The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-04-11
MILL STRIKERS
TELL OF SLAVERY
.Gastonia Workers in
N. Y. for Relief

Continued from Page One)
workers, she had lived on a farm
where existence was equally or more
difficult than in the textile mills.
She told how the workers sometimes
go without food because they have
no money and cannot get coupon"
books between Saturday and Tues
day. T.ese coupon bool., are is
sued on the company stores, pay
ment being deducted from the week
ly payroll, besides r. for rent,
light, fuel, e.. Many workers have
empty pay envelopes after the de-
auctions a-e made. Rent must al
ways be paid in advance.
Altho she had worked for years
in the r''lls and was an inspector in
the spooling room, Iva Fulbright got
$3.50 per week for 65 hours work.
Her de- tier, Bonnie, received $12
per week for piece work. A boy, IL,
has not yet started work. Girls on
the night shift work eleven hours"
stated Iva.
Go 7 .refoOt in Winter.
Referring to the living conditions
of the workers, Mrs. Fur.right said:
"The majority of the workers of
Gactonia and vicinity have not
enough clothing to dress decently.
Many of the workers have had to
go barefooted all winter. Some of
the children could not 60 to school
due to lack of clothing"
She was asked about the kind of
food that is consumed by the Gas
tonia workers. "There is very little
meat eater" she replied, "as we
are not in position to pay for it.
Salt pork is used to large extent,
with an occasional pork chop"
Leaves Scab Husband.
Violet Jones, another member of
the strikers delegation, was SO
firmly convinced of the need fol-
solidarity of the workers and unity
under leadership of the union that
she left her husband, who was one
of the few who failed to respond to
the strike call. 81 do not expect to
ever live with him again." declared
Violet, who places the victory OF
the strike above all personal consid-
erations. Violet is IS years of age
and has been working for five years
She entered the mills at the age OF
| 10. She was married two years
"My wages of SO a week for &C
hours work is the highest paid in
my department" said Violet. "Many
get six, seven or eight dollars"
Dewey Martin, 20, is the other
member of the delegation. He was
in charge of section and has work,
ed in the mills for six years. His
pay for 60 hours work was $21.95
but this, he states, is unusually high
wages received only by section men
This is shown by the dozens of typi,
cal pay envelopes of workers
brought with them by the delega-
| ton.
Get S1.75-S14 Week.
The weekly wages given on the
pay envelopes brought back by the
strikers follows: $1.7O, $2.95, $3.50,
S4.O5, $14.15, S11.85, $7.25, $12.95,
| SO, $3.45 with Sc addition in cou-
pons), $685. with So in coupons),
$7.85, $3.50, $1O.35, $500, $2.10,
$7.95, $685., $10.15.
"The Daily Worker is the only
paper which has told the facts about
the STRIKE" the strikers said. They
described how the local capitalist
press is aiding the efforts of the
mill owners to SANDER Beal, Perish
ing and other strike leaders and get
the strikers to return to the same
conditions of slavery. "But we are
going to stick" they declared.
The four strikers will address
mass meetings in New York and
vicinity.