The Daily Worker Newspaper, September 20, 1933, Page 3

DAILY WORKER, NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1933 wage Three ising Food Prices Spread Hunger, Disclosed in Reports Year-Old Picket Saptain Describes Shoe Strike in L.L. ‘¢ Fishlow Tells Interviewer About the Struggle at Comfort Sandal Co. By SIDNEY COOK. Vv YORK.—“Our strike is 800 percent solid and everyone's spirit is We sre all signed up with the Industrial Union and anyone who talks ur union had better not eome in the headquarters.” is how Irving Fishlow, 19-year old striker of the Comfort Sandal ong Island City, described the feelings of himself and his fellow Taking the place of his fa- 10 is one of the delegates; to » hearings in Washington, Ir- acting as picket captain. The | < pickets had just left; now | aad time to talk to me He that the 165 strikers of the Slipper Co. who have been 2 for three weeks already, de- ecognition of the snoe and Workers Industrial Uinion, a imum wage for the young and a 25 per cent ipcrease s with adjustments fpr un- piece, on account of cutting the hours per week, our wages remained the same.” “The boss didn’t even keep his promise after that,” someone else volunteered. “After he raised 10 per cent he cut the lasting department 6 cents an operation.” I pointed out to the strikers about me that the Communis Party is the only party supporting the strike of the stitchdown workers and that the Dai- ly Worker is featuring news Ra the ial operations. ‘He de-| Strikes. Our talk turned to the So- hoe the day after gping on|Cialist Party. There are rumors that the’ Comfort strikers -had|the bosses have “socialist sympa- down” the Five Star Shoe | thies.” avolving 250 workers, “Do you know,” I asked, “that Nor- uine years,” Irving said, “there pag har ve teers irri that now is not been any strikes in Comfort | the time re?” And there was no union fit| “Yes,” Irving said, “I heard about fhe struggle. Of course, none that. I really can’t understand it. I rorkers have faith in the Boot | had always thought that the Socialist ce Union. My father often |Party was a workers’ (Party. how the officials robbed the| I got up to leave. “What do you ship of $20,000 a few years think of Grover Whalen, local head ry worker in the factory knew |,of the N.R.A.?” I asked @ tall young his, That's woly we were all| striker as I began to walk away. the Industrial Union at first. sone And the others alll ight it was just another sell- | 20¢ % * mm and the first time the or-| “Ditto,” I agreed. “‘So long. came ered ye refed fo National Events 100 per cent union crew. Ev- ipined at once.” were conditions im the shop?” orter asked. ie past year and a half,” Ir- sw2red, “Simon and Fischel, ‘es, have out our wages three Honor Organiser. CHICAGO, IN.—A banquet for Claud Lightfoot, newly-elected or- ganizer of Section 7, is planned for Saturday, Sept. 23, at 8 pm. Tick- ets may be purchased at the Work- ers’ School, 2622 S. Michigan Bivd., iakiiig about # 50 per cent cut fost of the girls made around or from Section 7 headquarters, 10 W. 47th St. eek and one old man in the com made as low as $5 or $6 We unever had anything left our" wages. we sent up a committee to Sit nea Protest Jim-Crowism. BERWIN, Pa.—The I. L. D. will hold a mass protest meeting against Jim Crow schools in Berwin on Fri- day at 8 p.m. at the Universal Hall, ur demands, the boss saw + demard—recognition of the 1626 Federal &. James Ford will be the main speaker. and said ‘Goodbye.’ But our s solid. Our slogan is ‘No t do you think of the Daily ibe Anti-Fascist Meeting. RACINE, Wisc.—The International Labor Defense has called an anti- fascist meeting in front of the City ” | asked. only read a few copies,” Ir- ilied, “but I «tam see it expres- vorkers’ point of view and ex- e propaganda of the bosses.” t do you think of the fact ( the papers like the News, and Daily Star (Long Island) screaming headlines about yut very little about the strug- the stitchdown workers?” “don't want to encourage the | Hall on Sept. 12 at 8 pm. All or- to strike.” ganizations are urged to turn out on this date. * 7 2 Challenge to LW.O. NEWARK, N, J.—Branch 512 of the I. W. O, of Newark challenges the Slovak-English Branch 106 of the I. W. O. to get more members in the membership drive now going on. Mee Freiheit Mandolin Orchestra. is NEWARK, N. J.