE IN. CENTRAL UNION OF PITTSBURGH Beattie, Lak or Spy, Hangs to Fakers PITTSBURGH, Pa. Feb.. 25.—To the average trade unionist in Pitts- burgh, a revolution occurred in the Central Labor Union by the result of the election which was held last meet. ing, but in reality it is only a change of the personnel of the officers. During the Beattie trial here, (who was finally expelled as a labor . | Spy), the old officialdom was so dis- credited that they did not even stand nomination and for this reason it was easier to displace them. But anyone that showed any opposition to the re- actionary officialdom and who had an opponent, the officials saw to it that he was defeated. Such men as Jerry McMunn from the Moulders, who at the previous meeting attacked the editor of the fake labor sheet, the La- bor Free Press, and Jos. Duty, who lead the fight on Beattie in the exe- cutive “board, were defeated for the new board, The Miners’ officials with their large delegation were absent from the meeting. It was they who did every- thing in their power to save Beattie from expulsion, and by this action they gompletely discredited themselves, Some of the newly elected officers of the council are: President William Crissman, steamfitter; Vice Presi- dent, Chas. Miller, stationary engi- neer; Recording Secretary, P. J. Me- Grath, street car man; Executive Board, Abott, teamster; Dorsey, Free- man, Lawrence, A, T. McNamara, Ros- koph, Sampson, Storm and Weitzel, Pressmen at Work on Scab Seattle Hearst Sheet Give Cash Aid SEATTLE, Feb. 25,—Rumors of an early settlement of the strike and lockout that has made Hearst's Seat- tle Post-Intelligencer a nonunion daily since last June are premature. The defense committee of the printers, mailers and stereotypers is still pub- lishing large advertisements stating that the P.-I. is unfair to the Washing. ton State Federation of Labor, the Central Labor Council of Seattle and vicinity, all central labor councils in Washi: state. The printing trades unions have been. out since May 30, 1924, be- cal the local Hearst management refused ‘to pay the same wages and main the same conditions as all other ies published in Seattle. The pressmen, while remaining at work, ar peaeatins to the defense fund t unions . TEE DAILY WORKER — SECTION OF THE TRADE UNIONS HAVE LOT TO LEARN Don’t Know Yet What Unions Are For By M. ZEVIN The Carpénters’ Union, like the Central Labor Council, of Tampa, is a “law abiding,” small and helpless class collaboration trade union. They are affiliated with the Tampa Board of Trade (el@ewhere known as the chamber of commerce), In their dealings with employers they appeal in the name of "fair play,” and “square deal,” which they (by the way) always fail to receive. A few years ago, A. Geiger, with the aid of a few. more who possessed plain, ordinary, common sense, pro- posed that the Carpenters’ Union call a conference of all building trades unions in Tampa and work out @ program whereby all unions would refuse to work on any job where there wag a strike. This proposal was not even given thought let alone action, and received little support either from the officials or the rank and file. As a result of this, the unions are in a helpless position when it comes to a fight with the employers. Our wage scale is the lowest, 80 cents per hour, and working conditions,the worst in the country. Jobs are quite often as far as 20 to 30 miles from Tampa, to which we must carry our heavy boxes of tools daily. There are no street cars in those country towns should one want to spend three or four hours riding to and from work. There is quite a “building boom” going on around Tampa. But none of it is controlled by any of the building trades unions, and but few are being worked on by union labor, not to speak of Having union conditions. Workmen must find their work in the open market, competing with one another for the job, instead of, as elsewhere, the union offices. As a result of br bargaining, particu- “\larly during the winter season when hundreds of;carpenters are coming from the rn states, even the miserably 1 age of 80 cents an hour is being cut to as low as 50 cents and sometimes to even 25 cents an hour. It is quite usual here to find “good union carpenters” from up north, working for $2 and $3 a day, and the union’ is too weak to do any- thing. A state of chaos exists, the union scale of 80 cents per hour is @ paper scale. “When we came to Tampa we came into the union and applied for a job. We've done that for weeks long, un- till all of our funds were gone, and what were we to do? We had to get what we could in order to keep from starving,” is the excuse offered for working below the