The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-05-16
PICKETS STAND
! WITH WORKOUT
SHOES IN SNOW
Mass Struggle Is Vital
to Success of Strike
On a Worker Correspondent

"A bout nine weeks ago, the wilton
Carpet Manufacturers Association, in
line with the offensive against the tex
tile workers in every section of the
country, imposed 10 per cent wage
cut on the 5000 carpet workers in the
city of Philadelphia.
Powerful Union.
This offensive against the textile
{ workers centers itself in Philadelphia
especially against the carpet workers.
First. the industry suffers consider
ably from the state Of chronic crisis
in textiles, secondly, the independent
union, the Tapestry Carpet Workers,
has been defeated in their almost
two years struggle against the Is per
cent reduction, and thirdly, the Will
ton carpet workers are unOrganized
The bosses are confident. The Wilton
carpet workers had powerful indie
pendent union about seven years ago
but the bitter attack Of the bosses
smashed the organization completely
In the biggest carpet mill in Philadel-
mia Harwick & Magee, at 8th and
Lehigh Ave, a company union was
introduced, after the smashing of the
union in 1921. Since then, during a
period of Coolidge prosperity" with
no open and concerted attack on the
workers there has been no organiza-
ton whatsoever.
TO the 10 per cent wage reduction,
The carpet workers responded in a
militant manner. Hundreds upon hun
dreds Of them joined up at once with
- "tod Textile Workers with the
purpose of waging courageous fight
airst the wage cuts. But in these
two months. we do not find any sign
on the part of the IT, T. w leader
shiH, McWahon. Jos. White and Co..
Of carrying on mass struggle
arainst the attack of the Wilton Car
pet Manufacturers.
On the contrary, little sporadic
strikes have broken out. and have
been permitted to break out in various
shops, and have been crushed one by
one A few days after the wage cut
the creelar boys in the Hardwick and
Magee plant walked out This strike
was crushed. Then a strike in the
Devlin CARPET Co. was broken by the
BOSSES. with the cid OF the police and
tNa stupidity Of the L. T. W. leader
ship.
On top Of this incompetency of the
u. I. W. leadership. and with +hnsa
victories" to their credit, the Wilton
Carpet Manufacturers planned new
assault. The president Of the Wilton
CARPET Manufacturers Association of
Philadelphia, Mr.. Fetterolf, president
and owner of the H. C. Fetter7lf Car
pet Co. at Stenton and Wyoming SITS,
with about 1875 workers, led off for
the bosses. He called into his office
the leading workers who had Joined
the union, and told them point-blank
to tear up their union cards in his
presence. The workers walked out
consulted with Jos. White, the u. T
W. organizer and on his advice the
shop was pulled The workers re-
sponded splendidly and every single
one came out
Picket In Snow.
For over six weeks, these 1876 work
ers have been out on strike. Relief
has not been forthcoming The u r.
w. organizers Seem unable to raise
money for anything but their salaries.
The strikers arr now getting on the
average about $3.50 to 50 per week
Girls have been standing in the picket
lire, In the snow with the bare feet
coming thru their shoes. Meanwhile
the U. T. w. leadership is afraid to
take single step to extend the strike.
Only by mass struggle, with all the
5000 Wilton carpet wor''e's on wft
the carpet industry tied up, can the
workers hope to win. But th L. T. w
leadership is afraid Of mass strike
A mass strike means mass relief
and they can't even raise relief for
a strike of a hundred workers. A
mass strike means bitter conflict
with the manufacturer this
would be unpleasant, to say the least.
A mass strike means severe conflict
with the Philadelphia police-and
this is certainly undesirable, and
would be quite embarrassing, as May
or Maclley was invited to speak at
the textile conference in Phi ladelphia
on the Doth Of April The police per-
secution Of the strikers is in direct
proportion to the number Of the stril,-
ers and the success Of the strike. AL
readv for 40 pickets before the Fet-
terof mill, the superintendent of po-
lice mills has 20 policemen, IS detec-
tives and II bandit chasing cars. The
strikebreakers are escorted home
every night by the police.
What has happened in the "big
shop" Hardwick and Magee, is being
duplicated in Holmes shop at A and
Allegheny. One of the creeler boys
who Joined the union was fired. All