The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-05-30
INSURANCE AND
OTHER SCHEMES
CHAIN WORKERS
Slave Wages in Mack
Truck Plant
by a Worker Correspondent
nT AJNTUTToT n NJ 7 ID MN

ILAlIN1 lLLDs N. J.s 10y MAIL J,
The huge plant of the Interna-
tional Motor Co. here (makers of
Mack trucks is the industrial
backbone" of Plainfield. Practical
" all of the inhabitants here de-
1end on the good graces" of the
lack bosses for their livelihood;
tese bosses are free to rule the
wn with high hand.
Slave Wages.
The wages of both skilled and I'M
killed workers fall far short of the
liserable scale that obtains even in
he most vicious shops of the metro
,olitan area. Machinists, for ex-
mple, are hired for $25; office
Jerks slave a hours 4 week for
lbout 50, or about 20 cents an hour.
Stool-Pigeons.
In the life of the Mack worker a
raise is as rare as a total eclipse of
the sun, 0-.aept for the stc ol-pigeons,
whose pay envelopes put on fat
every time they succeed in smoking
out a red" A small number of
slaves who have proven their "loy-
atty" by keeping their noses to the
grindstone for several years get a
weeks vacation with pay; this stick
of candy is expected to make them
content with their wretched lot for
the remaining 81 weeks.
Lifetime Jobs"
When, in spite of this great COB
legation" to the bosses, a worker has
the nerve to demand more money
his foreman will explain that while
the owners do not pay the highest
wages, the working hands can al
ways be sure of STEADY work,
which is supposed to make up for
any shortage in the ice-box. Ac-
cording to him it is better to starve
all year around than to have a full
stomach nine months out of twelve.
In other words a worker must pay
for his lifetime" job by waving
all rights to an increase.
Naturally the bosses do every
thing they can to make the slaves
jobs lifetime" affair, because la
Dor turnover cuts down on profits)
and they do it whether the slaves
likes it or not. Rooms being scarce
in Plainfield, and what few apart
rnent houses there are catering to
the potbellies, worker lured from
another city is urged to "buy" a
home Ton the dollar down plan) as
soon as possible. Workers with fam
lies to support are invariably given
the preference to foot-loose men
when the Mack plant is in the mar
ket for labor-the married men are
easier to shackle. Once a worker
mas sunk some Of his pitiful earn
ings in a ''home" (the mortgage on
which he can hope to pay off in so
years with l=c,.) there is little
danger of his kicking over the traces.
He has "lifetime" job alright, and
so has lifer in the hoose-gow.
Shackled.
His being fired would amount to
being chased out of town, for there
is no other plant in Plainfield or its
immediate vicinity where he can sell
his labor power. Hence the good,
servile" slaves Ct which the Interna-
tional Motor boasts.
Deductions for Graft.
Low as the wages are the bosses
think I IA high enough to stand
three separate deductions" Nearly
every pay envelope is tapped for
company insurance" for the "sav-
ing fund" and for the cold age pen
sion." None of this graft is re-
funded to the worker who is fired
or quits of his own accord. 1t is
compulsory for workers to cough up
for the insurance" graft, the other
two are "arbitrary"-in name only,
as virtually everybody has been
browbeaten into Subscribing"
The company cafeteria is another
source of Doodle for the exploiters.
Regular restaurant prices are
charged for the sewage which is
called "soup," hunks of tree-bark
called "veal' and hot water colored
with tan shoe polish called COFFEE"
Two measly slabs of bread cost a
nickel. Needless to say, all talk of
unionism is barred in the town of
Plainfield, domain of the Mack
barons.
N. B.