scale. The local carpenters are suffering too, their wages are being cut daily. Afraid of not getting work, the major- ity of them do not report the cut to the union offices, thus the vicious circle is completed. The situation has reached a stage where we must fight or starve. The workers are now in a fighting mood. A lively campaign to strengthen their ranks, and to organizing the unorgan- ized, has been started, with the pur- pose in view of presenting demands to the bosses and striking if neces- sary, to enforce them. A large group of carpenters are urg- ing that two main demands, namely, “the union shop,” and “free transport- ation” shall mot be compromised. Many are in favor of amalgamation, and point out, that if the bricklayers, plumbers, painters, electricians, etc. fought as a unit, like the chamber of commerce, the daily papers, the courts, and police departments sup- port the bosses, we would win our demands in short order. Fifty copies’ of the DAILY WORK- ER were distributed by our 74 years young sympathizer, at a joint meeting of both carpenters’ locals, and they all acclaimed the DAILY WORKER as the best and only true working Class daily paper. Those who, wanted to read real working class mews from a truly working class paper, should give their subscriptions to W. D, Landis, 701 Lafayette Stt, Tampa, Fla. THIRTY THOUSAND WELSH MINERS ARE NOW UNEMPLOYED —, LONDO Thirty tho are unemployed, a news dispatch states, The South Wales Miners’ Federation taken steps to rend- er financial distress to the unem- ployed miners and their famili Some time ago the Swansea an- thracite mineérs passed a resolution inst coll working overtime, CENTRAL DISTRICT “FREEDOM” I$ PHILOSOPHY OF OPEN SHOPPERS Cite Vanderbilt Pro- fessor As Guide KANSAS CITY, Mo., Feb. 25.—The Employers’ Association is getting out upon a campaign to break up the building trades unions. Breaking up any union is always the function of an employers’ association, but the building trades unions are especially getting the attention because of their refusal to accept a wage cut of 12 cents, and in addition have voted by rank and file ballot, not to admit any “arbitration” bunk to cheat them out of what their organized power can get. An architect, F. McElwaney was to have been the “impartial” umpire. But that’s off. There is much call for building trades workers as build- ing is booming and much of it is rush Jobs, So the unions do not feel like surrendering. The Captain Enters The Plot The employers’ association, head- ed by an animal with a moniker of “captain”—probably a ralic of the world war—is broadcasting sheaves of open shop literary efforts to con- vince the employing contractors of the necessity of fighting the unions, Captain Anderson, his surname libels the whole of Sweden, sent out a letter to employers last week be- ginning with a philosophical dissert- ation from a two-by-four professor of economics in Vanderbilt's university at Nashville. The “prof” talks about “freedom,” beautiful, ineffable free- dom. In this he, a Vanderbilt hack- saw, sounds almost like an anarchist who pretends he is an I. W. W. Here is his contribution to the open shop: Capitalist Philosophy Called “The chief cornerstone of the American theory of industrial life is the freedom of the individual, Free- dom of the individual includes the right of a person to work anywhere he pleases under the American flag. Freedom of the individual to sell his labor to anybody, anywhere, at any time. Freedom to buy the labor and products of others without let or hindrance or restriction. from any source.” Isn’t this a nice philosophy? Per- fectly splendid! But for the some- where near 2,000,000 unemployed the “freedom of the individual to sell his labor to anybody, anywhere, at any time” seems like a horse with a bro- ken back. Nobody can ride the darn- ed critter, nor “sell his labor"—be- cause the capitalists own the jobs and don’t make any offers for the free but starving workers to pick up. The same way with the freedom to buy “the products of others” without restriction from any source. Products are piling up in the warehouses, or factories are running short time on the excuse that “there is no market”; yet millions of people want such pro- ducts and are certainly restricted from buying them by the miserable scab wages paid by open shop em- ployers, The professor’s “freedoms” seem to be all balled up. “Arise In Your Might!” Captain H. H. Anderson, the initials probably being for Handsome Harry, lays down the law in three closely typed pages, explaining why building contractors should fight the unions. The “captain” becomes militant, even violent. He says, and he says it twice: “Cannot