—Any worker ok a pencil and paper,” an- | wishing to join the Freiheit mando- triker added, “and proved it| lin orchestra of Newark please be at : and white. Although the boss | the headquarters next Tuesday night ling to raise the price per at 1 Peshine Ave. are bosses’ papers,” another viker standing nearby chimes led over a girl striker from ae street. Her name was Eliz- tallo and she was a member of ke committee. N.R.A.? Tt’s no good for us. t first came out in the papers ght it was good. Now we know th” vied feet Your Comrades at the ew--Modern-- Up-To-Date ALE RAIL BAR AND GRILL 106 East 14th Street Between Fourth Avenue and Irving Place HpRE YOUR NICKELS AND DIMES BUY THE MOST PURE FOOD AT PROLETARIAN PRICES KING’S BEER ON DRAUGHT PEN DAY and NIGHT Steel Trust Fails to Stop Union Meeting GARY, Ind., Sept. 19—The steel trust extended its long strike-break- ing arm into the activities of the Steel and Metal Workers Indusrial Union and ordered the owner of a hall in this steel company town to close its doors to prevent a meeting of the Steel and Metal Workers In- dustrial Union. The union engaged Crystal Ball- room for a mass meeting of steel workers on Sept. 7 to acquaint them with the experiences of steel workers in the recent struggles in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, McKees Rocks and other centers. Negro workers were invited ing. On the day of the meeting, a Dr. Ross, Negro dentist who subleases the hall, refused the keys and in a last minute effort to stop the meet- ing had the lights turned off by the obtained previously. As the workers arrived for the meeting two detec- tives were posted to drive them from the meeing. The steel trust failed in its objective, however, when the workers gathered at 1985 Broadway, the headquarters of the union, and held a crowded and successful meeting, attended by more than 150. Many joined the union. Mass. Governor Calls Troops to End Strike NEW BEDFORD, Mass., Sept 19.— More state troopers were ordered out by Governor Ely to help break the strike of the cranberry pickers that has tied up the harvest for over two weeks. The growing militancy of the pickets, who have already gone far beyond their AFL leadership has greatly alarmed the property owners nd local officials. In response to a plea from John J. Beaton, pres- ident of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association for the pro- tection of scab workers, the Select- men of Barnstable replied, “Our po- lice are on the job, and if anything is started here the instigators will be sorry.” The councilmen also ex- pressed regret at the “excessive wages” demanded by the men. refused to meet the demands of the The strike started when growers workers for 80 cents an hour instead of 40, inasmuch as the season is only six weeks. Call Strike at the Chicago Fur Shops CHICAGO, Ill, Sept. 19—Work- ers of the David Adler shop walked out on strike yesterday at the call of the Fur Workers’ section of the Needle Trades Workers’ Industrial Union. The Adler shop has been an open shop since its inception and is. known to manufacture the finest quality of fur garments while at the same time paying the lowest wages to the workers. The immediate cause of the strike was the dischage of two of the workers who were active in organ- izing the union in the shop. The strikers are demanding re-instate- ment of the fired worker, pay in- creases and a 40-hour week. The Industrial Union asks all fur work- ers to report at the union office, 119 South Wells St., at 7 am. every morning to assist on the picket line. and urged to participate in the meet- | in Cranberry Fields | Ordered deported for organizing Gary Heat and Light Co., although | Fayette County, Pa., miner Leon a deposit had been paid and receipt! Damiano is shown sailing to the Soviet Union with his wife and Deported — To Russia | | | | | | | | | nine months’ old baby, having won | the fight against being sent to | Fascist Italy. N.Y. NRA Asks Federal Aid to Smash Strike Wave NEW YORK.—With the strike movement gaining greater momentum | in New York City and involving nearly 100,000 workers, NRA officials in | New York admitted their inability to the workers to continued starvation aid of national officials to stifle the 24 Hour Picketing Keeps Indiana Steel Mill Shut; 500 Out INDIANA HARBOR, Ind., Sept. 18.