The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-11-09

ng rain here today. Following
the mass picketing, the strik-
ers, unable to hire a hall in the
company town, met on the
open lots and organized them
selves into the Rubber Workers
Union of New Jersey, issuing de-
mands which their strike commit
tee was entrusted to carry to the
bosses.
700 Strong.
The first mass picket line, con-
tanning 700 men and women, (wom-
en- workers form rs per cent of the
strikers) appeared before the
Michelin factory early in the morn
ing and began their march.
Infuriated at the resistance which
their wage cut, the third in five
years, was meeting from the work
ers, the company-controlle police
under Mayor Klatzbach, assaulted
A. Hoffman, prominent picket,
and another striker whose name
could not be learned. The uniformed
apaches attempted to drag Hoffman
behind the mill to beat him up, but
single-handed he successfully re-
sisted three of the guards and es-
capped with bruises and slashes from
his assailants. The mass picket
line booed and hissed the company's
apaches.
Then 1900 Strong.
Following the beating up of the
strikers, the mass picket line, swol-
len to 1900 marching men and
women, demonstrated in front of
the mill on their way to the mass
meeting outside the town.
Midtown is owned by the Niche
lin Tire Co., which has imported
many of it's workers from France
and keeps them isolated and abso-
lutely dependent in company bar
racks. The rubber strikers were
unable to obtain any place in which
to hold their strike meeting until
they succeeded in securing wood
ed lot, one of the few pieces of land
In the town not owned by the rub
Der concern.
Form Union.
Here in the little woods, while
the rain fell, more than a thou
sand workers laid the plans for the
militant conduct of their struggle
and took the first steps towards the
organization of the Rubber Work
ers' Union of New Jersey.
Aroused to a pitch of enthusiasm
by the speeches of S. Brody, in Eng
lish and French, Vanni Montana, in
French and Spanish, and Louis
Kovess, in English and Hungarian,
the workers demanded the imme-
date formation of union.
Four strikers, one after another.
themselves climbed on top of the
automobile from which the speak
ers had addressed the throng and
called upon their fellow strikers to
struggle against the rubber bosses
and fight for Rubber Workers
Union.
Strike Committee of 8.
The strikers then elected Strike
Committee of nine, which will later
be increased to thirteen, and issued
demands for a Rubber Workers
Union, whose first demand is
wage increase ten per cent above
the wage cut the bosses are at
tempting to make.
The strike committee decided to
meet twice day to consider mea-
sures for intensifying the strike.
For more than two hours the
strikers demonstrated in the driving
rain.
Fight Wage Cut.
The strike of the 1900 rubber
workers at the Michelin plant fol-
lows a wage cut reducing general
wages from 312 to 5k cents and
wages for workers in the "secret
room" where special processes are
handled, five and one-half cents an
hour.
The great majority of the work
ers are receivi L, from $14.8O to $50
per week. Similar wage cuts were
made in 1920 and again in 1927.
At the same time that uogos
were cut, the Michelin Co. raised
the rent of it's workers, who are
forced to live in the company bar
racks, to So more month.
Last year the Michelin Tire Co.
made profits. Of over $6,000,00O.
At tomorrow's strike meeting fur
ther plans will be made for inten-
styling the strike and for bringing
out the $50 office workers in the
factory.