The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-06-06
THE SECOND PRIZE WINNER
DURANT AUTO
WORKS NOW HAS
SLACK PERIOD
Half of the Workers Are
Laid OFF
BY a Worker correspondent.

ELIZABETH, N. j., June 4.-The
Durant Automobile Works here en-
ploys about 1000 workers in normal"
times. At present only half the force
is working as it is now the slack"
period, which may last for the next
three months.
Workers Fear Slack Period.
One of the clubs the bosses hold
over the heads of the workers is the
slack period. If worker does not
work fast enough he is in danger of
being laid off during these periods.
The workers, in order to avoid being
laid off in slack periods, vie with each
other in speeding up in an effort to
gain favor with the boss.
Rapid Labor Turnover.
In one Of the departments where the
cars are sprayed with paint the odors
are such that a worker cannot stand
them very long. The odor goes to
ones lungs. The labor turnover-as
the bosses call it's very large in
this department.
In the punch press department the
ventilation is bad. The noise in this
room is worse than boiler factory.
Hours, Wages, Overtime.
Workers in this plant are supposed
to work but 8 to 10 hours a day. Ac-
tually the working hours are from IL
to IA day. The overtime hours are
paid for at the rate of straight time.
ANY worker that refuses to work over
time once or twice is laid off.
Wages are one-half what they were
last year. The truckers last year
made rs cents an hour on a tonnage
basis. Now they are able to make
but AZ cents an hour, tho the amount
of work they are forced to turn out
has been increased.
The sprayers, who are on piece
work, average between 60 and IS cents
an hour, compared with last years rs
and 80 cents an hour.
The chain gang, which puts the
wheels on the finished bodies, get 20
to 70 cents an hour. They were able
to make So to 80 cents an hour easily
/ last year.
On the third floor, where they stuff
the cushions, the girls are able to
make only As and so cents an hour on
piece-work basis. This department
has a great labor turnover as many
cannot stand the stencil.
There is but one department in
which the piece-work system is not
used. In that department the highest
wage is so cents an hour. There are
"a men in the gang. There are only
two of them that receive the 50-cent
an hour rate. The others must work
for much less. Everybody is speeded
up. If anyone slackens down and is
not able to stand the pace he is i'm
mediately laid off. At present in this
department the workers must turn out
twice as much as they formerly did.
Dinner HaIf-Hour.
All that is allowed for dinner is half
an hour. 1t takes about that much
time to reach the company Cafeteria.
Most of the workers are forced to
bring their lunch and eat it amid the
stencil OF the paint shops. AS the
workers must punch the time clock
going out for lunch and when they
return and are locked Is minutes pay
for every minute they are late, they
bolt down their food.
Shop Nucleus Active.
Two shop papers have already been
issued by the Workers (Communist)
Party shop nucleus here. In the first
distribution two comrades were ar
rested. In the second distribution 10
comrades from New York were ar
rested. They were arrested ON the
ordinance which prohibits "littering
the streets" They were held under
an exhorbitant bail. The first two
comrades we're fined IS. In the second
case three were discharged, while the
case against the other nine is still
pending.
Due to the spy system maintained
by the bosses, 1t is necessary for the
nucleus to carry on its activities very
cautiously.
The shop paper was enthusiastically
received by the workers at both dis.
tributions. They are impatiently
awaiting the the third issue.
A--rklrr@N, III