The Daily Worker Newspaper, December 26, 1925, Page 5

, Carried cards. Workers SANTA BARBARA OPEN SHOPPERS HAVE HARD TIME Building Trades Unions Have Closed Shop By A Worker Correspondent SANTA BARBARA, Cal. Dec, 23— The story. has.gone abroad that San- ta Barbara has been filled with non- union labor and that whatever control ‘the unions once had is now a thing of the past. The truth is that the unions are more in the’ saddle now than they ever were before. The scabby school work has been’ completed with the exception of the Montecito school. It was on school work where the unions in the building industry en- countered resistance to the closed shop. As readers of The DAILY WORKER know, the school board choose to turn a deaf ear to the prayers of the representatives of the anions. Nonunion workers here are undoubtedly now fewer than ever. On State, St. where most of the business is located and where the damage of the earthquake was the heaviest the closed shop prevails, The greatest number of unorganized is to be found among common laborers. It is not uncommon when solicitiing job to be told by the bosses that they get all their men from the Labor Temple. The union is a docile ani- mal, seemingly at all times doing the master’s bidding, so why not? Smed- ley, secretary of the Santa Barbara County Building Trades Council and elected to the city council, tells the men that on a tour of inspection he has found men loafing. That was a sure way of breaking down conditions. The men should deliver “a fair days ‘work for a fair day's pay.” Source of Trouble. All this open shop talk originated apparently with one Osborne, a form- er ‘member of the Boiler Makers’ Union of Los Angeles and who in the pay of the labor-Hating element of that city spent considerable time here ee yainly so far trying to stir up a fight for the open shop. It is said he has “been driven out of town. The Los Angeles Times, uncom- promising foe of organized labor, al- ways anti-everything which even in the remotest way tends to make the country safer for the workers, carried an open shop story about Santa Bar- bara om the front page November 15. One of the four headings to the story says: “Merchants and Builders will put truction on Americen-Plan Ba- ” Tt stutters along telling of “six Fon of investigation” of organized labor; “The first open break between the unions and the open shop advoca- tes,” “Members of the Builders Ex- change of Santa Barbara have so far been at the mercy of the council;” the unions are blamed for the inabili- ty of the California Development As- sociation to raise the $1,100,000 pro- mised this city just after the earth- quake, it says the cost of construc- tion is 25% higher here than in Los Angéles because of the closed shop, ete. * Exchange Denies Guilt. November 16th., the local papers published a statement signed by H. L. Sweeney, chairman publicity com- mittee, Santa Barbara Builders Ex- change and also a member of the city council, elected Dec. 1st., denying that his organization sought to introduce the open shop. He said: “Whatever there is to be done can easily be taken care of by home contractors and home workmen.” He concluded in this manner: “Remember the fable of the fight over the piece of cheese. When the fight was over there was no cheese for either contestants.” Regarding the Central Building, a man who worked there says all men The stealing of paint brushes was a frame-up. arrested. Should We Worry? Workers ought to be pleased th None were construction costs are 25% higher here than in Los ‘Angeles because of the closed shop, None are more en- titled to it or need it than they. But are not’ materials higher in Santa Barbara than in Los Angeles? The forcible lesson taught by the disastrous earthquake making better materials, workmanship and con- struction methods imperative, do _these decrease the cost of building? If building is and’ has been 25% cheaper in Los Angeles, have we not reasons for believing this is due to flimsy construction and greed on the part of speculators in that stromg- hold of labor haters? What would happen to the shells in Los Angeles if it should: be unfor- tunate enough to be visited by an earthquake of equal severity to the one experienced’ here? In Santa Barbara the unions ride easy when cdmpared ‘to Los Angi It may be that thefr strength is more apparent than real. Can it be the bosses here are wiser than their brethren in Los ‘Angeles and know a good thing’ when they see it?” ¢ rita About the Workers’ ~ (Story About the First Prize Winners’ Story) MESSINGER EMPLOYES APPRECIATE DAILY WORKER AFTER READING THE STORY BY A WORKER CORRESPONDENT HERE appeared recently an article in The DAILY WORKER by Rufus P. Heath, concerning Messinger’s lunch