The Daily Worker Newspaper, April 24, 1926, Page 5

eR hen MINERS PUT UP HARD-FIGHT IN W. VA. DISPUTE Strike Against Wage Slash of 20 Pct. ° By D. E. EARLEY, (Worker Correspondent) PURSGLOVE, wW. V: Aprit 22.— For more than two years the coal operators in this section have carried on a determined fight against the untons. In one mine after another agreements have been broken and the miners forced back to the 1917 scale, which “means to'°a fon-unlon scab basisé 20 Per Cent Reduction, In.March the Paisley interests, op- erating the Pursglove mines and the |” Connellsville By-Products. company, served notice that with the conditions of the industry as at present it was impossible for them to continue the uvion agreement and posted notices of a 20 i cent reduction. Strike. The*iminers’ union answered this witha strike which went into efféct on April 1, tieing-up the works com- pletely.’ Thousands of miners are still on tlie ‘picket lines with no break in their fanks. At Pursglove Mine No. 1 the operators are attempting to get scabs ‘to°run the mine, but with no success. At the end of a week's ef- fort only seven or eight scabs had been secured. Around April 15 the operators of the Connellsville By- Products company posted notices that all miners failing to report for work on Monday, April 19, must vacate the company houses. Will Not Vacate. The union officials and the strike committees got together and took the position that the union men will not vacate until they are thrown out. As Jong as the union men remain in the ‘houses the-eompany cannot fill them with scabs. On the 19th, instead of returning to work, the miners went on the a. lines. GREEN ASSAILS USE OF STRIKE BY UNION LABOR Urges’ Co-operation with Master Class By a Worker Correspondent, ITHAOA, N. Y., April 22—At a ban- quet in honor of William Green, presi- dent of the American Federation of Labor, given by the local Central Labor Union in the basement of one of the churches, Green assailed the use of the strike by organized work- ers and urged closer co-operation with their exploiters, Assail Use of Strike Weapon. In*his speech he despaired the use of the strike by the workers and pointed out that tho “one charge against labor was that they were grow- ing militant and this was against the interests of industry,” that “we are getting away from economic struggle. “Before organized labor was in ex- istence, the workers considered their bosses as their bitterest enemies. They were full of the spirit of the savage,” went on this tool of the bosses who refuses to help the Pas- strikers organize and carries ad- vertisements of struck concerns in his official organ. “We are getting away from. this.situation.” Dodges Passalc Strike Issue. He then went on to paint the glor- fes of bargaining and arbitration. Several times while Green was speak- ing questions were thrown at him on his attitude on the Passaic strike. Green refused to answer, Bosses’ Tool Lauds Green. Before Green had been introduced to the gathering some sky-pilot, known as a'servile tool of the bosses, stated there Was no differénce between the American Federation ‘of Labor led by Greem’and ‘the church, This préacher also declared that Green was at one time training for the clergy but that the American Federation of Labor “had, got, him.” the sky-pilot de- clared that rd Green giving up his am- pr an. opium-peddler the h had os i THE DAILY WORKER Page Five For the best story written by a Worker Correspondent this week abolit wages, Conditions, etc. (make It short!), the following prizes “will Bé awarded in the issue of Friday, April 30: sT PRIZE—A new novel, “December The Fourteenth,” by Dimitri Merezhkovsky; ¢loth bound, an. absorbing story of the historic } Russian. rebellion of December 1825. One PRIZE—-Exposure of the capitalist press, “The Brass Check,” by Upton Sinclair, the well-known book on the capitalist press in America. Re ee Leia Booklets, all the splendid little books issued to date In The Little Red Library. ~ THE WINNERS RST Prize this week, “Selected Essays,” by Karl Marx goes to a oiWindow Cleaner in Pittsburgh, Pa., whose article exposes the un- » bemrable conditions the workers of the National Office and Window Cltaning Company are forced to face daily. Second Prize: “The Awakening of China,” by James H. Dolson, goes to a mine worker in Primrose, Pa., whose story shows how the yellow officials of the miners’ union brazenly enter into collaboration with the bosses to use racial prejudices to keep the miners divided, Third Prize: “A Moscow Dairy,” by Anne Porter, goes to another mine worker, this one in Staples, Ill, who describes this same deplor- able condition in:the miners’ union. In this case the officials combine with the bosses in framing up a militant miner, All three articles appear on this page. THE FIRST PRIZE WINNER. LAST JOB A PITTSBURGH WORKER KES IS WITH “Steady Work! THE NATIONAL “OFFICE AND WINDOW CLEANING CO. ow * , By LABORISTO, a Worker Correspondent. Good Wages! , National: Office and Window Cleaning Co., t 415 Fourth Ave., Pittsburgh. Pa.” PITTSBURGH, Pa., April 22—When you read the above quoted adver- tisement ‘in Pittsburgh papers continuously, month after month, you know it is some fumbug. I decided to find out. Wages, 35 Cents an Hour, I learned, that the “good wages” consist of 35 cents an hour for begin- ners, the, maximum. being. 