The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-05-14

pany. They were working full time u,
ing three days a week. Vesta Mines \
been working only two OF three days
little coal
These are non-union mines, where
the wages have been cut to the 1917
scale.
Working Conditions Rotten.
The working conditions In these
mines are rotten. When a coal loader
finishes place, he has to wait two
weeks or longer until'he gets another
place to work in If he Is the bosses
pet lackey, however, he does not lose
day.
If a man lays of for any reason
whatever, he is penalized at least a
weeks work when he returns. But
the worst part is, that the boss win
let men come into his working place
before telling him that he Is penaliz-
ed. As this is a big mine, the poor
man has two or three hours to walk
before he gets out
Posts, rails, spikes and other sup
plies are scarce. I know a man who
was laid on because pit wagon got
off the track in his place. This could
not be helped, as the miner did not
have the rails to lay long rail- so he
used two or three short pieces. The
heavy wagon forced the short pieces
apart
Forced to Work In Water.
Men are forced to work In water,
and no extra compensation, as pro
vided for by the contract, is paid. If
the pump breaks down as it will &C.
casionally, the men working in the
entries that are wet have to stay
home for week or longer. know of
an instance where the men came in
the mine and went out again for 20
days in succession without getting
any kind of compensation whatever
The boss would not tell them that the
pump was not fixed
The yardage paid for slate in mar
row work is at the option of the boss.
Here is the way they work 1t: The
section boss will come in and meas
ure the yardage, write the figures In
his book, and let the men Sc chin do
ing it. But when he goes around the
corner he uses the erasing end of his
pencil. and Of course the men are
short on the next pay. When they
kick, the bosses excuse is that he
entered the actual yardage In his
book. but the clearks in the office
made the mistake Then he gives the
men shortage for last pay, but when
he gets around the corner he earses 1t
again and the loader Is always short
Get Short Pay.
Then the company changes section
bosses and the new boss says he is
not responsible for any shortage his
predecessor made. There are SO ways
to skin a cat, and the bosses use every
one of the 80.
I know a man here who has worked
at this mine for 20 years and contract
ed asthma and rheumatism, which be-
came so bad he could not work. So
he went to the coal company doctor
and the doctor gave him a card ex-
planning to the superintendent why
this man could not work in the mine.
But to date, he has no job outside, and
the family is pretty big. All must
eat, so the poor man went back into
the mine, knowing it will be his death
In a short time.
Some will say why doesn't he go
somewhere else, but who will take on
a husk Of a man after the coal COM
pany has been squeezing the life out
of him for 20 years at one mine?
Weighing Scales Crooked.
The Weighing scales here are the
worst l ever heard Of, men are
cheated out Of tons Of coal every pay
day, the men always being given short
weight. AS there are over 1000 coal
leaders, it pays the company to have
such scales.
Drinking water is so bad at the
Daisytown camp it smells like rotten
eggs, and If a person is not used to
II he cannot stay in the house when