davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-05

their lives get the benefit Of the
great American plan, whereby the
supposition is that the longer .
worker is faithful to the boss the
more they are advanced.
Sc Week After IL Years.
Thus, some of these women have
been working twelve years and are
now making the princely wage OF
$500 and $500 per week! The high
est wage paid to any worker at
Bieberman's is $12 per week, and
this sum to only very few girls.
The workers never know what the
price to be paid for making a dress
will be until they are through, then
there is nothing to do but accept
what is offered.
Welfare Schemes to Fool Them.
The company uses all the welfare
schemes that have been devised to
fool the workers, SO that the work
ers will continue to work for next
to nothing at Bieberman's.
A Building and Loan oreanization
was started by the company. Now
it has failed, no money being re-
turned to the workers who were
misled by this scheme.
Ten cents week is taken out Of
every pay, including the $500 per
week. This ten cents Is supposed to
go towards $500 week sick bene-
fit. But the officers of this asso-
citation, called the Welfare Associ-
alton, are all members of the firm.
No workers are represented on this
supposed Welfare Association for
workers.
The workers now know that only
by joining the Needle Trades Work.
efs Industrial Union can they bet
ter their conditions. The bosses at
Bieberman's are dreadfully fright
oned and are using spies to find out
who are the ones joining the union,
knowing that through organization
the workers will be able to remedy
the feudal conditions prevailing at
this factory.
philadelphia Dress Worker.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-05
kill A man, hire
ANOTHER" SAY
VA. COAL BOSSES
Gyp Miners in Stores
Of Company
by a Worker Correspondent


BIG STONE GAP, Val am an
American and my parents and an
cestors reach so far back that |
don't know where my folks came
from.
was born and raised in the Vir-
ginia coal mine fields, so | think l
am capable of knowing something
about the conditions of the Virginia
miners. l started as trapper boy
at the age Of IA, and have held many
jobs. l am now A years of age.
The mines here run three and four
days a week and the mine companies
own all the surrounding lands,
houses and stores. | say houses,
they should be called shacks, es-
pecially the Negro houses.
Must Trade in Company's Stores
The miner is compelled to trade
in tn ecompany's stores and pay
twice ard three times the prices
they would have to pay at other
stores. The company issues. what is
called script, and 80 per cent of the
miners never draw any money. Most
of them are in debt to their en-
ployers.
They live in miserable houses.
Some of the houses leak when it
rains, although you are compelled
to pay the same rent for a leaky
house, as the bosses have their own
law, such as policemen and magis-
trates. And believe me, they sure
know what to do to anyone who OBJ
jects or kicks against their way of
doing business, which is all their
own business. We have tried many
times to organize to help our con-
ditions. They beat up our men and
throw them in Jail and let them rot.
MurderOus Conditions
AS to the working conditions. In
the mines there is terribly bad air,
loose hanging rocks in the manways,
and the motor haulways are so
gobbed up, until you can hardly run
the motors through them. This is
very dangerous to both the motor
men and the brakeman, including
miners who may be compelled to
walk on the motor haulage ways.
''Kill a Man, Hire Another"
But what does the company care.
They say, kill a man, hire another.
They have cut the mems wages
three times here within the last
three years.
There is only one thing for the
poor and long suffering miners of
Virginia t. do and that's to join
the Communist Party and fight for
a living wage. They are the only
ones who will do anything for them.
join the National Miners Union!
- VIRGINIA MINER.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-05
WESTINGHOUSE
WORKERS READY
FOR STRUGGLES
Defend Speaker for
Communist Party
(Bu a Worker CORRESPONDENT


NEWARK, N. j., (By MaiD-
The Communist Party held factory
gate meeting today at noon at the
Westinghouse Electric and Manu-
featuring Co. The first speaker was
addressing a large gathering of the
workers, when Capt. Franz Of the
company guards, in company of po-
lice, approached him and demanded
to see the speakers permit.
Workers for Speaker
The speaker told them he did not
need a permit as he had a consti-
tutional right to address the. work
ers. The police pulled him off the
stand and the speaker then appealed
to the workers if they wanted him
to speak, Everybody shouted he
should be permitted to speak. This
the police.
The speaker proceeded but soon
the police got up nerve enough again
and pulled the speaker away. I'm
another speaker took the
stand and began to speak amid the
cheers of the workers. The captain
of the company guards tried to pull
him off, but the workers showed
such a militant spirit of resentment
that he got cold feet and let the
speaker alone.
Presently the first speaker came
back. The police called up for a
wagon, but he was instructed to let
the speaker go.
The workers in the shop are
speeded up beyond endurance. Pay
is so low that even those that work
steady can't make ends meet. The
workers are desperate and are only
hoping that in the near future they
will have the chance to organize and
fight for their most fundamental
needs at least.
In the afternoon all the workers
were talking about the noon affair,
condemning the police and praising
the firm stand that the Communists
took. The workers are ready to join
the struggle.
"A WESTINGHOUSE WORKER.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-05

