The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-04-10
The Third Prize Winner.
'PROSP ERITY IN
LEATHER GOODS
WORKERS union
Bad Conditions in Pocket
Book Trade
BY A. LENKER
Worker Correspondent

ny ~ EENNEh
Worker Correspondent
NEW YORK, April 5 IT In the fancy
leather goods trade there are en-
ployed about 5000 workers with its
main center in New York, then comes
New Jersey, Philadelphia and Chicago.
OF these 5000 about half of them are
young workers. The trade is divided in
to sections such as pocketbook makers,
trainers, cutters, operators and help
ers. To some of the sections are at
tached others than the classified sec
lions, such as parers, handle makers,
frame coverers, shear cutters, etc.
The pocketbook trade is seasonal.
The fall season begins about August
and ends the beginning of December.
Then there is the spring season which
begins about February and ends the
beginning Of May. In these few
months the workers have to make
enough to keep their body and soul
together. But do they make enough?
The average earnings of the pocket
book makers, trainers, operators and
cutters is between $35 and $3S per
week; then come the helpers who
average about $12 to SIS per week.
How on earth can a man with a fam
lily live on $50 a week? Most work
ers usually borrow as much as they
can during slack times and hope that
the coming season will be a good one.
But these visionary good seasons are
getting worse and worse every year.
Why?
Slaves Of Trade.
The answer is because we are the
slaves of the trade instead of its
masters. When pocketbook makers
are busy, the trainers usually are idle,
and visa versa. Consequently they
suffer because there is not much work
on bags for them. But this is not all.
Every year hundreds Of workers come
into our trade. 1t is not unusual 70
have operators from the needle trades,
bookbinders and general help from
other trades. Of course, there are
workers that leave the trade, too.
Where do they go? Anywhere they can
find work. It's peculiar that when it's
slack an allied branch of the trade
like leather belts (Which is not af-
fliated with our union due to Mr..
Wolinsky) gets busy and many work
ers are forced to work for starvation
wages because they have to compete
with boys and girls of 10 and IL years
of age.
The evils that exist in the trade are
without number. Workers are fired
on the least pretenses. We have a
piece work system that allows work
ers of the union to exploit their fellow
workers. This is done by having
"teamer" work with or 3 helpers
for starvation wages. These helpers
are usually young workers who flock
every season to the pocketbook
makers section to ask permission to
work as "teamers" making it possible
for them to earn more money.
The pocketbook makers section
usually has to refuse the request be-
cause of chronic unemployment in the
trade.
Wolinsky Falls for Bosses.
When the progressive workers
fought for a minimum scale of wages
for helpers, the union manager, Violin
sky, suggested that the teamers who do
piece work should pay their helpers
400 Of their earnings. Wolinsky want
ed to satisfy the helpers at the ex-
pense Of their fellow workers instead
Of the bosses. He wrote in the bosses
that it is more practical TO
work with two helpers than with one,
when there was a decision Of the
pocketbook makers section that no
team should have more than one
helper.
The general cry amongst members
in the union is, What's the use' Of
and to whom? The bust
ness agent tells you one thing and e
when he sees the boss who hands him
a "fat cigar" your whole complaint
into the air. Such is the CRY. g
Here are some specific examples. A
young worker came to wolinsky TO
complain that the boss refuses to pay
him his wages on the excuse that he
spoiled work. He asked Wolinsky 70
do something. Wolinshy told HIM he
couldn't do anything. The worker
finally collected the money in the
court thru the Legal Aid Society.
It is not an unusual sight to see
one poor worker ask another for fifty
cents to get bread for his family.
These are the prosperous" conditions
in our union.
TO WORKER CORRESPONDENTS
When vo,t Sand ia ne.ve he hrleF