The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-05-14
ONLY $500 OF
5000 men ARE
NOW EMPLOYED
Organization Is Vital
Need
by a Worker Correspondent


are about 5000 silk workers in Eas-
ton and Phillipsburg OF these 5000
only about $500 are now working.
All are unorganized. Every attempt
to organize the workers into the
American Federation of Labor, the l.
w. w. and lately into the Associated
Sill Workers of America has failed
There are many reasons for this fail
ure. One of them is the bosses
craftiness and another that the A. F.
of L. and other bodies do not give
sufficient care to organizing the
workers. Only the A. S. w. of A.
union takes much interest in organi-
zing, but, being very weak itself, can
not develop greater movement.
Crafty Bosses.
One of the bosses traps is the
piece-work system. 1t is the system
that kills the workers solidarity. To
make more profit for the bosses and
to weaken the workers, the bosses
installed more looms. The three looms
system has existed a few years al
ready both in Easton and Phillips
burg. Some of the mills have
installed as many as four looms,
namely, The Cunning Silk Co., which
even tried to put in as many as six
looms.
There are many workers mostly
women that work on the two looms
and yet they get paid by the yard just
the same as those on the three looms.
The majority of the workers fool
themselves by saying: What if l
work harder, but then I make more on
4 looms" That's what the bosses are
waiting for. They say to the workers:
"Work on more looms, it's true that
you get less by the yard, but by
making more yards you get bigger
wages" So many workers fall in this
trap thinking that both are satisfied,
the boss and the worker.
The Workers Party of America is
fighting against this system, and the
speed-up system, and fighting for or
ganization of the silk workers into
their union.
Night Work.
The Easton and Phillipsburg bosses
have a wise" plan. They let their
mills run day and night. No matter
how small their mills are when the
business is good they are running
day and night. Then the wage slaves
must toll to make more profits for
the bosses. Their looms are running
all the time day and night.
Day workers work 9 hours a day,
and night workers work five nights a
week 10 hours each night, that means
that both the day and night weavers
work so hours week. Some places
they work as much as II hours day
and night, that is practiced mostly
at the Nanpareill Silk Co. (McKenlly
mills).
Wages.
Those workers employed on wind
ing machines, etc. get very poor
wages. The weavers make a little
more, but their pay is not large. Day
workers minimum pay is S25 a week
on 3 looms. Night workers get little
more; they get one cent more on
yard than day workers. Girls watch
ing four sides of spinning machines
containing 800 spools, must run
around the machine the whole day
and cannot make more than SIG a
week. Girls working on winding
machines, formerly watching only one
aide of the machine containing 35
spoois, now have to watch four sides
containing - spools each and their
wages are not more than S18 week.
1t is well TO know that the cost of
living in Easton is much higher than
in Philadelphia or elsewhere. Here
food, clothes and rent are much
higher. The house which you
could rent in Philadelphia easily for
S25 month, here you must pay at
least $35.
Wage Cuts.
In December 1926 the bosses at
tackled the workers. Stewart Silk
Co, Allschuller Bros. Silk Co., Wall
lace Silk Co., R. H. Simon Silk Co.,
Nanpareil Silk Co., Haytock Crone-
meyer Co., Tirrell Bos. Silk Corpora
ton and others, cut the workers
wages from Is per cent to rs per
cent, As the reason for this cut in
wages, the bosses said that they must
make the wages of the Easton &
Phillipsburg silk workers even with
those of the Allentown & Bethlehem
silk workers.
The workers though hurt and en-
ragged could not oppose their bosses;
not having their class organizations
they were forced to accept the bosses
terms.
The local Workers (Communist)
Party section issued a call to the Eas-
ton & Phillipsburg workers, explain