The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 21, 1926, Page 5

Bas LACK OF UNITY IN CLEVELAND AIDS OPEN SHOP Building Trades Need j Amalgamation By a Worker Correspontient CLEVELAND, May 19—The build- ing laborers who have been on strike for an increase from 8744 cents to $1 dollar have gone back to work at the old wage scale. This leaves the painters and glaziers to continue the struggle along. Altho a number of independent contractors have agreed to pay the new scale, the employers’ association and the cham- ber of commerce have prevented any break in the ranks of the large em- ployers, Business Agent Surrenders, Charles B. Smith, business agent of the Laborers’ Union, appears to have been frightened or persuaded by the chamber of commerce to adopt its position that the strike was an at- tack “on the community,” as he is+ sued a statement to the effect that “building in Cleveland must continue if the city is to progress. Otir action i$ taken in the interest of the com- munity. Furthermore, if public feel ing insists that the downward trend of costs makes a boost unjustifiable in 1927, we shall, as in this instance, abide by that public feeling.” The threat of the chamber of com- merce to bring the question of a strike before the grand jury is believed to have had considerable influence in lining Smith up with that body. Concentrate on Painters. Since the defeat of the laborrers the chamber of commerce has redoubled its efforts against the Painters’ Union. At is publishing paid advertise- ments which state: This strike is being waged against you. It is your rent that will be raised. If you are doing any paint- ing, decorating and paper hanging, stop it. . . . All the forces which defeated the laborers’ strike should now be concentrated on defeating the painters’ strike. Lack of Unity Aids Bosses. The lack of unity in the labor move- ment here has given great encourage- ment to the open shop interests and if the painters are beaten a general attack on Cleveland labor can be ex- pected. Especially in the building trades must the work begin for contracts ending on the same date for all unions so that a united front against the bosses can prevent such unnecessary and shameful defeats as that suffered by the laborers. Bosses’ Lackey Seeks Election to Congress By a Worker Correspondent PITTSBURGH, Pa. May 19.—The ordinary class conscious worker has had a good laugh out of the primary elections that were being -carried on in Pennsylvania, but this one beats them all, Harry A. Estep, who is run- ning for congress for the 35th district, a well-known prosecuting attorney of workers and especially of the Pitts- burgh cases and one who will use any means to send workers to jail because they, are class conscious, had sent to one of the defendants, a member of the Workers (Communist) Party, the following card: “Dear Friend: “L am writing you soliciting your vote and support as a candidate for congress at the primaries on May 18. My record as first assistant district attorney is a good criterion of what my record in congress will be. Thank- ing you, I am sincerely yours.” This card was sent to Max Jenkins, one of the defendants who this lackey is trying to send to prison. 1000 WORKER CORRESPONDENTS BY JANUARY 13 1927 o-ane year subscription to THE WORKERS MONTHLY—tweive 9 for a year’s pleasure and benefit, —THE AWAKENING OF CHINA, by Jas. H. Dolsen, that should be In every worker's Ilbrary. THE FIRST PRIZE WINNER. On the Docks at Superior, Wis. By a Worker Correspondent UPBRIOR, Wis.—Allouez, Wiscon-| bonus. sin, is a suburb of Superior. It is here that the Great Northern oom- ‘pany owns and operates great docks, thru which it transports large quanti- ties of ore obtained from the Minne- sota iron ore districts. Allouez itself is more a city of working people, who live day after day absorbed only in their own living—a life without great ambitions. The summertime offers more of a variety. It ig in the sum- mertime that the work at the docks is in full swing. In the winter, how- ever, everything ‘as a whole, is rather dead, without life, The great repair shops of the rail- road companies are located close to Allouez. Many of the workers living in Alloues, work in these shops. But these shops cannot employ a very large number of workers. At the docks the chances for em- ployment have become slighter due to the new methods put in use which enable more work to be done with less human labor. The, large ore cars are no longer emptied by human la- bor, but it is done mechanically, with great machines. During the last few years human labor has been greatly decreased, Nationalities. } A great many foreigners residé) in Allouez. The main races are the Bel- gians, Finnish and Swedish. . These different people are not in any way connected with each other, The capi- talists are rejoicing over the fact that the workers “cannot find each other,” i. e., they do not belong to any un- jons nor do they in any other way associate with each other. True it is that they have organized one union by a certain company, but as long as this union is directed thru the office of this company, there is no hope that the workers make any headway. Churches, “The churches on the other hand, are crowded every Sunday. The lo- cality has plenty of them and they are located in every direction. In ad- dition, in a beautiful park, in the midst of flower beds and statues, is the home of the bishop, the sovereign of the church, who is highly esteemed by the people and obeyed likewise, The wages in the docks are low. A man gets the petty sum of 50c an hour for work which is outrightly of @ killing nature. The weekly salary amounts to from $24 to $30. In addi- Low-Paid Workers Re- pair Venetian Lace for for a British Parasite By a Worker Correspondent NEW YORK, May 19.