The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-02-15
YOUNG WORKERS
EXPL CITED IN
SMALL ROOMS
Shut. Off From World;
Ideas Stolen
(By a Worker Correspondent

ing a Jail, while others know it il
worse than that.
The entrance of these differen
buildings, reached by nine winding
outside stairs from the small court
is called the cobweb.
You leave the street next to thu
employment office on East 14th st.
just below Ave. c, through a large
wooden gate. This gate is a sliding
affair, half to either side. WheI
closed it cuts off all vision from
the outside. Then into court. II
this court open iron stairs lead tt
every building, breaking at each
floor level and over the tops of some
buildings (plateau like) into others
of greater height. We have one OBJ.
struction in this court called the
guillotine building.
Doomed Workers.
They say that the reason some
call this section of the building the
guillotine building is because some
of our fellow-workers on the polish
ers and buffers look as though they
were doomed to die-they are SO
pale and thin.
In our shop, ready for work, you
start with bad ventilation. You
open windows for two hours or more
before temperature becomes normal.
On cold days there are draughts
from everywhere. On warns days
it is impossible to get fresh air. The
water in the fountain is impossible
to drink. 1t is dirty, rusty looking
and warm.
Pay Two Weeks Behind.
How does the job pay? Don't ask
foolish questions You don't get
paid for two weeks. They hold one
week on you. Some job-$12, S14
If you get SIG or SIS a week
you're good. And for that you work
80 hard hours on bad floors, worn
through, dirty and sinking. We
work in small rooms-there are
about 100 departments for us 1900
workers.
On the bulletin board we see want
notices for a pencil lengthener or
the like. A reward of SIS or $40 is
offered for any accepted idea-and
the workers give them their ideas!
Youpo WorLarc
Most of these workers here are
American schooled. They are young.
No place for an old person.! They
got rid of them after the war. You.
know how it is. The war didn't
take enough to run in harmony with
this speed-up and new machinery.
But another war is coming that will
make it better. You'll have plenty
of work, fighting and digging
graves. But you don't want war.
All right. Follow me and get rid
of unemployment.
I'll take you back to work through
our recreation room. The girls and
the boys dance to the tune of one
pumping piano. It's quite dark in
this room too. We just had it
painted. Not so bad. Today one
of our girls is getting married. Civ
ing her a time here. How often does
this happen? About once a month.
Once a month? Oh! More than
1000 girls here and only once a
month? What chance have I got?
Don't be foolishl
Poor Food.
We pay 60 cents for a bad lunch
IN the restaurant, run by private
individual, in the basement of the
building. The meat on the lunch is
fixed different way each day. All
sorts of ailments result from the
food. Not SO long ago one worker
was carried away on a stretcher
after a famous feast.
The fellow with the shop coat,
white collar, polished nails and a
clock hooked to his wrist is the eff
ficiency expert. He fixes prices on
our jobs in favor of the boss. 1t
doesn't matter much if he makes a
mistake and we get sore and quit.
The boss wants him to find those
who might resist and be, apt to
make trouble. This is part of his
role.
Buy this paper. Every news
stand in your neighborhood carries
it. 1t is the only revolutionary daily
in the English language in the
world. 1t is for you and all the
workers.
Support the tag day collection for
this paper which will be in your
shop.
Send in your shop grievances, no
matter how small, to your bulletin,
The Eagle Pencil Worker, % Union
Square, N. Y. C.
nv EAGLE PENCIL SLAVE.
II DEFEAT WAGE CUT.