rooms. The employes of Messinger’s were anxious to get The DAILY WORKER and were proud of It, when they saw that it was fighting their battles and exposing the miserable conditions under which they have to slave and suffer. One ‘of the workers, a pantryman, said that it (The DAILY WORKER) “was a great paper to tell the world the truth about the way the workers are treated by the big corporations. is more papers of this kind. “| was surprise What we need "" said the pantryman, “to see a newspaper that has the nerve to tell the truth about an open shop (scab) outfit like Messinger’s.” The DAILY WORKER was distributed all day Monday to the Messinger workers. Editor’s Note:—Rufus P, Heath. the writer of the Messinger article ‘which appeared in the Monday, Dec. 21 issue of The DAILY WORKER, is ‘the winner of the first prize in this week's contest. He is a member of the Chicago Worker Correspondents’ class. COOLIDGE PROSPERITY BLAH DOES «. NOT FEED THIS STARVING WORKER THE THIRD PRIZE. By R. M., Worker Correspondent. MOUNDSVILLE, W. Va., Dec. 23.—Coolidge in his message to congress boasted about the prosperity of the United States and the fact that conditions generally have greatly improved. Business men everywhere wear smiles on their profit-bloated faces for, as they more stabilized—for them, Here is a typical victim of the above “prosperity” and “stabilized business conditions.” A man looking as if he were half- starved and tired almost to exhaustion entered the office of one of the local manufacturing concerns in quest of a job and stated that he had nothing to eat that day and no possible means of obtaining anything, Altho he was stabbily- dressed one ‘could easily tell he was not a common hobo or a drunk- ard but, a poor, respectable working man. Tt developed that he hailed originally from Kentucky, leaving that state recently in search of a job, traveling’ by foot. He was reduced to such strained circumstances that he was forced to beg for his meals. He di obtain any employment in this Htawn anywhere. Altho a few dollars were collected and given him it goes without saying that the act did not meét/With the approval of aJl the busi- MG say, businss conditions are becoming WANTED-ADDRESS OF WINNER OF FIRST PRIZE IN LAST WEEK'S CONTEST Will the worker correspondent from New York City who won the first prize in last week’s contest send in his name and address so that his book may be sent to him? —Edit The DAILY WORKER, 1113 West Washington Blvd., Chi- cago, Ill, ————_— ness men. One of them went so far as to state that it was the man’s fault that he was jobless, that he shouldn’t be so particular about what he got or where he worked! Whose fault is it that such condi- tions exist among the working class? ny -DAY WEEK AND NO SCABBING N THE JOB ARE DEMANDS OF MEN TO BUILDING TRADES OFFICIALS By C. E., Worker Correspondent (Student Chicago Class) «Right for a five-day week,” is one of the issues we can't help but discuss sting up during the thirty minutes allowed for lunch. ohh, this fight for a five-day week the painters have taken the initiativ: ve as in most of the progress made in the building trades, In, the struggle for this issue, wa must not lose sight of that section of the building trades which comprises the laborer. the most exploited within the Build- ing Trades Council altho it has among its ranks some of the best fighters for a left wing program, which at times has to deal with elements who rule with the gun, The jobs in question are those of egncrete construction where members of Engineers’ Local No. 464 and Cement Local No, 502 are employed along with building laborers from dif- ferent laborer# locals, On all these jobs the forty-eight-hour week pre- vails and the sum of 87% cents an hour is paid to the laborer who is kept busy with pick and shovel and is surrounded with plenty of bosses to hire ‘and fire him at will. When business agents are presented with these facts and we point out to them that better working conditions existedsa few years back, when la- borers’were paid from $1.00 to $1.25 per hout they dodge the issue by What A Seaman Says - SECOND P PRIZE. 'W. HAAK, Marine Fireman, (Worker Correspondent) HIS is a story of a slave's trip to : Leningrad and to White Buenos Aires, I signéd up on the S. S, Modesta (Norwegian), on October 8, 1923, as a fireman at Amsterdam, Holland, leaving the next day «for England. Loaded coal at Blythe for Leningrad, then called grad, considering myself lucky with two pound ten shil- ngs wages aftor talking with Ger- man sailors. at Blythe about thelr starvation rates, We arrived at Petrograd after a good voyage, This Was the biggest surprise of my life, to see Soviet Rus- sia with my own eyes, We tied up in @ navy yard close to the city and started to discharge cargo the same day. ‘Well, the Seamen's Union over ‘sure ‘knows how to entertain us jen—meetings, ‘speeches, Sat dances ‘and’ éverytliing. (And the beer was 064). WOE. TORT . 