Force Workers to Act Religious
But if .they don't act religious
down here, they don't like them
much, and if they work up in the
mill, they must be good church
workers. In one mill here they
have prayer meetings every We'd
nesday night. In another one
they, do this at lunch time. And
the boss will tell you to be sure
to come, of course, you don't have
to go. but if you don't, the boss
will let you know that he didn't
see you there. So most of them
60.
But l want to 60 ahead telling
you about the Green meeting.
After the prayer Paterson intro
duced the speaker and at that
time a worker rose in the middle
OF the room and wanted to ask
Green question, SO he could an
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-05
MICHIGAN Phone.
GIRLS SUFFERING.
FROM | AY-0FFS.
Expect More Lay-Offs
in Future
(By a Worker Correspondent

ipU u " " nv wv GO kSOftOSftt/
DETROIT-The increasing I'M
employment here has hit the Michi-
gan Bell Telephone Co. Girl oper-
ators there have been requested" to
move their vacation periods from
fall and summer months up to the
present. If the situation has not
improved by the summer compulsory
vacations" without pay will be
given. Operators also expect : lay
off then.
Operators who are on the day
shift are being "given" afternoons
off. Girls from the night shift are
put in their places. In this way the
total number of operators has been
considerably reduced. When these
changes were announced the girls
were told that "the company has
1900 more operators than it needs
at present" They were left to draw
their own conclusions!
Company Union
The company union which the
corporation maintains for its en-
ployees avails them nothing in this
crisis. They may determine what
kind of spoons they should nave in
the dining rooms, but when it comes
to laying off they are told to leave
such complicated economics to the
wiser heads of the management"
T.U.U.L. will organize these work
ers.
DETROIT WORKER.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-05
ORGANIZE As
An ANSWER TO
u. S. RUBBER co,
Rotten Conditions for
Workers There
(Ry a Worker Correspondent


DETROIT. Mich.-As was read
ing the Daily Worker a little Incl
dent came to my mind which ! be-
lieve would interest many comrade
readers of the Daily Worker. Things
like this happen in many shops.
This is what the workers get as
an answer when they ask the U. S.
Rubber Co. foreman, the generous
and kind hearted Mr.. Higgs. what
their piece-work rates are: "Do you
want to work or talk? If you want
to talk, there is plenty of room in
the street" That kind of an an
swer is already enough to make you
R Red.
\ Faithful Spy
You have already heard through
ne Daily Worker about Dept. 90 in
his plant. Mr.. Higgs is the two
aced gentleman that runs that de-
9artment so honestly and faithfully
Cor the o. S. Rubber blood-suckers.
lie is faithful spy of the rubber
arons.
Gecause the Hen Are Unorgani5ed
The workers are laboring there
for 40 cents an hour. The day rate
and the bonus, according to the in
formation, received through the
checker, amounts to 1915 for nine
hours. The boys were working like
the devil to make some money. After
six days came the pay day. Of
course, the boys were very glad. But
the great surprise was that in place
of the check for $46.50 they got a
check for S27 only. Now, comrades
and fellow-workers, do you think
that the bosses give a damn for the
working class? And would the
lousy bosses dare to take that $3.50
from the workers if the workers
we're organized?
One Workers Answer
My answer to this rotten deal
which the workers in all the in
dustries5 are getting, is: Workers,
Join the T. U. U. L., the only Or
ganization that stands ready TO sup
port the workers against the losses.
Also every worker should be MEM
Der Of the WIR, that organization is
an organization that stands ready to
support the workers Of all colors and
creeds. Defend the Soviet Union,
the only workers. fatherland! De-
mand its recognition. Long live the
Soviet Union. Down with the CAPT
talist class. Up with the Red Ban
ner Of Communism.
u. S. RUBBER WORKER.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-05

company is using stool-pigeons,
those low-down miserable skunks
that sell their fellow-workers for the
privilege Of keeping their job and
are ready to betray their fellow
workers who are trying to improve
their miserable working conditions
and stop the speed-up system that
is sapping the health and strength
of the workers. Let US serve notice
on big boss Hanson that he can't
fire the whole plant and that he
can't operate with his stool pigeons.
A Driver
Boss Hanson is terrible driver
and an open-shopper and he likes to
cut the piece-work rate to the bone
and above the endurance of the
men. And in return for that he
gives us some bunk under the name
of welfare. What we want IS more
wages and the abolition of the
piece-work system.
The spirit in the plant is very ripe
for good organization. And while
we don't know who is going to be
fired next, let us agitate and orga-
nize the workers into and with the
help of the Trade Union Unity
League. Answer boss Hanson with
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-05
Sc after Z YRS.
AT BIEbERMAN'S
That's Weeks Wage at
Phila. Dress Shop

by Worker Correspondent
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Bieber-
man Bros, at 18th and Wallace Sts.,
is the largest cotton dress shop in
the city.
About 600 workers on an average,
slave here under conditions almost
unbelievable. Most of the workers
are young girls, and a considerable
number of them are old women.
These old women who have worn
themselves to the bone working all
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-05