—The strike of over 500 steel workers of the Standard Forgings plant is in its second week. The company is realizing that the men are sticking solid and has been mobilizing the local A. F. of L. of- ficials and the local N.R.A. to break the strike. The local newspapers, such as the Gary Post Tribune and Chicago Tribune, are calling for a return to work by referring to the Steel and Metal Workers’ In- dustrial Union as “an outlaw union.” f Despite these efforts the strikers are solid behind the program of the S. M. W. I. U., and about 350 have already joined its ranks. The | Vice-President of the Boilermakers’ Union of the A. F. of L., Guthridge, together with Fred Shutz of the Central Labor Union and the local | N. R. A. official, Kyne, have met with Superintendent Swanson of the Standard Forgings Co. and are try- ing to negotiate a separate agree- ment for the 18 welders who are on strike and who have been mis- led into joining the A. F: of L. Union. The rank and file welders, however, pledge to stay out on strike until a successful agreement has been reached for all of the men. The workers throughout the steel region are watching the strike closely. There is a great response to the mass meetings called by the S. M. W. I. U. to report on the strike. has met with the superintendent | cope with the militant resistance of wages and have decided to seek the strike struggles. | “- Colonel Philip of the local Compli- ance Board of the NRA is reported to have left for Washington last night to confer with General John- son and Donald Richberg of the NRA. He is also said to be seeking the help of Edward McGrady who assisted the government recently in deceiving the striking miners. The Colonel's chief objective in go- ing to Washington is to strengthen the local “labor adjustment” machin- ery of the NRA to enable them to smash strikes quickly and effectively. He will ask for the immediate estab- lishment of a local mediation board similar to the National Labor Ad- visory Board. In addition to the strikes in the knitgoods, whitegoods and custom tailoring sections of the needle in- dustry, strikes are on in the metal, shoe, furniture, bakery, mirror, jewelry and painting trades and more | strikes are looming in the waist sec- tion of the garment trade and among the delivery drivers. and also visited the central office of the corporation in Chicago and presented demands to the officials. Yet the capitalist press continues to slander the strike by stating that “no official demands have been placed with the company.” The plant, which before the strike worked on three shifts daily, now has three picket shifts daily. Picketing goes on for 24 hours, with the largest mobilization at the previously regular starting times. A leaflet issued by the S. M. W. I. U. to the Amr. Steel Foundries Co. met a good response, and a lo- jcal of the S.M.W.I.U. is expected to be organized this week. The Communist Party is issuing a special leaflet to all steel work- ers and a special mass meeting is being organized this week in Indi- ana Harbor to explain the role of the N. R. A. and Roosevelt Children Find $5,000 in Dump. JERSEY CITY, N. J.—John Qu aged 5, lives near the dump in Je: City. His father is unemplo: While playing in the dumps Johnny found $5,000 in bills. Since it didn’t clink he threw it away. Older boys found it, and thought it to be “pli money.” They had fun burning Some few dollars that were saved were ascertained to be good money by a local bank. How Would You Like a Glass Bathing Suit? so far no way of dyeing it has been found so that the suit will not be transparent. It might do Hollywood some good! | Typhoon Leaves Trail of Havoc. SHANGHAI—The second typ of the month caused the w River to overflow here. The blew itself out on the Yellow Sea. + Children Escape from Deten- tion Home. DOBBS FERRY, N. Y.—Four bo: are being hunted by the state aut) ities. They escaped from the Ch |dren's Village for Juvenile Delin- quents. Tie Up Complete in 'BrocktonShoeStops to Force Out AFL. | BROCKTON, Mas Sept. 19. | Every shoe factory in Brockton was Picketed today, and not a shop was able to start production. The tie-up is complete as the 9,000 shoe workers, | revolting against the decision of the National Labor Advisory Board com- pelling them to pay dues to the rack- eteering Boot and Shoe Union, are standing man to man to win their demands and to drive out the corrupt Officials of the A. F. of L. Boot and Shoe Union. The workers demand recognition of the Brotherhood of Shoe and Allied Crafts. Shoe workers here are aroused to a realization that they must conduct their own fight against combined odds, namely, the N. R. A., the manu- Many are openly saying the National Labor Advisory Board is boss-con- trolled. | Auto Union Rallies Budd Workers Against the Company Union PHILADELPHIA, Pa., Sept. 19.