—For the last two weeks a number of women art needle workers have been busy with piece of torn Venetian embroidery lace sent here to be repaired by a tich English lord, They photographed the lace before and after we worked on it. It was examined by experts of art before it left our hands. A representative of the lord was waiting for the lace and went back to Bugland with it as soon as it was ready. The women who did this work received but very little for their pains, j Every Worker Correspondent must be @ subscriber to the American Worker Correspondent. Are you one? - SEND IN A SUB! This Week’s Prize Winners! The first prize this week goes to the writer of the very interesting account of “On the Docks at Superior, Wis.” This story recounts the * problems of the workers at this lake port, but has a broad appeal that should interest all workers, The writer gets the book, “Lenin on Organ- ization, * The second prize, a copy of Madeline Marx's “Romance of New Rue- trad at Cleveland, Ohio, The third prize, eight booklets goes to the writer of the story on conditions within the building from “The Little Red Library,” is awarded to the writer of the story about the cooks and walters at Wilmington, Delaware. Not many eontributions come from Delaware. But the receipt of this bit of worker correspondentce shows that labor even here is awakening. The prizes to be offered next week a announced at the top of thia® page. Send in your worker correspondence. The address of The DAILY. WORKER Is 1113 West Washington Bivd., Chicago, Hi, NEW PRIZES ‘for the best worker correspondent’s story sent in this week to be published in the issue of May 28 § Reread a aig RUSSIA? In this brilliant book by Leon Trotsky every worker will find the latest facts about the world’s firet workers’ government In Soviet Russia. A new book tion to this the workers are pald a It is mot known how the system of paying bonus is really atranged. No one knows the basis or for what amount of labor it is paid. But the largest sum paid for working ali sum- mer ig $130.00 and this sum is paid to very few. Usually it is much less. The object of it all is to get the men to faithfully labor thruout the hot summer months, If one leaves the work before fall, when the season is over, it depends only on the good will of the boss if this bonus is paid. In most cases it is left unpaid. A strike occurred in Allouez some years ago, It affected the ore work- ers. Many hundreds of workers from the docks took part in this strike. The workers had no organization whatsoever, unless if we take into consideration the small but weak I. W. W. local branch, which, however, failed to lead the strike successfully. The companies were on the alert. Under all kinds of false pretences a large number of men were jailed. The police patrol was on the job, go- ing from street to street, keeping or- der among the striking workers, They could find no reasons for accusing the men. But finally at the end the strike was broken—and after thig the company has peacefully ruled this lit- tle city of workers. The ‘worker's live in their “own homes,” is a true statement if one un- derstands by it small, almost caved-in camps. The backyards are used for raising vegetables. In addition a small chicken farm must be kept in order to live thru the cold and long winter. The idle dock worker must collect hig fuel from the woods closé| arose on the En; by or then collect it from the stray Pieces of lumber which have drifted to the shore. The small salary would never do for buying a plentiful sup-| ply of fuel to last thru the winter. Because of the lack of organization nothing could be done to improve these conditions. The workers are en- tirely under the control of the com- panies. The workers must calmly sub- mit to all hardships, because they can do nothing without organized forces. A question arises: Isn't it about time for the workers in Allouez to get together and discuss affairs? Especially now when the season is starting for work in the docks, and the workers are here—waiting to get to work. Or are we still going to sub- ject ourselves to the whip and be obedient? NO ORGANIZED POWER OF LABOR TO AID THE FOOD WORKERS 1 am working in a restaurant as second cook, The working hours are from six in the morning until two p. m., and from five p. m. to seven, whenever | finish my work, which sometimes lasts till seven-thirty or eight. No overtime paid for this extra time. We work seven days per week for $27. Those who are dissatisfied with such working conditions are told to look for a better job, but there aren't many jobs open nowadays. If one finds a job It is usually for twelve hours a day and seven days per week, These are the conditions the hotel and restaurant workers of Chicago are confronted with. There is not one organization in the city that is really trying to better the conditions in the food industry. 