The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-03-13
INSPECTORS
Wink AT STATE
law VIOLATION
Union Agent Friendly
to Boss Complaint

in Chicago are exploited more than
the women in any other industry.
Not more than five per cent Of the
1890 mattresses are organized in
any kind of organization. and only
about third of this amount into a
trade union.
70-Hour Week.
The state law for women workers
makes 70 hours a week the maxi
mum, that is 10 hours a day, Z days
a week. In other industries it is
rarely that full 20 hours a week
are worked. but among mattresses it
is an execution if it is not. In many
places, even in houses where girls
are employed through the union
headquarters, they are forced to
work II or 13 hours a day.
When it is called to the attention
of the factory Inspector he goes out
to see the girls and reports that
they were only working nine or nine
ard a half hours. The girls are
forced to lie in order to hold their
jobs, so, of course, nothing is done.
S12 and S14 a Week.
During the past few months, as
one of the army of unemployed,
knowing there was nothing at union
headquarters, l started looking for
my own job, only to be told the
hours are 65 to 70 a week, wages
s12 or S14 a week.. Uniforms must
be furnished by the girl. In about
half of these houses the girls work
split watch, which means they get
a few hours off in the morning or
afternoon, resulting in extra car
fare and an average of four hours
wasted as a result of changing
clothes and riding street cars, as
restaurants do not have any place
for the girls to rest, especially not
in Chicago.
Service is no longer required in
the restaurants; only in hotel dining
rooms do they demand service.
Youth, minus brains, is the demand
of the bosses today and the wait
resses over 80 have terrific strug-
gle keeping their jobs. l have gone
into houses displaying banners time
after time, only to be told a girl
vas Just hired; yet the banner would
still be in the window the same eve
ming and the next day.
I have been sent on jobs and only
allowed to work one day; told at
the close of the day by the boss that
more attractive, younger girl was
wanted, as their customers wanted
someone 'they could kid and play
around with" ..----
Yet the union is doing nothing
about this degrading condition.
There are two dual organizations of
mattresses in Chicago, the Selimoris
Mattresses League and the Chicago
Mattresses Club. Both are as
strong in numbers as the union, but
are organized as employment agen-
cies and social clubs. No attempt
is made by them to get decent condi-
tions and a decent wage scale.
The union is no better. Though
they talk more of doing something,
it is never done. We have no jobs
for our members, no conditions on
the job, not more than half dozen
houses signed up in the city, with
about so or 60 houses which occa-
sionally call us up for mattresses.
We have wage scale, made in 1920,
that is never even mentioned now,
as we usually work for what we can
get.
But we have an international or
ganizer here since last April and our
membership has decreased since that
time from 400 to $50. We have a
fourth international president as
secretary of the cooks and as secre-
tary of the local joint board, yet we
have had no joint board meeting
since last May. We cannot picket
a place unless authorized by the
joint board, and, as none is in ex-
istence, we do nothing.
The Bosses Business Agent.
We have business agent who
agrees with the boss when he COM
plains to her that the girls object tc
working overtime or doing all the
porter work, or that they want the
union scale.
She spends her time drinking cof-
4 fee in the houses of friendly bosses
instead of organizing the girls ano
getting them decent conditions.
Yes, we have had four new To-
calls organized in our craft in the
past three months, not with any idea
Of helping the workers, but of TAX
ing their money and giving them
nothing; organized solely for the
purpose of getting more votes al
the coming convention in Kansas
City and to put bartender int
office to complete the ring that will
further corrupt and exploit the
workers in the culinary trades ir
Chicago.
We have the most corrupt. boot.
logging, slueging, grating boss
loving officialdom in the country.
Mattresses, cooks, walters. lets
get together and fight the corrupt
A. F. Of T.. officialdom. Get the
conditions in Chicago we are en-
titled to Join the Workers ICON.
munist) Party.
CHICAGO WAITRESS.