0°) LeTHGIE Celebration. Did you ever Wee Broadway ia Now The building laborers are stating, “Well, we have our agree- ments with the contractors and they must be kept sacred,” showing up the total bankruptcy of their class col- laboration tactics, It is important that all members attend their union meeting and de- mand from their officlals an account- ing of themselves, more so at this time when the present agreements ex- Pire before May 1, 1926, It is also the duty of the rank and file to line up with the growing left wing and demand a five-day week with $1.25 an hour and along with the other sections in our trade demand a uniform agreement whereby we can put up a united front against the bosses and not have the members of one section of the trade scabbing on their fellow workers on the job be- cause the agreements do not expire at one and the same time, York filled up with people? I mean packed like herring in a tin? No, neither did I, But I have seen the “Broadway” of Petrograd packed with people on the 7th of Navember, You know that is the big holiday in So- viet Russia, I have seen many parades, but ne- ver one like that. All the different trade unions with banners and the peasants, too, from around Petrograd. Anyhow, when we were waiting in a side street off the Nevsky Prospekt (I believe that is the name of the main street) for our furn to march on, I mean our Seamen's Union, it seemed to me that that street was a river of people, That was where I got the idea in my head that there is no power in the world that will stop the Soviet movement in Russia, for this same parade was a voluntary parade, The next day we seamen were in- vited to attend the military parade, We got front seats in the grand stand, Well, that was surely a good military drill they showed us. I will never forget this to Petrograd. I went to church the next Sunday just foryourtosity, because the roofs THE D te WORKER Life CONDEMN WORKER FIGHTING UNION IN THE COURTS Seeks to Recover Loss During Sick Leave By H. SIDNEY BLOOMFIELD (Worker, Correspondent) FITCHBURG, Mass., Dec. 23.—That the theater i it the nly place to see eee am is attested to by @ peculiar “labor case” that was dis- missed by the a heal court recently. The case is that of one Luigi Rossi of Fitchburg, a motorman in the employ of the Fitchburgt& Leominster St., Ry. Co., against.oficers of the Amal- gamated Assodlation of Street and Electric Railway_Employes of Ameri- ca, of which he was a member. Rossi, who is-far from being class- conscious, tooky;it for granted that a union is a unigniand as such ought to protect him against the boss, Ros- si maintains that a union must pro- tect its memberg, against wage-cuts, unemployment, and in general must fight for the protection and advance- ment of the interests of labor. In this assumption,he happens to share the views of all militant and progres- sive workers. But his going to capi- talist courts to fight his union must evoke the condemnation of all the workers, Rossi sought to recover for loss of pay alleged to have been caused by the reduction in his rating following sick leave. The defendants named in the bill were the officers of Division 690, A. A. of St, & Blec. Ry. Emp. of America. The facts found by the auditor were determined to be legally in favor of the defendant dnd that the plaintiff was entitled.to no relief. The master found, however, ‘that if the court de- termined from ‘the finding: of facts that the plaintiff was entitled to any relief the am should be fixed at $572. The fin for the defendant, however, resul “fn the agreement for disemissal &fythe plaintiff's bill after the court had confirmed the master’s report..< In confirming,,the master’s report, namely “that if, the court determined from the finding!,that “the piaintiff was entitled to any relief the amount should be fixedyat $572,” the court could at his retion extract $572 from the union ry or send its officers ‘to jail: "he dismissal of the case is not due»té the love the judge shelters in his heart for the union, nor to his legal scruples. The fact ‘hat James H. Vahey, prominent in Massachusetts f§litics and business was counsel fo! trolley union had a great deal to ith the decision. This case is but one of the glaring examples of thé, impotence of the unions in this cdtntry. That a pow- erful union suchas the Amalgamated should be unable ‘to protect its mem- bers from such’@’simple matter as a reduction in ra! ting” of a member that is sick, is sufficient cause for the ‘rank and file to clean house and re- vamp