The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-02-28
WALKOUTS IN
APARTMENTS
ARE FREQUENT
Wage Cuts Continue as
Speedup Grows
by a Worker Correspondent
DrNlIIII ANErnNr NJ " IN nE.1

B1NGHAMTON. N. Y. (By Mail).
Wage cuts and speed-up are the
order of the day at the Endicott-
Johnson Shoe Factories here. Every
day wage cuts take place in vari-
Gus departments.
Strikes Take Place.
Recently many departments have
rome out on strike against cuts in
wages. AS these wage cuts have
rot been made at one time the COM
pany has been able to keep the
workers in one department at work
while the workers of another de-
nartment have had wage slashes.
This lack of solidarity is being over
come by growing sentiment for
struggle voiced by thousands in the
Endicott-Johnson factory.
The recent strike of 15S tackers
in the tanneries at Endicott received
open encouragement from workers
n other departments who, though
unorganized, promised TO join in
sympathetic strike. The company
intimidation and lack of leadership
were largely responsible for the
workers return under the wage
cuts.
Wage Cuts Continue.
That The Endicott-Johnson Co.
has embarked on a wage-cutting
campaign, and will not stop unless
overpowered by the organized might
Of the 1900 workers, is borne out
by the following facts:
Recently the stakers in the upper
leather tannery received two cuts
in wages.
The Stark machine workers also
received large cut in their wages.
The color machine workers and
the press machine workers received
wage cuts.
Many individual workers and
gangs" in various parts of the En-
dicott-Johnson factories have been
getting wage cuts continuously.
Fake industrial Democracy"
For many years the Endicott-
Johnson Corporation has been cover
ine ND its exploitation system by
fake schemes OF profit-sharing and
bonuses, free medical care, and so
On. This was when all workers re-
ceived two weeks vacation with
ray; when pregnant women work
ers received three months vacation
with nay, and when all workers re-
ceived pay for holidays. Then, too,
we're higher than today here.
All this dates back previous to 1919.
Then the company began a sys-
tenatic attempt to wipe out all
these conditions, the substance of
which was embodied in the terms,
Industrial Democracy" and eve"
propaganda slogans, intended to
blirdfold the workers.
Wage cuts cannot be soothed
over by propaganda. There is a
marked sentiment for a strike AMI
the building up of a shoe workers
nni-r
F43 t1s company several
years to remove the above privileges
vi the workers. The two weeks va
rat i with pay and the pay for
holidays have been taken away.
Pregnant women workers no longer
pet paid for time out.
Speed-up Grows.
The speed-up is now in full swing
in every department at the Endicott-
Johnson plants. The workers have
been forced to increase their pro-
duction manifold, and wages, in
stead of increasing with increased
production, according to promises
made by Endicott-Johnson, have
been reduced. AS the above privi-
leges were being systematically
wiped out the company made a 20
per cent reduction in the pay of all
it's 1000 workers. Unorganizcd,
divided against each other (Ameri-
cans against foreigners), the work
ers were unprepared to fight against
The lowering of their living wages
and conditions.
The annual bonus paid out by the
Endicott-Johnson Corporation as a