— Fearing that the Auto Workers Union would spread, the E. G. Budd Auto- mobile Body Plant called in the A. F. of L. to organize the workers. The workers, wary of A. F. of L. organiz- ers, however, failed to respond to a call to a meeting. The company then decided to in- troduce the employee representation plan and representatives known for their servility to the company were elected from each department. ‘The Auto Workers local here is ac- tive in rallying the workers to fight for a 15 cent hourly wage, a 40-hour week, pay for dead time and equal wages for equal work for men and women workers. (Combined from Page One) pulsory arbitration machinery being made part of the code, The concessions won by the miners can now be carried out only by the action of the miners themselves, It is up to the miners to see that even these small wage advances are actu- ally given. The National Miners Union de- manded pay for dead work on the Hal s 2 Hy Prt ty HHI i concessions through is precisely the rea- 1 powerful strikebreaking were put in the code—to pre- through struggle car- and winning Rising Food Prices .| L. Lewis in an effort to keep the Roosevelt Signs Coal Code; Strikes Won Concessions on wages does not even receive men- tion in the code, That is the fact that prices of food and other neces- sities are going up so fast that the present wages will soon be worse than the old scales, retain the right to demand revision of wage scales to meet rising prices. To back it up, they must be orga- nized, with mine committees empow- ered with the right to raise the de- mand for higher wages at any time. That is another reason compulsory arbitration is put into the code, to hold wages down while prices go up. The code makes no guarantee of employment makes no provision whatever for the hundreds of. thou- sands of unemployed miners as de- manded by the National Miners Union, in its provision for unemploy- ment insurance, ‘The compulsory arbitration clause was supported and demanded by John miners from striking, as they have repeatedly disobeyed his orders not to strike. The object of making these con- cessions was to attempt to herd the miners into the UMWA, and to es- tablish the leadership of John L. Lewis as the “miners representative,” when in all actions the miners have repudiated John L. Lewis. Roosevelt, in eliminating a few sec- tions interpreting the NRA labor clauses, tries to keep alive the miners Tilusions about the right to choose their own representatives; but this will become a fact only when the miners elect their own mine com- mittees, rejecting Lewis's leadership, making their own agreements, seeing by their own action that the conces- sions are carried out, and the de- mands of the miners granted. They Are Pledged The UMWA and AF of L officials are now pledged to “make effective and acceptable” to the miners the worst anti-labor clauses yet included in any code signed by Roosevelt. Still intact, and the most outstand- ing part of the code, is that dealing with “Labor Relations,” known as Section 5 of Article VII, Here the no-strike edict which drove the 70,000 striking miners back into the pits last August is made law. The miners are prohibited from striking, no matter how bad their One of the most important points conditions are made under the code. The miners should | ‘They are ordered to submit all of their grievances to conferences be- tween UMWA officials and the coal operators. If the controversy cannot be settled by these conferences, then they must be submitted to a com- pulsory arbitration board composed of | two representatives of the coal oper- ators (one chosen by the operators themselves and one by the govern- ment for each mining district), and one by the UMWA officials, Must Accept The decisions of these strike-break- ing boards, says the code accepted by Lewis and Green, “shall be accepted by the parties to the controversy as effective for a provisional period of not longer than six months, to be fixed by the board.” This section of the law goes on to say that no matter how bad condi< tions, the miners must not strike while the compulsory arbitration board is considering their grievances, or after a decision is made, no matter what the decision is. The wording of this section is as follows: “During the consideration of any such controversy, either by the agreed machinery of adjustment or by the bituminous coal labor board (the strikebreaking and