The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-04-04
WAGES SLkSHED,
MANY LAID OFF IN
LABOR SPEED Up
Small Crew to Clean
1900 Rooms
(By a Worker Correspondent

One might THINK CnaC fatloHalIZd-
ion might not reach the hotels, for
hotels are somewhat different from
factories. Nevertheless we also find
The speed-up here.
There are over 1000 workers en-
ployed in the Park Central Hotel,
located at Seventh Ave. and seth
l., New York City. According to
a article l recently saw in the cap
alist papers, in the words of the
president of the Park Central Hotel,
Lasrer, prosperity is sky-high in
the hotel business-for the bosses.
This is very good for those who own
hotels and profit by them. But not
50 to the slave, who has to earn his
bread and butter; especially in the
Park Central Hotel.
Wage Slash, Lay Off.
At the same time Lansner's article
filled the hearts of the hotel work
ers with joy, efficiency" experts
went around in the very hotel where
Lansner is president. The first
thing these efficiency" experts
found out was that the workers in
the hotel were getting "too high
wages by far"
$12 Per Week.
The chambermaids were cut from
SIT a week to $14 or $12 a week.
They were also told they would
from then on have to do the rooms
for those who were laid off.
Clean 1900 Rooms.
As the hotel has 1900 rooms. one
can imagine what it means to keep
them clean with far too small a
crew. Much longer hours were the
result, so that the workers left could
10 the work Of those who were laid
Of.
Formerly each floor had one
nouseman. This man handles the
heavy vacuum cleaners, which are
used to clean the apartments. He is
Of great assistance to the female
workers, as the handling of this
machinery is very heavy. But this
assistance was taken away from the
female workers. Under the new rules
there is only enc houseman for every
two floors, and sometimes he has
to do three floors.
~cn-Hour Day-$25 Week.
These men work from a. m. to
6 y. M, or ten hours day, and
t&cy ct only one afternoon off every
second Sunday. They are paid $25
for this work, which should pay at
least double that amount. They are
al dissatisfied.
There are walters, who receive Sic
fo- thcir seven-day week. If they
did no. eat the garbage that is left
over by the guests, they would not
I able to pay their room rent.
Tie neatly trimmed boys who run
he elevators work IL hours day
split watches, and for the sake OF
the law get "a hours off a week.
While the housemen don't get q
day off at all, these boys have "a
hours, eff. | know that most of them
are so tired out they spend these "a
hours to sleep.
Laundry Slaves Get SIP.
Then we come to the poor laundry
workers. The hotel has its own laun.
dry. More than 60 undernourisheG
Porto Rican boys and girls slave
there six and half days every week
While the girls get $12 the boys re.
,eive from SIS to SIT a week. The
laundry machines never stop, and
there is no chance of taking a rest
Stool Pigeons.
There are also detectives in the
hotel. They have instructions to
watch workers. Once a sandwich
was taken out of the kitchen. They
made more fuss about the sandwich
han about murder. Three workers
we're fired on account of the sand.
wich.
Chef Gets More.
The kitchen is another story. Busy
Frenchmen are cooking the meals
or class that never worked. They
get s28 a week. The chef gets 8
ittle more. This means he has tc
ance to the fiddle of the bosses.
HOTEL SLAVE.
81
= Y Editors Notes.-The engineers,
mechanics, elevator operators and
other building service porkers in
this hotel are urged to attend one
of the meetings of the Amalgd-
mated Pover Plant and Building
Service Workers Union, vhich
meets every Wednesday at 24s E.
S4th st. This is a fighting uaion.