the entire organization from a class-collaboration to a class-strug- gle instrument. Rossi's fighting his union in a capitalist court is the lo- gical outcome of a condition in the American labor movement which keeps the rank and file in ignorance. _ suppression. ‘ Notice to N. Y. Moa anenie: OMRADE H., M. WICKS awill be in New York City, Saturday, Dec, 26th, and will hold a meeting of worker correspondents and those interested in taking up this work at the party headq jarters, 108 East 14th St. All comrades who want to know the details’ of this work and to get practical jSuagestions that will aid them in. Becoming efficient should and steeples an sses of the chur- with gold. But ches were all I didn’t see muc! re inside. I was looking so long if hat shining gold that my eyes started to hurt. No Drivingctof Workers. The trade uniotis may send dele- gates to Russia dnd they will see more of Russia than I have seen, but I was right among the people and they seemed to me to be pretty satis- fied, The longshoremen did not kill themselves, When they go tired they sat down and todk a smoke for five or ten minutes. If we try the same thing here in America, we get a vaca- tion without pay. Of course they watch for enemies of the workers. I got arrested on suspicion and taken to the police sta- tion, but after the captain looked over my passport they released me. Well we left Petrograd with lumber back to England, then loaded coal for Bue- nos Aires in the Argentine. From Buenos res we went to Santa Fe, further up the La Plata river, And in those two cities wer: plenty of bums anQ hoboes, Funny I did not meet bums and hoboes in , Rank and | File Meet to AMALGAMATION IS NEEDED IN Push Movement By K. DYSTER, Member Journeymen Tailors’ (Worker Correspondent) To many workers in the trade, amalgamation appears to be merely an abstract slogan. In the last few years we have heard very much about it, and in the needle industry consi- derable propaganda has been carried on in favor of it. And yet in few in- dustries have the workers begun to realize the need of all the workers in an industry being combined in or- der to carry on @ successful struggle. If the workers would not confine their vision to their own small shop but would look out into industry as a whole, they would find that amalga- mation—or as they call it, mergers— have been, and today to an. even greater extent are, the order of the day among the capitalists. Banks railroads, bdkeries, steel companies. Union, Page Five The Winners! NEEDLE TRADES | PRIZES FOR CORRESPONDENT ! HIS is the second week’s announcement of prizes to worker cor- respondents for the best stories sent in for this section of The DAILY WORKER. The award Is made as follows: FIRST PRIZE—“Flying Osip,” containing stories of the New Rus- sia, to Rufus C. Heath, who works in Chicago's restaurants. Thig story appeared in last Monday's iss: It was good as first written, but it was felt it could be bettered. Heath re-wrote the story twice as the result of criticism made upon it. After the story appeared, Heath secured a bundle of the issue and distributed it among restaurant workers, on this page. The story of the distribution appears in another column SECOND PRIZE—Leon Trotsky’s “My Flight From Siberia,” goes to G. W. Haak, a marine fireman, His story appears on this page. THIRD .PRIZE—An original DAILY WORKER cartoon framed goes to “R. M.” of West Virginia. One of the prizes went to West Virgina last week. This state, therefore, scores again. Pej TART now sending in your contributions for next week's competi- tion, The prizes to be offered next week are as follows: FIRST PRIZE—“The Goose-Step,” by Upton Sinclair. SECOND PRIZE—“Romance of New Russia,” by Magdalene Marx, THIRD PRIZE—Original of DAILY WORKER cartoon (framed), END all stories to the Editorial Department, DAILY WORKER, ete., are daily combining, pooling their resources in order better to contro) the trade, The workers on the other hand go along the path that has been trodden since the days of small in- dustrial establishments in this coun- try. In the needle industry, for instance, we have the Amalgamated Clothing Workers, the International Ladies’ Garment Workers, the Cap Makers’ Union, the Journeymen Tailors, the International Furriers, and the United Garment Workers. These six unions compete with one another even tho they seemingly occupy different sec- tions of the trade. They are all seg- ments of a single industry, and there- main apart from one another, every reason to combine. What would amalgamation mean? Let us look at the situation as it is today. There are six separate ad- ministrations, six offices, six sets of organizers, business agents, and so on. By combining all under one head, with