our citizenry arise in their might and follow the examples that are laid down by our sister cities?” The “captain” arises in his might and points out that scab towns are beating Kansas City in drawing “new business concerns.” This might not be so attractive to the concerns al- ready located there. And then the “captain” finishes up by quoting the citizens’ alliance of St. Paul to prove that he is an excellent instructor in the fine art of scab herding and union baiting. Says Unions Keep Up Wage Scale While the Unorganized Lose Out Engineering News Record reports in analyzing its annual survey, shows that @t least one-third of the coun- try expects record breaking building booms this year. The survey divides labor into two groups, One of these deseribed as the more powerful, im the highly organized trades ehgaged in trans- portation, mining and construction. For this group ) wage tendency has been upward, owing to strength of the unions involved, the urgent de- mand for the services of the mechan- ies and the scarcity of apprentices. ‘The second group es in shop and factory workers, common laborers and unorganized workers. With this group ing tl rk of the day wage m demanding that the, meno Suny anand 4 Hin sige frentite ILLINOIS MINERS SUFFER SAVAGE FIGHT FOR LIFE Companies Attack As Union Weakens In and around Christopher, Ill, the Old Ben Coal corporation owns sev- eral large mines. No. 10, closed down last December, after having worked only two and one-half months during the year 1924. No. 12 and No. 14 are working only two or three days a week, Mine No. 11 has been closed down for about two weeks. The whistle hasn’t.even blown since the men run- ning the motors refused to continue work under their present conditions. It has been the custom in all the mines that when a man gets a job on one territory, he was to remain there as long as the territory lasted. But; this company has put into effect the practice of shifting their men all over the field so that they never know from one day to the next where they will be working. This is the reason for the motor men refusing to con- tinue work. A Fine Scheme. However, the company was not sat- isfied with making the conditions worse only in this way. But in an attempt to prepare the ground for a wage reduction, the company has of- fered to start up the mine again if the men will agree to go down at 5:00 a, m., and if they will go down thru the air shaft, which has a, smaller cage and would take more time to let the men down. It would require two hours to either let down or bring out the 700 men working there. The men) would have to get up at about 4:00 o’clock in the morning in order to be ready to go down by 5:00, and it would be 6:00 o’clock before they could go home in the evening. As to the conditions in the mine, it is so filled with men that two men can get only three or four cars a day, many times less. A 13-Hour Day. It is such conditions as these that the company is trying to force upon the men, 18 hours per day, from five in the morning till six at night, and this is being attempted in best organ- ized districts in the industry. No. 11 mine is a test case. If they can put this over in one mine, it will be put into effect in the others as well as eventually forcing down the wages. For altho the men may be working 13 hours, the company will protest that they cannot afford to pay for more than eight hours work. Once accepting the lowering of these conditions, which the men at- tained thru long years of struggle, there is no end to the concessions in wages and conditions that the com- pany will force from the miners. Unemployment Growing. Conditions in the other parts of the district are not improving, as shown by the fact that within the past week the following mines have closed down: In Eldorado, five mines are colsed down and one working; Coal- ton, closed down, leaving 900 men out of work; Kincaid Mine No. 8 closed down, letting out 700 men; Nokomis No, 9 closed, 800 men out; on Feb. 18, Klondike mine closed, letting out 650 men. In Sub-District No. 4 of District 12, 17 mines out of a total of 35 have closed down, and the remain- der are only working part time. This only touches the edges of the story, but is sufficient to give one a bird’s eye view of the situation in the coal fields of Illinois. Farrington and the remainder of the yellow bellied crew are helpless and hopeless. “Dig more and cleaner coal” is Far- rington’s answer to the men who have not dug a ton of coal in six months. “Six hours work, four days per week.” “nationalization of mines,” “unem- ployment insurance taken out of the profits of the boss”; such is the solu- tion offered by the progressive