The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-10-20
GITLOW SCORES
new YORK CITY'S
TAX LABOR LAWS
Communists Fight for
Soviet Standards
BY PAULINE ROGERS
Especial TO The Daily Worker


NEW YORK, Oct. 1S.-Ben Gitlow,
candidate Of the Workers Communist
Party for mayor of New York City de-
clared that the Communists were not
out to maintain the existing New
York standards for the projection OF
workers as the socialist party wants
to do, but is out to achieve tie stan
dards of Soviet Russia.
1.-THE socialists" declared Gitlow,
pledge themselves to maintain the
New York standards; but we, the
Workers Party say that the existing
laws are very inadequate and do not
meet the needs Of the workers Let
us consider the so-called New York
standards. First,-the workers com,
pensation laws do not cover all in
dustries and employments in any
state. There still remain many loop
holes and low standards in the law
Clerks, professionals, farm hands and
domestic servants are universally ex.
cludeI. The law covers only II
groups of hazardous employments
and only 10 of the most common oc-
cupational diseases.
"In case of injury, no compensation
is paid the first week, and then the
injured worker receives from so to
sc per cent of his salary. Besides
this, workers meet constantly with I'M
necessary delay and unfairness in the
settlement of claims.
New York pays no health insur-
ance to workers if their illness is not
| due to one of the 10 occupational
diseases covered by the workmen's
compensation law, and it has no
system Of insurance for the unem-
ployed.
Second. is the question of labor
legislation for men. In New York, rs
per cent of the people employed are
wage workers, and yet there are no
laws limiting the number of hours
a man may work, no minimum wage
laws, no laws establishing paid vaca.
tons. There is law requiring one
days rest in but this law is weak
ened by many exceptions. There are
codes of factory laws regarding dan.
gerous machinery, elevators, fire.
escapes, and poison gases, but the
inspection is lax, and the laws are
constantly violated One quarter OF
our workers in New York are unem
ployed, and there is no law guarantee
ing the worker a chance to earn his
living.
: Third is the question of labor lie
gislation for women. There is in New
York, no minimum wage for women
there is no prohibition of night work
except between the hours of IL D. m
and 6 a. m. No attempt is made tc
give women the same salary as mer
for the same work. There is a Law
demanding a minimum 9-hour day
for women, but violations of it are
legion. One of the few protective
measures for women is that physi
clans. must report Immediately al
cases OF occupational disease. But
where thousands of cases actual,
exist, only few hundred are report
ed Another law states that an EN-
ployer should not employ a female
sooner than 4 weeks after she ha,
given birth to a child. There is nc
law granting her leave of absenc,
with pay however, and no provision
made for day nurseries.
We, the Workers Party repudiat,
all these meager measures. ant
pledge ourselves to attain the stand
ards of Soviet Russia, where Their,
is a minimum wage law for men ant
women, where the maximum day /,
8 hours, and the night work lasts onl,
hours. where AZ hour weekly res
is compulsory, where every worker
after a years service is entitled to {
months leave of absence with full pa,
where every citizen has the right Il
employment in his or her trade
where every worker for whom EN-
ployment cannot be found is entitled
to subsidy from the unemployment
insurance fund and where sick OF
disabled worker receives the full pay
Of his group"