one administration, there would be a tremendous cutting down of ex- penses.,. One local business agent would cover the whole industry in a town, thus eliminating duplication of effort. One campaign would be run in the needle industry to line up every needle worker, instead of desultory attempts being made by six separate organizers in the town. What would amalgamation mean, a: far as strikes are concerned? It would mean that behind any group of strikers would be lined up the solid force of all the workers in the needle trades, either in the locality or thru- out the country. The members of the Journeymen Tailors’ Union have only to consider the recent strike at Par- kersburg, W. Va., which was lost prin- cipally for lack of support. In face of the big manufacturers who are sup- ported by the big banking institu- tions, what worker can claim any ad- vantage to the workers in a strike with divided forces? A member of the German Needle Workers’ Union, recently was in this country. He took pains to point out that in Germany there is only one union in the industry, amalgamation having been carried out there some time ago. If the German workers have found it an advantage to amal- gamate, why have not the American workers yet arrived at an understand- ing of their needs? The officialdom of the six needlecraft unions in this country pretend to favor amalgama- tion, At the conventions of the needle trades some of them even open- ly support resolutions with this aim in view. If they sincerely desire to carry out amalgamation, they would find no obstacle in their way. There- fore it is up to the rank and file to demand and fight for amalgamation. . aXe The writer of these lines would be glad to get into touch with any needle trades worker in order to exchange ideas. His address is K. Dyster, 3078 West 111 St., Cleveland; Ohio. but Russia! From there we went to Saint Vincente, a coaling station for bunker coal, There was a longshore strike on. The poor devils were striking for one shilling more a day, twelve cents. They wanted 37 cents a cay and the poor devils had to strike for that, I sure hope they won their strike, As we needed coal for the boilers the chief engineer ordered us firemen to bunker the ship, which we refused to do, and refused flat. | told him to burn the cargo if he wanted fire, and the sailors also refused, The mates and engineers had to do the dirty fore not only have no reason to re-j 1113 W. Washington Bivd., Chicago, !!!. FATE OF UNORGANIZED WORKER IS MIRRORED IN By HENRY VICTOR, a ly responsible for his death, His Letter. “I am sick, I have no money and they have chased me out of the hospi- tal. I cannot walk; I cannot hear. I do not know what else to do.” From his landlady it was learned that the deceased had roomed in her house for the last four years and had worked every day for that.period un- til three months ago when he was injured at the Inland Steel. Mills. After the accident he was, taken to the hospital and was treated there for two and a half months, - after which he was removed to his room. Failing to regain his health he was vain taken to the hospital,and re- nained there until he was; to quote ;him, “chased out of the. hospital.” Mrs. Tomkovitch said that after the accident at the steel mill “he!was not right in his head. His spine and the back of his head were, badly injured. He complained that he could’ scarcely walk and that his head felt queer.” A spontaneous resentment against the Inland Steel companys by the thousands of employes is visible. It expresses itself in whispering com- plaints among themselves and in sil- ent protest. The cruelly indifferent | treatment of the deceased worker jatar the accident had incapacitated him has aroused them to a realization that no one of them is sure of escap- ing his fate. But what good does it do to befome discouraged and give up? Organiza- tion of the workers into a fighting union, united demands, united action is the remedy. Only by organizing and demanding safety measures and more humane working conditions will the en.ployes of the Inland Steel Mills put an end to the cruel injustices committed against them by their em- ployers. eee (Ed, Note. This. article was con- work scabbing for the English inter. ests at sixpence a day. This is no joke, The captain got sore at us and we got stinking fish for supper, Not that I like fish, for on Norwegian ships we got it every day, but this particular day it was rotten. So we all went up on deck to the captain to demand bet- ter food, at least not rotten food, or we would all be sick. This made him sit up and. take notice and: afterward . But it was fish, fish, Norwegian capitalists with their fish and ships. 