The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-01-06
Drive the Drivers.

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Drive the Drivers.
There are many hundreds Of dairy
companies in and around Chicago
who distribute milk both to wholesale
and retail trade. Each and every one
of them has many ways and methods
by which they drive their slaves for
the purpose of getting business and
increasing the sales to their regular
trade.
The rivalry which existed amongst
the drivers for wholesale trade, which
consists Of stores such as delicates-
sen, grocery and drug stores, restau-
rants, ice cream parlors, and hotels,
has for many years been so great
that It was one of the worse evils in
the milk business, both for the COM
panies and the workers.
OF course It Is always the workers
who suffered most, they, being driven
on by the bosses, would use some Of
the vilest and dirtiest tricks to build
up route.
Who Can Be DIrtiest Wins.
If q driver who has route selling
total of say 200 bottles of milk out
OF which so bottles or it's equivalent
would go to a store or other whole
sale stop, he was always in danger of
losing such a stop because another
driver from one of the many other
companies would come along and
make the proprietor cheaper price,
failing in that he might offer him an
ice box also.
With these concessions in view, the
store keeper would usually tell his
regular driver that he was offered so
and so and that he would make a
change If he wasn't given better con-
cessions.
Win or Lose Job.
A driver selling a load as above
stated, would try his best to get his
company to meet those concessions,
because the amount he is selling is
practically figured minimum amount
and he Immediately figures and with
good grounds that if he loses such a
stop he is in great danger of losing
his job. And this surely happens I'M
less the man has backbone enough to
let his organization handle his case
which is rarely done by drivers.
Now this driver may consent to
make these concessions on his own
account or with the consent of his
company and along comes a driver
from still another concern who on
learning from this proprietor what
has already been offered goes one
better and offers in addition to pay
the license, if it's a store keeper, and
also cash bonus.
Race Prejudice Used.
In addition to this the lodge brother
act is used and also the nationalist
argument, as for instance, Pole not
TO take from a Jew, etc.
Against such tactics a worker with
some manhood, who could not or
would not stoop to such tactics, has to
contend, and for many years these
made much trouble for the union.
The union had tried several
schemes to do away with this .situa-
ton but without success, probably be-
cause of the fact that the men, besides
receiving scale of s45 week, are
paid commission of sixty cents a
hundred on every hundred bottles
over and above an average OF 1911 bot.
ties per day for the month, which has
the effect of driving many of these
slaves like mad men so that they can
earn possibly SIS to $35 extra each
month as long as they last on the job
Club Stopped speedup.
These are only a few of the stunts
that helped to bring about the organ
ization Of the Goodfellowship Club
Up to the time OF its disruption by
the states attorney this was one OF
the best things ever tried for the pur,
pose of stopping the competition be,
tween the drivers for Wholesale bus
mess.
BY the rules of the club one com.
pany could not take a wholesale stor
from another and no driver was al
lowed to serve the wholesale trade
Of another, this had to do not only
with all business served, II a new
store, restaurant, hotel or anything
in that line opened up, Il was free for
all until the manager or storekeeper
made his choice OF all the different
concerns, after that no more cut
throat business between companies
or driya-s