1 wish to call the attention of the cooks, waiters, porters, dish bus boys and the rest of ers In the food industry to the need of some real progressive organiza: tlon work, Many workers In the food industry THE DAILY WORKER —~— - THE THIRD PRIZE WINNER. PARTIAL DEMANDS WON BY WAITERS AND COOKS? UNION Threatened Strike Brings Bosses to Terms By a Worker Correspondent. WILMINGTON, Del, May 19.—A threatened walkout of all the restau- rant workers here organized in Local 586, Hotel and Restaurant Employes’ International Alliance, was averted by an agreement between the restaurant owners and the’ men. The terms of the settlement are: 1, A 10-hour day and 6-day week. 2. Same pay as previously paid for the 84-hour week, 8. Nine-hour day and 6-day week for the women workers, 4. Time and a half for overtime. 5. Double time for seventh day work, 6. Wages to be paid semi-monthly instead of monthly. Workers Make Some Gatne. These terms, as modest as they may be, ymean a definite improvement in the working conditions of the restau- rant workers; The workers were pre- viously subjected to an 84-hour week, that is, a 12-hour day and 7-day week, and were getting between $26 and $40 @ month and tips. It is generally known among the workers here that had not the department of labor inter- vened much better conditions might have been wrested from the restau- rant bosses. Decision Not Enforced. Already it can be seen that even these slight victories are not being en- forced. In the New York Restaurant the terms of the new settlement ne- cessitate the hiring of another cook, but this has not been done. The cooks are still working @ 1%hour day in spite of the:solemn agreement signed before the Honorable William J. and J. Gilpin Highfield, who were acting for Commissiéner of Conciliation Wil- liam ©. Liller, % The so-called rest day is really broken up into several hour periods over several days, and really does not give the workers a single whole day which they din call their own. The demand for an 8-hour day and a mini- mum living wage for all workers in the trade is still a live issue. Bathing! Sui it Makers Discuss British Strike - By A Worker Corresponaent NEW YORK, May 19.—One after- noon as the Yathing suit workers gath- ered to wash their hands @ discussion lish workers’ strike. “Did you read about the English strike?” Mary asked Lena, “I did mot,” said Lena. ‘I noticed that three full pages were taken by it, but I did not have time to look it over.” ’ “I read about it,” Margaret said, joining the talk. “I wish that English king might lose the remnant of his influence. I still remember,” she kept on, now savagely, “how my people were treated by that government.” “Listen,” Julia said, “You do not realize the greatness of the present English occurrence. In America, at the time of the miners’ strike, the maintenance men scabbed on the min- ers. In England all organized labor struck in sympathy with them,” “Yes,” Mary replied, “the general strike is a pride to every worker, but the Russians are playing the old game.” “What do you mean?” Lena asked. “I mean,” Mary’s voice was heard Russians. Why, Trotzky predicted it a@ long time ago.” “You mean to say,” Margaret ar- gued, “that if Russians should come here and agitate for a general strike the workers would respond to their agitators irrespective of what the con- ditions might be?’ That is foolish,” “1 fully sympathize with the ish brothers,” Julia summed up. “As soon as financial help ts asked I should like to be the first one to aid with my day's wages.” We then parted to eat our lunches. A. H. Meyers Millinery By a Worker Correspondent, “NEW YORK, May 19.—Once more trouble is looming in the A, H. Meyers Millinery Shop at 29 East 365th street. The workers are determined to win this fight, As usual, the trouble started when the boss, Muffering the common disease of so many of his class, decided that 4 certain hat did not pay him to give to the operators and stealthily did the work himself, He had ample time to do 80, as the workers were only in are forced to pay from $1 $40 for a Job, but many of them not see the use of paying a few dollars to help organize thelr Industry and bet- ter their own conditions, the shop three d & week, Finally the workers got wind of it. Naturally, they all stopped working, for in this particular shop both men and women are 100 per cont organ- ised. They all marched down to the union offices and made their com- plaint. On the third day of the strike one of the girls was sent up to inspect the shop. A few scabs were found at work. A picket litte Was then estab- lished at the plant, the thing I do not like about it is that |life-time have been devoted to picture the life of American workers. His many novels have been translated into all languages and in Russia have again, “that the strike was induced by |been sold into millions of copies. the bitter exploitation of the workers; the driving power of OIL which not only moves industry but is also motive power for world exploitation of Labor—and filthy corruption of politics which Waeskere Gk -Muvike ‘to in the case of the Teapot Dome proved one of the Enforce Union Terms |&eatest national scandals in years. Vageé Five A New Novel by Upton Sinclair BEGINS IN THE ISSUE OF wune MERICA’S leading novelist has written this story. A writer whose gifts thru a P= First American publication in The DAILY WORKER of a new novel by the author of “THE JUNGLE” "KING COAL” * 00%,” and other novels of the working class, “Oil” is a new novel. 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