65..cents—it, used to be 75 cents—and that Mr. Heckman, the manager, isthe most per fect slavé driver. He has a fine speed- up systems*Evety morning at 6:30 he gives each"Worker a certain number of’ jobs which must be completed’ | Often.it happens that a customer does not wart .kis windows washed that day; for ingtance, if it is snowing, he may not-want the cleaner to walk in and out jand.drag dirt and snow into the house,;,The time that the worker loses. in-that.way Mr. Heckman docks from his,,wages. .So it often happens that nine,hours’ work in rain and storm brings wages for six hours, Wage Docking System. If a worker should happen to lose @ Tag or a sponge worth less than 5 cents Mr. Heckman deducts 25 to 300 from his pay. If he should happen to erack a window pane he. is made to pay twice the cost. One of the few old, experienced workers told me that one day last winter, when it was un- usually snowy and windy, he lost sev- eral jobs, because the customers ob- jected to having windows cleaned, That sams day his ladder slipped on the icy sidewalk, with the result that a small pane about nine inches square was broken... He could have bought. such a_pane for a few cents and put it in himself, y hut, for this Mr. Heckman 5 trom his pay. He 60c for his day’s wages, saning is one of the hard- est and most dangerous jobs. Espe- cially is this true in the winter time, I |sngw and storm you musi around with a ladder on your shoulder and a bucket in your hand. You must always handle water, even if itds-so-eold that it freezes on your hands.,' Furthermore, consider the danger of,standing on top of a 30-foot icy sidewalk of a crowded street. ‘And all this for 35¢ an hour! 18 Jobs in One Day. On''ah® ugly, rainy day a fellow- worker and’ thyself were sent out to do 18 jobs, Which is considered practi- cally impossible. As a result the workers must try to gain some time its greatest leader,|by gkipping:a pane or washing some he was satisfied to see Green “run-| pane on one side only. A nice old ning the business” of the American|jady, whose windows we had just Federation of Labor, cleaned, began to criticize our work, We had to explain to her that it was the best we had time to do, We SEND IN A SUB! CUT OFF AND MAIL AT ONCE ‘To the American Worker Correspondent, 1113 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, Ill. Dear Comrades: I will attend the First Worker Correspondents’ Conference of the Chicago district to be held Saturday, May 1, at 1p. m., at the Workers’ House, 1902 W, Division St., Chicago, I. > I write for (hame Of DADEE) weiemsimnenimmnnmunnnnennmnnimnm “A My, name 4s,,,... shonin yt e MOINS AA Re sornssosoensevesorsssscnsens | Olt Y.serseresinsnnsrvnseny geteeernresteeeetesnessesee Address (att who nec fo attend the conerence' shout at ty éaupon 48 SOON a8 DOESIDIe,) + mmm BOSTON WORKERS START CORRESPONDENCE CLASS; BEGINS MONDAY, APRIL 26 By a Worker Correspondent BOSTON, April 22.—The workers’ correspondence class in Boston will begin on Monday, April 26, at 8 p. m. In the Freiheit office. The class, un- der the leadership of Comrade B. B. Rubenstein, will provide the DAILY WORKER with shop and union news from the Boston district. News vital to the workers’ interests is of ut- most importance, and this is the type of work which we hope to do: to attract workers into their union, into the left-wing fraction, into the Trades Union Educational League, and into the party. The comrades attending this class will be expected to attend union meetings and demonstrations, and then write them up; there may be a certain type of research work in- volved. They will also learn how to write for their nucleus wall paper or bulletin, Comrades, we must produce prole- tarlan journalists! We must have approach to the masses thru the press, which Is the most efficient in- strument. Join the class. Attend the first meeting. The fee is only $1. THE THIRD PRIZE WINNER, MILITANT MINER FRAMED BY BOSS AND UNION HEADS Arley Stajiles Fired for By JOHN SMITH. Worker *€6rrrespondent. VALIER, Il.,'April 22—The latest outrage commiftéd against the’ mili- tant miners in TiMnois shows to what extent the coal operators are lined up with the Farrffigton machine of the Miners’ Union to “weed out all opposi- tion to the officfals of the union. Arley Staples, & militant coal miner of Christopher, ih, was framed up and discharged by the coal company, and his discharge sustained by the officials of the union, notwithstanding the fact that the tools of the coal company, whojaided in the frame-up, were tried by a jury of the Valier Lo- cal Union, found guilty of violating their obligation and fined $15 each. Thel