The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-10-28
Mill BOSSES
SPY FOUND UTW
BLOCKING strike
Reported to His Boss
Men Forced Walkout

FLIZABETHTON, Tenn, Oct. 27.
-Rayon workers at Elizabethton,
Tenn, were spied upon by stool-pig-
cons planted in union committee
meetings to secure information for
the Glantzstoff- Bemberg companies
during the strikes of March-May,
1929. Reports from such spies are
included in a 26-page analysis of
East Tennessee's rayon strikes by
Manager Noel Sargent of the Ma
sional Association Of Manufacturers
industrial relations department.
When the United Textile Workers
publicly claimed that the second
strike in the rayon mills here April
10. was unauthorized, employers had
already received a spy's report on
one organizer who differed with the
official A. F. Of L. policy as fol-
lows:
"At a union committee meeting
held April IA, one of the nationa or
ganizers present is said to have ad-
vised the members he had authorized
the strike occurring early Sunday
morning, but requested them to say
he had not done so, fearing he would
otherwise get in trouble with his SUI
periors.
16 Cents an Hour.
Stung into a defensive position
oy reports that Glantzstoff paid even
lower wages than other southern
companies, Noel Sargent for the
manufactures acknowledges that the
rates weer only Ice an hour for
more than a third of the women
workers. He explains that these
workers might hope to earn all OF
25c an hour after being with the
company a sufficient length of time.
Rates were supposedly raised &c
an hour after the strike, but only
on a task BASIS, so that the worker
5 peeded up to secure even 1Sc an
hour. For the 56-hour working
week women may now, with diff
Guilty, earn S10.08.
But Prices are High.
With lowe rwages than in many
other southern industrial towns,
prices in the so-called Happy VAL
ey of Tennessee are unusually high.
The manufacturers report acknowl-
edges that average rent per room
per week for workers homes is
S1.43 in Elizabethton as compared
with 38c a week in Gastonia, n. c.
Possible critics are assured that
this truly deplorable situation at
Ilizabethton is gradually being I'M
proved" Rayon workers on the
other hand state that board and
room alone still cost from Sc to $40
i week.
Blacklisting of all active in the
oicket line or in any connection with
he first or second strike is frankly
admitted by the manufacturers.
The management would be justl-
lied in absolutely refusing to en-
10y" asserts Noel Sargent, per
,ons of undesirable character"
Strikers Undesirable.
He defines as undesirable all strike
tickets and "those committing ac-
.ual intimidation or verbal abuse
,gainst those who by their acts in
: he plant prior to either the first
second strikes disturbed produc-
o nand created discomfort among
'ellow-employees; those who walked
tut without notice at the time OF
he second strike and endeavored to
persuade or force others to leave
heir Jobs" In other words, any real
militant workers.
By vote of 1920 to ga, Glantz-
itoff- Bemberg workers recently
vent on record in favor Of third
strike. Under these conditions OF
the so-called settlement last May
eeveaed by the manufacturers re-
port, rayon workers are exposed to
he same long hours and low wages
an dare still entirely without union
protection.
But the U. T. w. has postponed
The strike.