4 tributed to the Chicago Russian “Liv- ing Newspaper” by a student in the Chicago English Language Workers’ Correspondents’ class.) Followed Orders, But They Led to Hospital for Movieland Slave By A Worker Gorrespondent LOS ANGELES, Calif., Dec. 23.—An eyewitness—a friend of mine and one who worked in this picture—has sent your reporter the following letter with a request not to mention her name, The bosses do not like to hear the truth concerning mistreatment of the workers: “Three men and a woman. were seriously injured while working in a scene filming the Johnstown flood on Saturday, Dec. 12, They were on lo- cation for the Fox Film company, A buggy containing two People turned completely over while trying to turn at the foot of a hill, A surrey and a pair of horses, crashing down the hill after them, was unable to stop or turn on account of the massed mob laying in the street. It crashed into the overturned buggy. “All four victims were removed to the hospital at Sawtelle in an un- conscious conditions Some others slightly injured, “Just before the scene was taken the driver of the surrey was heard to tell an assistant director, Dick Rush, that it would be impossible for him to drive his horses at full gallop down hill, and make the sharp turn at the foot of the hillwithout an accident. He was told to either follow orders or take his team out of ithe scene, He chose to ‘follow orders’ and the ac- cident resulted.” THE SUICIDE OF INCAPACITATED STEEL WORKER Worker Correspondent. (Student Chicago Class.) INDIANA HARBOR, Ind., Dec, 23.—Frank Bazick, aged 53, a steel worker at the Inland Steel mills, Indiana Harkor, Ind., on the gas in his room at 3507 Deodar St. landlady, Mrs. Lucy Tomkovitch, to whom he owed money for rent. plain but heart-rending letter is the complaint of a worker who slaved all his life for the capitalists, who are direct-+ committed suicide by turning A letter was addressed to his The Minneapolis Painters Hear Left-Winger on Timely Union Issues By DAN W. STEVENS (Worker Correspondent) | MINNEAPOLIS, Minn., Dec. 23.— Painters’ Union No. 186 held a very successful _educational meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 15. At a previous meet- ing, upon recommendaiton of a com- mittee appointed to secure speakers the local decided to invite Paul J. Smith, organizer of the American Federation of Labor, and Comrade C. A, Hathaway, member of Machin- ists’ Union No, 91 and district organ- izer of the Workers (Communist) Par- ty. Both were to speak on the subject of “Organization.” Right Winger Craw! Away. However, Brother Smith did not exactly like the idea of speaking be- fore any trade union with a Commun- {st on the program, and furthermore we believe he had visions of his belly- crawling policy of class collaboration and expulsions of the left wing..trade unionists, being thoroly exploded by Comrdae Hathaway. At any rate, Brother Smith refused to appear and speak on the question of “Organiza- tion.” The committee tried to get several right wingers of local prominence to ‘ake Smith's place but without suc- 1 tise. Finally Brother Henning, gener- al chairman of the Machinists’ Union, agreed to speak a short time. His talk was on the conditions that pre- vail in the organizations of the rail- way shop unions and on the decline of the company unions that have been fostered by the bosses since the 1922 strike. | Gives Masterful Address. ‘Comrade Hathaway delivered @ masterful address upon the immediate problems of the organized workers and .how the workers must organize to solve these problems. The meeting was very well attended and the mem- bership were so deeply interested in the points brought out by Comrade Hathaway that forty minutes were taken up with questions after his address. ‘American Art Works Puts Legislation Across to Suit Self By A Worker Correspondent COSHOCTON, Ohio, Dec, 23—Cosh- octon is dominated politically and economically by manufacturing in- terests. The American Art Works gets any legislation enacted that it wants here as it controls the city council. Out of the 8 councilmen, 4 are employees of the company. Low Wages Paid Workers. The Art Company pays their un- skilled male workers from $2.50 to $3.50 per day. The women receive from $9 to $14 per week, The tn- skilled workers make up 90 per cent of the force. Out of the measly sum these work- ers get, they must pay from $20 to $35 per month in house rent, Must Pay for Schools, And yet out of the meager wages that are paid these workers, the workers are expected to donate and pay for the improvements on schools, - A few of the workers here are al- ready seeing the ght’ and realize that The DAILY WORKER is their champion in this figbteand that it 4s the only datly in the English suage that champions, bei cause the working class, -