Frame-Up. Staples was charged with threaten- ing to hit his working buddy with a chunk of coal and discharged on February 13, this year. Paul Cotton, Staples’ buddy, after the trial, stated that the coal company threat- ened him with discharge if he did not testify against Staples. One witness at the trial stated that Nick Boracek said to him that he would be dis- charged if he did not give evidence against Staples. Nick Boracek is a well-known tool of the Coal company. Company. Stenographer. The coal,company clerk took the evidence down;,in shorthand, and when the evidence was read it was found to be dactored to read as the coal company, wanted it. The evi- dence was confyted but nevertheless it was accepted as read by the miners’ official, This ‘ial is the father-in- law of the pragident of sub-district nine, the notorjqus Lon Fox. Board Members Active. After the istrict board member handled the case with the operators’ representative, hé did not arrive at a decision that day, but took the evi- dence under adyi isement. The district board member} rhandled the case on March 22, a week later he noti- fied the local @cretary that the dis- charge was muained. and Staples was kicked out, This is only;gne example of the treachery of Farrington machine which is determined to rule or ruin the U. M.-W. ofA. in Illinois. In all the mines aroynd this district the militant miners are being expelled be- cause they are ‘Sticking up for their rights. Class Collaboration. The class collaboration of the min- erg’ officials and the coal companies is seen in all the expulsions, and many miners, who did not understand what Farrington meant at the last district convention when he advised the min- ers to co-operate with the mine own- ers to load clean coal, to refrain from antagonism and to lessen the cost of production, now see, and have good personal reason to know what he meant. Our organization has been weak- ened by these tactics to such an ex- tent that it is a union in name only. It will take many years to rebuild the U. M. W. of A. to the point it was before Lewis and Farrington took hold of the union. The progressive miners are practically al] expelled, but that will not: settle anything in the union, the fight will be kept np in spite of all the fakers ‘and eventually we will win, and the progressive miners program will be'put into effect. — showed her the 18 jobs we had to finish and told her something about Mr, Heckman and his system. The nice old lady, who evidently labored under the impression that an em- ployer treats jis slaves as nicely as a tich lady does™ner dog, clapped her hands together and exclaimed in sur- prise; “But why do you work for a ‘beast like that?” We explained that a worker has little chance to choose his boss. Rainy Day, Less Wages. It started to rain heavily. We had no coats, since such things only hin- der our work, and we were both soaked. We tried to work as long as possible, but three hours before quit- ting time my fellow-worker an- nounced: “This is all we'll do today for Heckman or any other son-of-a- gun on this side of hell!” So we had to go back and lose at least three hours that day. I stayed there a week and learned the reason why the National Office & Window Cleaning Co, always has to advertise for help, bluffing with their “steady work” and “good pay.” WORKER CORRESPONDENTS, ATTENTION! All worker correspondents of our press are urged to and addresses sta. ting forswhich paper they write. It is ve irtant. The American Worker Correspondent 1113 W, Washington Blvd, N ‘Chleago, ih We need more news from the shops and factories. Send it in! THE PARTY IS WITH US! By J. LOUIS ENGDAHL. | HE Polcom (political committee) of the Central Executive Committee of the Workers (Communist) Party has given its enthusiastic approval of the ambitious program for the development of the Worker Correspondents’ | At its last meeting it took the following action: | 1. Approved the issuing of the American Worker Correspondent, the | central organ of the movement in the United States, holding of Conferences of Worker wherever they can be organized over the country. urged to give every support to these conferences, 3. Approved the issuing of the American Worker Correspondent in print. | The first issue was mimeographed, This Is an indication of the great interest that the party’s ruling’ com- | mittee takes in the development of the worker correspondents’ ‘movement This is the basis for the achieving of growing results in movement in this country. 2. Approved the ed form. in this country. the immediate future. THE SECOND PRIZE WINNER MINE OWNERS USE RACE HATRED TO DIVIDE WORKERS Workers Must Unite to Enforce Union Terms By a Worker Correspondent PRIMROSE, Pa., April 22.