The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-04-22
IRVING Mill
is A HELL FOR
The WORKERS
Filthy Conditions and
Low Wages Prevail
by a Worker Correspondent

! CHESTER, IA. (By MALI II
anne writing about conditions in the
combing department of the Irving
Wstd. Company. Conditions are
continually getting worse.
There are thirty men and women
working in this department. The
men receive S17.25 for a 54-hour
week. Skilled operatives are able
to mako 20-25 dollars. They work
On piece-work basis which as usual
is just scheme on the part of the
boss 10 keep the men on the job and
to crowd all the work through that
is possible. The few extra dollars
the workers make does not pay for
all extra labor. An example of how
this scheme works can be had by re-
Wondering that comb-winders get
10c if they operate two combs. If
they are good docile and hardwork-
ing slaves the boss gives them more
combs and pays them sac.
Women workers are paid IL dol
lars per week. When they needed
more help a few weeks ago, women
were hired to learn the work for
merly done by men who received
S17.25 per week.
Overtime is the DOGGY of the room.
Almost every night the preparing
and finishing boxes run until s pm.
Straight time is paid for all over
time. The man on the wool securing
job have them all beat. When the
mill is busy he is good until or
10 p. m regularly and is often forced
to stay till midnight.
Sanitary conditions cannot be de-
scribed There are none. Workers
must slave away for nine and three
quarter hours every day in foul air
in an ill-lighted room. The room is
about ITS feet by 80 feet. Windows
in the four walls supply all the nat
ural light and ventilation. A small
fan was installed to suck some of the
foul air through an eight-inch pipe
from the center of the room. There
might as well be no fan for all the
good it is. The light is provided
by ordinary electric and mercury
lights. The latter cast blue light.
This does not make the room blue
heaven. Not by long shot. 1t is
still little white hell. Let me
prove it.
On one end of the room one finds
securing machine and dryer which
is operated with steam. This shuts
off all chance of workers getting
refreshing air from this direction.
In its place they get air sultry and
humid. In front of the dryer are
two backwashers which also help to
raise the humidity. To make this
condition worse might seem impos-
sible but just now they are put
ting in another of these back
washers.
This humid atmosphere is man.
breaking. One has only to watch
the men and girls going about their
work to realize this. Sweat pours
out of every pore and they are al
ways wringing wet in warm wea-
Their. If they attempt to loiter
around the door for breath Of air
they will get chased.
Conditions of labor are also ter
rible. In the first place too much
machinery is crowded into this
room. The finishing sets for exam
pie are about 16 inches apart, hard
ly enough to let the operative get
around them with ease. Then
there are cans of combed silver al
ways in the way. On the other end
Of the room similar condition ex-
lists, piles of comb balls and boxes
of card silver make it almost i'm
possible for the operative to get
around the machine. The machines
are always overloaded and this is
continually causing them to break
down, making it much harder for all
concerned.
AS is the custom water is obtained
from spigots in the sink in tin cups
on bottles. In the summer hunk
of ice is provided so that the help
gets ice water at least a part Of
every day.
IRVING WORKER.