The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-09-09
CARPET WORKERS
STRIKE AGAINST
WAGE SLASHINC
Massachusetts, Textile
Workers Revolt
Ry MAX sALzMAN.

SAXONVILLE, Mass, Sept. S.--For
Is weeks the $50 employees Of the
Roxbury Carpet Co. in this city have
been on strike against the attempt Of
the bosses to cut the wages Of the
workers Is per cent. This on top of
wage cut of rs per cent made dur
ing the past year has angered the
workers and steeled them in their
struggle against their miserable con-
ditions.
These workers are experienced in
their struggle against these bosses.
Innumerable times before they have
carried on their struggle, but the
bosses are making an attempt to still
further lower the standard of living
Of the workers and they are deter
mined to smash the local union Of
the United Textile Workers Of Ameri-
ca which is carrying on this struggle.
The living" wage which they have
had previous to this time has been
gotten only thru bitter struggles and
thru the fact that the workers have
been organized
The company seeing that they could
not break the strike by starvation, are
now beginning to evict the workers.
However, before they do this they
offer to let the workers live N these
homes. They also offer them a half
ton Of coal free in addition to his, on
ono condition. That is, that they
betray their fellow workers and 90
back to work. This the mass of
workers refused to do. In spite of
the fact that many of the workers and
their families are starving, only 10
out of the $50 workers who went out
on strike, have sold out to the bosses.
little while previous to the strike
the bosses established a standard of
work for forty-eight hours. This was
done by bringing in efficiency experts
who timed the amount of work done
during forty-eight hours by the work
ers. While they were in the mill the
workers were forced to speed I'D their
work to the limit Of their endurance.
Then they took the amount Of work
done by the fastest workers and made
that the standard Of production for
the rest of the workers in the shou.
This was impossible for most of the
workers to do and as a consequence
their pay was still further reduced.
The workers are compelled to stand
the anger and insults Of the bosses.
They are continually abused. Under
these conditions along with the wage
cuts, which reduces the wages of the
workers to about $4,000 per week, the
workers rebelled and now are carry
ing on life and death struggle. The
workers are determined to win this
struggle. No threats or arrests on
the part of the police can intimidate
them. The chief of police of Franz
lngham arrests strikers for no reason
at all except their loyalty to the rest
OF the workers. On the otherhand.
when five scabs were caught recent.
ly with blackjacks in their possession.
they were set free.
The bosses buy all sorts of Iuxuries
for the 100 scabs they have imported.
They hire taxis for them, pay high
wages and see that they get eyery
thing they need. The bosses tell the
workers they cannot afford to pay
them more wages, but when the work
ers see the bosses spend money in
this manner in an attempt to break
their strike, they are more than ever
determined to fight The enthusiasm
among the workers is high. Fifteen
long weeks have passed. Yet their
struggle is being carried on and will
be carried on until the Roxbury Car
pet Co. will be compelled to give in
to the demands of these organized
workers.