—Tho the coal miners of western Pennsylvania work every day, when pay day rolls around they find that they have but a few dollars coming to them. Many of them are from $300 to $400 in debt. Foster Race Hatred. The bosses in this mining district are fostering race hatred between the white and Negro workers in an at- tempt to keep the two divided and split the miners’ union so that these bosses will be able to maintain non- union conditions. The operators, thru cunning devices, are more and more strangling the min- ers in this section. The district of- ficials of the miners’ union, instead of hebping the coal diggers against the attacks of the bosses, are aiding the bosses. Officials Protect Bosses. In this section, which is a part of District 5 of the United Mine Work- ers of America, the bosses refuse to pay the miners when they are forced to clear away slate. There is no pay for yardage. When violations of the union con- tract are reported to the miners’ union heads these heads go to the operators first to hear their side of the story. Then they come to the miner and be- fore the miner can tell his side of the story they tell him: “You are wrong. You can’t do anything about that!” and when the worker persists in press- ing his grievances they tell him there is “nothing doing.” Discriminate Against Progressives. Many of the progressives in the miners’ union are discriminated against when it comes to work. The militants are only able to get the hardest and lowest paid work. This is done in an attempt to force them to leave the district, In spite of this persecution of the militants, they are determined to stay in the union and fight for union condi- tions in the mines. They are also bat- tling against the spread of race ha- tred that is being used by the bosses to keep the Negro and the white worker fighting each other, The for- eign-born worker is also being played off against the native born. In this way the company hopes to break the miners’ union. Unite for Better Conditions. The duty of all the Negro, foreign- born and native-born workers is to recognize this cunning device to di- vide the workers and to unite their forces by insisting thatthe union con- tract be lived up to, Detroit Likes It! What Do You Say? A worker correspondent from Detroit, Mich., who has subscribed to the American Worker Correspondent for himself and for another worker, writes us as follows: “We like the American Worker Correspondent very much and are pleased with the contents of the April issue, The greatest success to the American Workér Correspondent,” We urge evéty worker correspondent who harbors the same sentiments Correspondents | The party officials are CABRANETTE CO, FAILS TO CARRY OUT AGREEMENTS Sheet Metal Workers’| Agent Absent By a Worker Correspondent, ‘The strike situation at the Cabra- nette Corporation took a new turn| yesterday after the strikers held al meeting with Ryan, a business agent | of the sheet metal workers’ union. | Ryan told the men that an agree-| ment had bean negotiated with the |pelled by international officials. | organization BARBERS’ UNION OPENS. DRIVE T0 ORGANIZE TRADE Workers Plan Walkout on May 1 By a Worker Correspondent NEW YORK, April 22—Journeymen | Barbers’ Union Local No, 913 of Brook- lyn bas started a campaign to organ- ize the barber workmen of Long Island City, Astoria and vicinity. The opening gun of the organization drive was fired at Glaser Hall, Long Island, at a mass meeting of journey- men working in these sections, The meeting was addressed by J. |Loffini and John Tartamella, officials | of Local No, 913, and Joseph Giganti, the Chicago leader ex- The speakers all stressed the necessity for and solidarity among journeymén barbers in order that bet- ter conditions of living may be ob- tained, Join Barbers’ Union. Giganti in reviewing the history of the barbers’ organized movement said: “There existed a time in this country when a barbet was not considered a man, but a slave; he had nothing to look forward to in leading him to emancipation; today we have the great International Journeymen Bar- bers’ Union of America, which with the aid of every workman in our craft will lead us to ever greater achieve- ments.” He urged them all to join the union and agitate among their fellow workers to do likewise. progressive Long Hours, Low Wages. The barbers here are working from 12 to 14 hours a day and 6 hours on |Sundays and holidays. Their wages average $30 a week. They must de- pend on the generosity of the public | from which they receive tips. The tip- company, and that the men had “bet- ping system is the miost vicious ang toward the A. W. C. will express himself thru immediate action and shoot in that belated sub of his, The time is getting short, the May issue must be gotten out and your subscription.is sorely needed, Send it in AT ONCE! way fy: ISSUE OUT NEXT WEEK! You Figlt 7 ‘AMERICAN WORKER , CORRESPONDENT lagazine By and for Workers in the Factories, the. Mines, the Mills and on the Land Price 5 cents iM) } Subscribe! Only 50 Cents Per Year! Become a Worke¥ Correspondent! Write for Your Paper! AMERICAN WORKER CORRESPONDENT, 118 W. WASHINGTON BLVD, CHICAGO, ILL. ter go back to work.” He showed the men the agreement which stipu-| lated that the five men-who had been | dismissed for