miners. And according to the Lewis method of counting 66,000 (?) miners voted for this policy. In reality it received a@ majority vote. We are reaching the cross-roads, a little more effort and we will replace the Lewis-Farrington administration, with one that will fight in the interest of the miners instead of for the coal operators, When Brae buy, get an “Ad” Get your tickets for Red Revel Ball, Spend Your Sunday Evening at the Open Forum. E, W. RIECK LUNCH ROOMS Seven Places 42 W. Harrison 118 8. Clark 66 w. Washington | 167 N. State 234 8. Halsted PHONES, HARRISON Rieck Brown, Fresh M Page Three ION EDUCATIONAL LEAGUE | TAMPA, FLORIDA, LEFT TURNS In the miners’ election the left wing official vote of 66,000 made Wm. Green look that way. And the way the miners dig into the labor fakers makes Lewis admit that some of them are sure “hard” coal miners. NOW YOU TELL ONE! I know you won't believe this, but it’s on the level. My boss is a big-hearted guy. The gang on the job were all bragging how easy their jobs were. The steamfit- ter said his was mostly “a pipe’; the plumber said his was usually a cinch and the electrician said his was so easy it would shock them. The boss overheard the whole story and raised their pay. DUSTIN’ OFF AN OLD ONE. MO—“They say there are 526,000, 000 Christians in the world.” BO—“For Christ's sake!” MO—“That’s what they say!” Every janitor is really half a boss He can’t hire but he’s got the job of firing—and he gets fired if he doesn’t. THEREBY HANGS A TALE, A bill was proposed in Illinois t« have pedestrians carry tail lights. That would be quite useful. It throw a light on what the politicians make of the voters between elections. Lefty says: The papers are giving a lot of pub- licity to a prohibition agent who earns only $2,400 a year and saved $38,000. The A. F. of L. bureaucrats must have been jealous to see a piker like that get so much publicity. THERE'S A DIFFERENCE. The discontent among the machin- ists with their leaders proves the boys in the metal trades are getting good at their trade. They are begin- ning to note the difference between good steel and bad steal. AND IN THE CARPENTERS— The militant left wingers claim they saw to a platform with planks that Hutcheson can’t stand on. Cheer up—if you get board reading these cut ups, you can always nail. WALT CARMON. Portland, Oregon, Wobblies in Need of Action Committee PORTLAND, Ore—On February 11 the Rowanite (injunction) faction of the I. W. W. dispossessed the Lumber Workers’ Industrial Union of their hall located at 109 Second St. True Tuttle, an organizer for Rowan and delinquent delegate of I. U. 120, has taken charge of the hall, charter, records and two cents of said organ- ization. A representative of the G. B. B. arrived here and since the Rowanites have taken such action, has rented another hall at 121 Burnside street. The Rowanites, who are showing much more spunk than those who de- pend upon the general office, time, God or somebody else to fight the in- junctionite crew, are picketing the new hall, calling all who enter finks and other unsavory names. So far it has gotten no further than calling names. That’s because the I. W. W. is a rip-raring revolutionary union. If a “conservative” A. F. of L. union had Rowan on its hands, the scenery would be littered up with dead and dying. If anyone needs to see the effect of pacifism on the I. W. W., come to Portland. One cannot imagine the old I. W. W., officered by St. John or Haywood, using comardice under the guise of “moral suasion” on Injune- tion Jimmie and his splitters. But, alas, Petrus Jesus Welinder, who believes revolutionists should be upholstered gentlemen who can “teach” Rowan that injunctions aren't right, and “explain” to True Tuttle that it isn’t fair to split the I. W. W. —this impossible idiot is the best the wobblies can afford. William Ford, port delegate of M. T. W. 510, refuses to turn over funds to the representative of the general office. He is in charge of all proper- ties and is using his position and in. fluence in behalf of the Rowanites. Some of the wobblies have Ba queer notion that the way to “ . Rowan is to give him the organiza- tion to play with, that he will ruin it, then the ones who are “right” can, say—“See! We told you he was no good!” This might prove that their point was well taken, but, great Scott, what about saving the organization? Cowards always find a “reason” for being cowards. Portland needs a lit- tle “rank and file committee of ac tion.” ‘uuutenatnevvnncatvcericsneceteea PITTSBURGH, PA. To those who work hard for their money, | will save 50 per cent on all ‘ their dental work. DR. DENTIST ¢ 645 Smithfield Streot, iy