compulsory arbi- tration body) neither party to the controversy shall change the condi- tions out of which the controversy arose or utilize coercrve or retaliatory measures to compel the other party to accede to its demands,” That means no strikes. It means that the miners’ unions become abso- lutely worthless if the law is to be carried out, because the miners are forbidden to use their organized Strength to fight against low wages, discrimination, or even failure to car- ry out the very low wages granted by the codes. It means that if the H. C. Frick Coke Co., or the Pittsburgh Terminal Coal Co. slash wages, and fire union men, nobody ts allowed to walk out of the mine and fight against it. The miners must remain at work, and John L. Lewis and Wil- liam Green, as well as all other offi- cials of the U.M.W.A., will do all they can to make this strikebreaking “ef- fective and acceptable.” Decisions ‘The decision of the compulsory ar- bitration boards are final, and the men are supposed to obey them for at least six months. If they have more grievances, the strikebreaking mill grinds all over again, but the men must remain at work, Roosevelt made two other small amendments, one providing for the furnishing of statistics and another enlarging the national bituminous administrat: i 4 from 14 to 18, nine to be appointed by the oper- ators and nine by the Federal Goy- ernment, insuring the operators com~ plete control of the board which is to put the coal code into action. ‘What to vo Now What must the miners do now that the code is passed? It is clear that whatever concessions there are in the code were won through the action of the miners themselves. The miners can win better conditions than pro- vided in the code by their own or- ganization and struggle. ‘The code should be discussed in ev- ery mine. Mass meetings should be called in order to give the miners an opportunity to say what they think about the code, and to lay down a program of action. In every mine, the miners should elect their own representatives, to draw up tonnage rates, to demand pay for dead work, to establish the right of joining a union of their own choosing, and to sce that the paper concessions are carried out. The present code should be com- pared to the code submitted by the National Miners Union, and the de- mands left out, such as the six-hour day, unemployment insurance, the right to organize and strike, be put to the operators. In each mine the miners should draw up their objections to the code. Protests should be made against the compulsory arbitration clause, and against John L, Lewis for spon- soring this strikebreaking apparatus for the coal fields. An opposition group should be or- ganized in every U.M.W.A. local, ral- lying all of the miners pelonging to the U.M.W.A. behind it on the basis of driving out John L, Lewis and other U.M.W.A. officials who have shown themselves tools of the coal operators. A of struggle should be drawn up for higher wages, tonnage rates, union recognition, the right to raise demands for higher ‘wages to meet higher prices, and the right to strike and picket, What happens to the miners’ con- ditions as the result of the code is in the hands of the miners, Their action, any | which won concessions, can win better condi tions and defeat the strike- breaking pewer given to the coal op- erators facturers, and the A. F. of L. officials. | nawsmniers | WORKERS FORCED TO CUT DOWN GROCERY BUYING, ARP CHAIN STORES REVEAL | Workers Plan Consumer Strikes Against the Advancing Retail Bread, Milk Prices; to Picket Bak & as | the latest reports of the A. “No Questions at Preview of | Mexican Movie |Editor Fired Because} HeWanted to Question Hash of Film NEW YORK, N. ¥.—Lincoln Kir- | st ditor of Hound and Horn, was | expelled from Tuesday's private show- | ing of what Sergei Eisenstein’s film on Mexico, “Thunder Over Mexico,” in the New School for Social Re-| search at 66 West 12th St., for trying | to ask a question. | Sergei Eisenstein, brilliant movie director of the Soviet Union, took | 200,000 feet of film in Mexico. The movie was backed by Upton Sinclair, | who got Hollywood muckrakers to| | edit and cut the film, so that it would | have value on the commercial market. | The editor of Hound and Horn at- tempted to ask a question at the |preview. He got no further than: | “T want to ask a question——” when | \the ushers very promptly threw him | | out. | Mrs. Helen Woodward, who was in| charge of the performance, in-} formed