agitating ‘for unioniza-| tion, and over’ whom the strike had | been called, would*berreinstated. The | agreement further’ stated that all ot | the men—about 35=swho had gone out | on strike would be» taken back and| placed at their old ‘jobs. A final pro-| vision was that the Cabranette Cor. poration was to become a closed shop on Sept. 1. After a consultation the men decid- ed to rejectthe agreement, and to stay out until their full/demands for an 8-hour day, time and ‘a half for over- time, immediate’ “unionization, etc., were won. The strikers pointed out that if the unfon plumbers who are installing the scab work being turned out at Cabranette’s, could be enlisted to help them, then they could force the boss to give in to their demands completely. Ryan, however, warned the men that “we "t back you up,” and that they had better accept the agreement. Thereupon the men elect- ed a committee of three, and arranged with Ryan to have a’ conference with Franks, the boss of Cabranette’s Wed- nesday morning to arrange for the return of the men. Blacklist Union Agitators, However, when Wednesday morn- ing came Ryan did not show up, nor could he be located. After waiting for him for more than an hour, the boss and the foreman proceded to take ac-| tion. They picked out twelve of the| men and put them to work. The oth- er twenty-five men they told to go outside and wait until they were call- ed in. Among these twenty-five were | included Paul Gump, C. J. Ulrich, Lee Whalen and Gus Schaefer, the men who were originally fired for agitat- ing for the union. Those men also who had shown the most determina- tion and militancy in conducting the strike were not re-hired. As one of the strikers pointed out,’the boss only wanted those men whom he could kick around like dogs. At a meeting held yesterday morn- ing the men decided to g-xd a com- mittee to see Ryan and fi. out why he had not shown up for the confer- ence, why the agreement had been broken by the boss and what he, Rygn, planned to do towards getting ‘all the men back to work as arranged, Cleveland Carpenters Aid the Passaic Strike By a Worker Correspondent Cl, VELAND, April 22 — A group of sland carpenters, held a meet- ing night and made a collection of su for the textile strikers. These carpg}ters are out to collect more demoralizing means of earning a liv- jing. Yet the barber must accept them and expect them. May Strike May 1, The Master Barbers of Long Island have already organized and raised the ~ prices of haircuts and shaves, thus forestalling the impending organiza- tion of the journeymen. The senti- ment for organization is very strong among the workers and plans are un- der way, it is said, to declare a strike of all men working in this area on May 1 if the list of demands formu- lated are not accepted by the boss barbers, Gives Ride to Labor By a Worker Correspondent HOUSTON ‘Tex., April 22.—The State Federation of Labor convention delegates will be carried to the San Jacinto battleground, 26 miles from Houston, in boats furnished by the Houston chamber of commerce as part of the program for entertaining the delegates to the annual meet to be held here. When attempts were made to levy an extra assessment of $1 a member }from all the Houston locals it was declared that the reason for the large assessment was to avoid asking out- side aid to entertain the delegates and |that union funds were the only funds with which to entertain union labor. A statement appeared in the “Labor Journal” recently that more than enough had been raised to carry out |the program as planned. | When the action of the entertain- ment committee accepting the offer of _ |the chamber of commerce was poifted jout to a number of the union officials! they tried to excuse the action of the * committee by stating that the offer ‘was accepted because it was made in “friendliness” and that the motion was not to “ask for aid,” but that if aid was offered “it could be accepted,” 1886—May Day—1926. Forty years” in the wilderness, Time for the work: ing class to move ahead. money and undoubtedly in a week or so will have another sum to send to Passaic. 1,000 COAL MINERS STRIKE 10 RETAIN OWN CHECKWEIGHMAN By a Worker Correspondent SUGAR NOTCH, Pa., April 22— A thousand anthracite miners are striking at Sugar Notch colliery No. 9 of the Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Co. because the company post- ed a notice that the mine would close If a checkweighman suitable to the employers were not elected by the miners, The workers refused to change their’ elected man and added the chatge ‘that the company is running condemned coal thru the breaker during regular working houv> GORRESPONDENGE What? Where? When? Why? How? BY WM. F, DUNNE, A handbook for the worker who wishes to learn HOW to write for the workers’ press, A new publication that should be’ read by every worker, 10 Cents 12 copies for one dollar, THE DAILY WORKER PUB, 6@, 1113 W. Washington Blvd, Chicago, Hy - Chamber of Commerce. - Convention Delegates