The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-04-18
GIRLS AND WOMEN,
VICTIMS OF BIG
BAKING COMP ANY
Speed-up Inhuman; $18
a Week Common Wage

Continued from Page Ome)
not only is true with me, but with all
the others.
The Chute.
Many girls work on a machine
called the chute and in order to keep
up with this machine the girls have to
work at a very high speed until about
nine-thirty when we get our relief
period. Many of us do not have time
to eat our breakfast in the morning
as we have to rush to work. There
fore by nine thirty we have to eat
something SO that we can continue
working for the rest of the morning.
We have Is minutes for this relief
period and some girls work on the
third floor and the lunchroom is on
the ninth floor and by the time we
get up stairs it takes about minutes
if the elevator is not slow. Otherwise
it takes US longer and by the time
we can get a sandwich, if we are
fortunate enough to get there on time
to get it, and glass Of tea, we only
have about five minutes left to gulp
down our food and rush back TO work.
Many times we do not get a chance
to finish and we have to leave it as
the forelady watches when we come
and go. And also they have trained
the relief girls so that she SWITCHES
on US if we don't get down on time.
Then, of course, we continue work
ing at the same speed until lunch hour
which starts at ten minutes after
twelve and ends at one. Fifty
minutes we have for this lunch period
and by the time we wash our hands
and go upstairs and wait in line of
about hundred people we don't get
to eat until about 1925 or 1890.
The lunches they serve are of the
cheapest kind of food possible to i'm
agine. There is a fifteen cent lunch
plate consisting of pork chops served
from a great big enormous pot by a
not too clean or concerned person
handling them with his hands and
stopping them on our plate, some po-
tatoes that have more water in them
then anything else, or we get frank
furters and sauerkraut They also
have the thirty cent plate which is
not much different.
During the summer months no
fresh vegetables wha soever are
served But most of the food consists
Of canned stuff such as tomatoes,
herring, canned peas, canned corn and
lima bean soup Also the same meat
that is served during the winter
months. Soup, or | should say an ex-
cuse for such, is served for five cents
a plate to us. We get coffee for two
cents cup and it is hard to tell the
difference whether it is black mud or
coffee Also milk, which is served
at the same price, and tastes more
like white water than milk AS we eat
man comes around wi, a sloppy
rag with not to clean hands and wipes
the table, very often getting this
dirty cloth, which he wipes the table
with, into our food
It certainly is lucky for the few
who can afford to go out of the build
ing to eat. But girls making $14O0
week can not do it, OF course it is
quite different with that Of our de-
partment heads, superintendent,
foreladies, and foremen or any one
wearing white uniform. They sit at
different tables and do not have to
wait in long line as we do, but are
served and their food is not the same
as ours either, but much better and
cleaner.
| often wondered why so many girls
faint during the day, but on analyz-
ing the food they eat and the pace at
which they have to work, | certainly
can understand it very well. Not only
do we have to be contented with the
rotten food they serve as and being
constantly watched by the foremen
and foreladies and the fear that for
the slightest mistake we would lose
our jobs, but also are afraid of the
enormous rats which we have running
around on our floor. And many times
II happens that the rats jump on top
Of the girls; case like this happened
Just recently and the girl almost
tainted of fright.
Accidents, in general, certainly hap
pen often enough. | personally no
ticed girl, wis works at the chute
and has to clean her paste-pot every
day In order to do this she has to
remove the pot from the machine,
and in order to take it away she has
to crawl underneath the belt and carry
the pot which is clumsy, heavy and
at the same time very slippery. Well,
it had to happen, she fell and the pot
injured her finger very badly. The
boss on inquiring the next day just
how and what happened, what caused
the accident, etc, made remark that
she must be careful Of the pot. Mean
ing. Of course, that the pot is break
able. That almost set my blood boil
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