The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-06-17
8-HOUR DAY IN
STEEL MILLS
IS ALL BUNK
Worker Tells of Gary
Fairy Stories
BY THOMAS
(Worker Correspondent


Gary, the noted steel slaVe-driver,
once stated in chamber Of COM
merce meeting that they had the
eieht-hour day in force all thru the
steel industry. Never was there a
more brazen lie. There Is no such
thing as general eieht-hour day. It
Is mostly ten or twelve hours and
there are men working fourteen hours
a day.
or course, they have the eight-hour
shift in certain departments which
can be forced to produce six times
as much as when they were on the
ten-hour shift, or where it would be
impossible for the men to last much
more owing to the terrific heat SO
you can see the only time that the
steel corporation gives it's employees
anything is when they can get twice
as much back. They will give water
for blood any day and the blood Of
the workers flows freely in the United
States Steel corporation works-altho
1t is never allowed to get outside the
gates.
Workers Pay for Funerals.
When there has been a serious &C
cident 1t is all hushed up. The steel
company makes another boast, that
is, that If man gets killed in their
works, that they will see that he gets
a decent funeral. They see to that
all right They send their under
bosses to make collection from the
workers who have to pay it all
They are very DESTROYS Of giving
flowers to the workers when they are
dead. When those same workers were
living they never had chance to see
or smell flower as flowers would not
grow near the novels and shacks that
workers live in.
A worker who has had the privilege
of staying in the place for fifteen
years is allowed to have one weeks
vacation with pay. After wasting his
energy for fifteen years he is given
a week to recover and get ready for
another fifteen years work. But
there are not many who live or re-
main In the mills long enough to re-
ceive that pension as they are so
broken after a few years in the mill
that they have to retire or find some
lighter work. There is no doubt that
those who reach the pension stage de-
serve every penny of it for being able
to stick it out that long.
Control Librarians.
The steel worker does not have
much time for study thru the long
hours. But even if he did the steel
trust owns and controls the public
library, so If the worker has time to
read and gets book from the library
ne can only get certain type which
the bosses allow. A worker could not
get any of the latest educational
books, but only stuff that will make
the workers believe that support of
the boss class is the only way to save
the world from ruin.
Then they have meetings all thru
the mill explaining what the capital
lists have done for the workers. But
for all that they are not so sure of
themselves as they keep a very large
force of police to guard their interests
and in case the workers start to show
a little class consciousness these coal
and iron thugs will soon put a stop
to 1t. They walk about with guns and
balckJacks and If worker gets into
an argument with his boss they are
right there to take the part of the
boss.
Private Police and Courts
Workers are arrested and fined for
minor offenses and the money to
pay the fine is taken out OF the work
ers' pay without consent. These police
men watch whether a man Is doing his
work or not II they catch anyone
loafng they arrest him and take him
TO the foreman to be fired. II is a
common sight to see two or three OF
these thugs hauling a worker TO fail
for all kinds of minor oifenses.
The worst part of It is that they
almost get their arms torn from their
shoulders. The police and spies work
as close together as IL they were the
Siamese twins. A worker no sooner
will say something than Il is in the
ears of the foreman or police. II you
mention unions" you are Immediately
told that you are opening your mouth
a little too wide and that II would be
far wiser to keep 1t closed II they
hear another word from that same
worker about unions he is red.
The workers are always in fear of
losing their jobs from the time they
go in until the time they come out.
There are so many men around the
employment office that they do not
give rap what they do with men
who are working, as they know they
can get a dozen to take his place.
The mills around here are only work.
Ing four days week and certain
sections are shut down.
v. s. Imports Soviet Furs