The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-04-24
POLICE CALLED AS
STRIKERS COME
FOR Their WAGES
(Continued from PAGE y


The work in the Pullman cars out
in the 111th Street end Of the shops
has been standing since Monday. Or
dinarily at least one car day is fit
ted up and moved away. No work has
been done on them this week. A fore
man told one striker that the few
scabs the company was able to hire
drove 1859 rivets up until yesterday
and only four of them were passed by
the inspector. The rest will have tc
be reamed out again.
Strikers told the DAILY WORKER
that one Of the worst features of the
shops is that all the assembling and
riveting together of the cars is car
ried on out in the open.
ut would't cost much to build sheds
over the uncompleted cars" one strik
err declared to the DAILY WORKER
"But when we complained to the Pull
man officials they told us if we didn't
like to work in the open air we could
quit and go home Many deaths from
flu and pneumonia have resulted from
these conditions In order to earn
enough to support our fomilies we
have to work sometimes in the snow,
in the freezing cold and rain.
The Pullman Company, besides dis
regarding the health of their slaves
and trying to reduce their wages and
speed up production are also trying to
squeeze money out of the men by
charging high rents from the company
houses. The Pullman Company owns
a large proportion of the houses of the
south end of the town. Several thous-
and employees, because of the short
age of houses available near their
shops, are forced to live in houses
owned by the Pullman Company. The
Pullman company has had the gall to
send out notices this month, the very
time they are trying to put over de-
crease in wages, to send notices to
all their tenants of large raise in
rents. Three room flats occupied By
the employees have been raised six,
seven and eleven dollars above their
former rental.
Large Families Hard Hit.
Large families have been hardest
hit by the increase Of the rents for
company houses. Five and six-room
houses under the increase announced
to begin May 1, are renting for sixty,
seventy-fve and eighty-fve dollars
per month.
Laborers in the Pullman shops are
growing FESTIVE after observing the
solidarity of the Pullman strikers.
One laborer who quit his job yester-
day told the DAILY WORKER that
laborers are paid only % dollars per
week, and he pays forty dollars a
month rent for a Pullman Company
house. How can l live under those
conditions" this man said to the
DAILY WORKER.
The striking riveters, reamers, fit
tiers, buckers, heaters and outside
steel workers were successfully
picketing yesterday. The entire Pull
man plant has felt the result of the
walk-out to a remarkable degree.
Scabs Incompetent.
Painters, switchmen, shop mechan-
les and others were idling around the
plant yesterday in an attempt to look
busy. No cars have been riveted to-
gether or fitted up this week, and pro-
duction is at a standstill.
What few scabs reported to work
yesterday were found to be so incom-
petent that they were not allowed to
work by the foremen. Observing the
splendid results Of the strike, hun
dreds of men in other departments
are declaring their intention of walk
ing out before the week is up.
An enthusiastic strike meeting was
held yesterday morning at 1853 East
107th street. Members of the strike
committee declared the slogan of the
strike is mo compromise" They were
wildly cheered and instructed to tell
McLaren, Gum and the other Pull
man officials that no settlement will
be made until the reduction in wages
is wiped out.
The strike at Hegewisch is making
as good progress as the walkout in
Pullman.