The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-01-05
CONTINUED nom page II

/
workers are suspicious of each other
and do not talk union or grievances on
the job 1t is only to those blacklisted
workers on the outside that they will
unburden themselves.
The packing house workers never
express an opinion in public, the spy
system intimidates them. Altho the
workers own the Butcher Workmen
Hall they are afraid to go there in
fear of spies; so that entertainments
held there are a failure. At present
the workers look upon the companies
as all powerful and submit to their
rule, but back in their mind is the
hope that some day they will have
a real fighting union, then we will
show them" The workers are opposed
to the company union so far as
any expression can be gotten from
them.
There has been a speeding up in
all departments, a kind of unit cost
system being used. We have been I'M
able to get statistics on production to-
day and what was formerly the
amount. Every worker knows that the
pace is much faster than formerly and
that the boss in each department not
only has to deal with the local plant
superintendent, but with the general
Office as well In showing results in
cheapening costs, which means more
speed for the workers.
In all entertainments or picnics they
split the colored and white workers,
having separate places and entertain
ments for each group.
Draw Color Line.
At Dold's plant they draw the color
line hard, even baseball games are
not permitted where white and color
ed play together.
They have four-minute men talk to
the workers during their 30-minute
noon hour on patriotism, profit shar-
ing, cooperation with the employers,
obedience to rules, etc.
There is a boy scout organization
connected with the plants. Armour's
corps are taken into the plant and
given entertainments, moving pictures
and talks by leaders being used to
teach patriotism. These entertain
ments are given sometimes two or
three times during the week.
Unemployment All Year Round.
Unemployment and short time work
prevails practically all year in the
packing plants for many of the work
ers. There are always from 100 to as
many as 400 workers looking for jobs
at the gates of the large plants every
morning. Some get half time or less
and others only a few hours during
the week. There is a great deal of
uncertainty and much suffering Of
workers in the plants.
Rotten Sanitary Conditions.
The sanitary conditions in the
plants are bad. There are 8, and 5
towels placed in the dressing rooms
daily to serve as many as six depart
ments, all on one floor, as in Dolds,
the most modern" of the plants in
Omaha. These towels become so dirty
that the workers are compelled to use
their own towels in the evening after
work. Then there is but one janitor
for 2, and toilets, which makes
it impossible to keep them clean dur
ing the eight hours allowed him for
this work. The lockers, too, are so
small that when the clothing is placed
in them they touch the clothes of the
next locker.
The workers are supposed to send
their working clothes to the laundry
each day in a number of departments,
but the wages they make do not
provide the means to have the re-.
quired supply of work clothes for this
purpose. The workers must provide
themselves with white or blue jackets
and overalls and wooden shoes. When
the clothes are sent to the laundry
they are subjected to chemicals
and terrific strain in the machines,
with the result that they come back
torn, full Of holes and the fabric
weakened. The worker puts them on
and the blood and filth goes thru them
into his street clothes and he returns
the next day smelling of filth, walk
ing pest house for disease. Then
again the worker is expected to
change his clothes on his own time,
and as the dressing rooms are small
and crowded after quitting time he
may have to spend half an hour to
change, so this is more often neg
lected than otherwise. Production, not
sanitation, is the keynote of the pack
ing plnats; il sanitation interferes
with production, SO much the worse