the stunned audience after| the ejection of Kirstien that discus- | sion and questions would be held} |after the showing. However, lights| were put out immediately on the | close of the preview, and no discus- | sion or questions were permitted, | The audience, a select group of | critics, movie professionals and lib- |erals, hissed after the showing of the picture. ‘Union Men Fired, Iowa Meat Packers Are Out on Strike DAVENPORT, Iowa, Sept. 18— Workers of the Kohrs Meat Pack- ing Co. went on strike when 10 men were fired for participating in union organization after the declaration by the company boss that “we have the |right to hire and lay off whom we lease.’ The A. F. of L, organizer, Jacob- | son, indicated that he would lay the | matter before the N. R. A. board | for “arbitratio: ta | Fh eries, Dairies a eae RIEL NEW YORK, Sept. 19.— Striking evidence that the shrinkable bathing suit much like one | Roosevelt price-raising program is rapidly cutting into the | of fine silk. The only difficulty is that | daily food consumption of workers families, is furnished by P. Grocery chain, the largest >grocery chain in the country. For the last five weeks, these re- ports reveal, there has been a steady drop in the amount of daily grocer- jes purchased, a 4 per cent drop be- ing registered in dollar sales and a 6 per cent drop in unit v i These figures indicate that not only are workers being foresd to reduce their grocery buying, but they are forced te pay a higher price for the goods they actually do buy. As a result of the advancing cost of g. workers and housewives are | organizing for active resisiance to the higher prices. A mass protest meeting of consum- ers was held Sunday at Lakewood, New Jersey at Wolpin Hall to plan a widespread consumer's strike. Plans were laid down for a strike against the recent raising of bread prices to 10 cents a pound, and rolls to 24 cents a dozen. The consumers demand that bread be reduced to 8 cents a pound, and rolls to 18 cents a dozen. It is expected that the strike will spread to neighboring sections, like Long Branch, Red Bank, and Asbury Park. Neighborhood groups and com- mittees are being formed to picket bakeries, groceries and dairies to de- mand lower prices. The meeting was called by the Monmouth and Ocean County Con- sumers Association, a united front group which includes several frater- nal and mass organizations, such as the International Workers Order, the Workmen's Circle, the International Labor Defense, and the Tom’s River Ladies Auxiliary organization. “Pound” of Bread Is Cut Four Ounces, As Retail Price Rises That the one cent rise in bread prices is actually a greater rise be- cause of reductions in the weight of the bread loaf, is pointed out by a railroad worker writing to the weekly paper “Labor.” He writes. “How do the bakers get away with it? In this territory the ‘pound’ loaf is twelve ounces, and even ten ounces, while the price has gone up from five to six cents. This makes 15 cents for 30 ounces, compared with the recent price of 10 cents for 30 ounces. “At the present price of five cents for 10 ounces, it figures at about | $4.80 a bushel.” The farmers are getting less than a dollar a bushel. | | | FOR THE B Starting Sept. ROSH HA SHONAH SPORT PLAYS EVERY DAY EVENING ALL PROFIT 10 DAYS | Camp Nitgedaiget BEACON, N. Y. ENEFIT OF THE NEEDLE TRADES WORKERS 21 to Sept. 30 - YOM KIPPUR DANCES AND CONCERTS EVERY FOR THE STRUGGLES OF THE NEEDLE TRADES WORKERS INDUSTRIAL UNION Specially Reduced Prices for Needle Workers Make Your Reservations Immediately in the Office of the Union — 131 West 28th Street Yemans Street, at PHILAD SEPT. All organizations Minor will speak. * me (ut of Town Affairs mmm Daily, Norker DETROIT SEPT. 21: Film showing of “1905”, at Yemans Hall, 304 22: Daily Worker Activist Meeting to discuss Plans to Build Daily Worker; Slovak Hall, 510 Fairmond Ave. CHICAG SEPT. 22: Film showing of “1905”, at Peoples’ Auditortum, 2457 W. Chicago Avenue, SEPT. 25: ea taat cau gl at Lithuanian Auditerium, GARY, IND. SEPT. 23: Film eee of ee ba Roumanien Hall. MILWAUKEE » Film of “1905”, at Liberty Hall, and Wal- SEPT. 26: nut Pomc tie P. slag Admission ate potion 2c at the door. NEWARK, N. J. SEPT. M4: Film showing of “Cain and Artem” and “Clown George” at Y. M. & Y. W. H. A. Auditorium, High and W.Kinney Sts. Two showings: afternoon at 2:30 and evening at 8:15. Admission 30 cents. 7:30 p.m. Admission 15 cents, * ELPHIA are to send delegates. Robert