The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-05-29
d4RFlsla9 N.lI7NI
THE FIRST PRIZE WINNER.
ALFRED, DECKER
& COIN WORKERS
BUCK SLAVERY
"A. c. w. Member Tells
of Bad Conditions
BY a Worker Correspondent.

ny worker correspondent
Working conditions in coat shop No.
8 Of the Alfred Decker & Cohn Tailor
ing Co. have become unbearable.
From foreman to examiner they are
doing their utmost to make the life of
the working man and working woman
miserable. Il do not care even if you
earn only dollar day." is the favor
tie saying of the foreman or assistant
foreman, but your work must be
perfect"
Slave-DriVers.
They are vieing with each other in
their demand that we turn out the
highest quality of work, thus proving
their loyalty to the Alfred Decker &c
Cohn Tailor Co., who gave them en-
ployment because Of their capability
of being efficient slave-drivers.
Season after season new and sweep
ing reductions in wages are made.
They do it in the following manner:
First, by demanding a higher quality
Of work; second, by actually deduct
ing the price paid for particular
operation. l have experienced two
reductions for the last two seasons.
am a presser on coats.
Another Way.
A third way of reducing our wages
is by forcing us to do an additional
operation and for almost the same
price that is paid to the worker for
the original operation. A point, in
fact, is the case with our lining max
ers. They have been told that they
now have to put shields in armholes,
in addition to their work of lining
making The lining makers naturally
complained to their business agent.
They have been promised additional
pay, but the increase in price ds far
from coming.
Our shop chairman, whose smuggling
tactics in the past largely installed
him into the office thru the medium
of Business Agent Spivak, is conspic-
uous by not fulfilling his duties as
shop chairman. When reproached for
inactivity his favorite reply is, go to
the business agent" The same state
of affairs exists in the oyercoat shop
No. of the aforementioned firm.
The Vest Shop.
Industrial slavery of the lowest or
der exists also in the vest shop No. IL,
located in the same building with the
coat and overcoat shops. The vest
makers tell me that the average wage
of most OF the married men workers is
from $50 to S35 per week and in the
case of the women workers it is even
less. Their shop chairman, they say
has been pushed into office because
he can deliver the goods (votes) in
election time. His activity as shop
chairman amounts to less than moth
ing.
The vest makers say that they don't
even care to bring their complaints
to him, for they have been convinced
of his ineffectiveness to help them re-
lieve their grievances. Since he was
elected as union shop chairman, that
is, the beginning of this year, he has
not even once called a shop meeting,
altho knowing full we'll that he is sup
posed to call shop meeting at least
once a month.
B. A. Scarce.
Their business agent, they say,
made it his business to appear at the
shop as seldom as possible, nor does
he accomplish very much when he
does show his presence in the shop.
The shop chairman-Tulo, is his name
was last elected as delegate to the
seventh Amalgamated convention at
Montreal. Upon returning he was
asked what took place at that gath
ering WELL" he replied "the whis-
key in Montreal was excellent"
Unless the tailors in Chicago
awaken, take matters into their own
hands, Wen soon be deprived Of all
of the advantages that the Amalga-
mated Union, because of its militancy
in the past, has gained after long and
bloody struggles. Day by day we are
becoming more convinced that the tail
ors must ally themselves with the left
wing movement in the Amalgamated
and champion its policies. We must
begin in earnest to fight for rank and
file shop committees, a forty-hour
week, increase in wages, amalgama-
ton Of all the needle trades unions
and labor party.