WORKERS. And the company boasts
Of the fact that all records for
profits were broken. Here are rea-
sons Cor such stupendous profits.
the Bonus System
/. The Bonus System for Fore
men. The foremen are given a 10
Per cent rake off On Ill the money
they can save in their department.
The only way these ignorant asses
know how to save money for the
company is by expressing the work
ors. New rules are made every
week. fhe workers must be at
their bench when the whistle blows
ir the morning and they must work
until the whistle blows in the eve
ming, although they insist that each
che must clean his own bench
No lunch is to be seen in sight,
but no place is provided to keep she
lunch box. When a worker goes to
get a drink or to the washroon, the
bosses time him. Workers wfc
have been in service of the company
from 10 to % years are fired to
make room fol girls or young men
because they can be paid less.
Tho older workers who have
given the best of their lives are too
slow for them and make "too much
money" go to rs cents per hour)
and that is the way they save money
for the company. But these fore
mon are bigger fools than what
they look.
The Group System
,. Tie Group System. A group
Of workers are given certain job.
Each worker performs some minor
operation as is the case with the
"watt hour meter register" This
register is assembled by group of
girls who are given certain num-
Der to do each day. If they do
more they are given 40 per cent
bonus" Naturally some girls are
slower than others and the fast
girls are expected to report the
slower ones. These slower girls are
told to speed up or get out. Thus
the job is speeded up until finally
the workers are able to make 6 little
bonus. Then one morning the rate
setter gets busy and retimes the
Job and thsre is no more bonus ur-
til the workers can speed up stlll
more and the same thing happens
again.
8. Some Work Must he Done as
Individual Workers. This kind OF
work is then put on piece-work, but
The same fake business goes on as
in the group system. AS soon as 4
worker makes few cents, the rate
setter gets or the job, times the
work and a new rate-a lower rate
is paid for the woik.
Out on the Street
4. Standard Time. Some work
is performed on the standard
time basis. That IS, . certain time
allowed for a given job. The time
is set so that the worker c&n just
about make it. If he fails to do the
work within the time allowed, he
finds himself in the army of the
unemployed.
On the Belt
). Conveyors. Wherever posi-
Die conveyors are installed. Such is
the case in the assembly of the
The workers must keep up
with the speed Of the machine or
finds the conveyors overcrowded
with meters: he "holds up produc-
tion.' The foreman is right on the
job to see what is wrong, and the
worker must exert himself still
more, and when the day is over. ne
has no strength left to drag his
body home
Come On, workers of Westing-
louise, let's not stand this any
longer. There's an organization
that will fight for US. It's the Trade
Union Unity League. It's Newark
headquarters is at 90 Mercer street.
Get into it.
Slave at Westinghouse Electric
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-05

swer it in the course of his speech.
The chairman asked for his name,
that the bosses should know him.
But he got the name quick and
clear. Then he wanted to know
if the worker was a member of
the A. +. of L. The answer was
NO" Then he asked who do
you represent"
The answer was part of the
textile. workers of Greenville."
Pattern then said, "The speaker
will anfwer you if you will see
him after the meeting. The work
er said: II don't want the ques-
ton answered for myself alone, it
is for me workers here that
want it answered, so they will
know theAtruth. But at this time
officers .--nde the workers sit
down andsGreen made his plea to
the aossvssto let him come in and
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-05
By a Worker Correspondent

By a Worker Correspondent
GREENVILLE, S. c. I h
speaking by William Green took
place in the county courthouse
where there is a space enclosed
for lawyers, prisoners. jury, Judge
and court officials. This space is
in the front and is just about half
the room and all this was re-
served especially for the bosses
and their bootlicks, preachers, law
yers, and others that are not
friendly to the workers.
They had a chair across the
gateway, that is the entrance to
these special reserved seats and
special officer was usher. He
knew them all. When one of the
big ones came in, he would pat
him on the back, the chair r'ould
drop and another reserved seat
was filled. But the workers had
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-05
MERCENTHALER
WORKERS READY
NTW Is Organizing to
Fight Speedup
by a Worker Correspondent

10y WOFheT COTTeSpOHdeHtJ
BROOKLYN, N. Y.-Things are
happening fast and furious lately at
the Mergenthaler Linotype Co. in
Brooklyn.
For the last three weeks quite a
few skilled slaves in different de-
partments were laid off or fired and
from what l can see they picked out
the class-oonscious workers that
were part of the shop movement in
calling for strike the coming
month Of May under the leadership
of the Trade Union Unity League.
There is no question that the
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-05
WESTINGHOUSE WORKERS WANT FIGHTING LEADERSHIP

The a0orkers of the WestiNg-
house Electric suffer under the
vorst speed-up, slave for low
cages, and are laid off at the
bosses whims. They're not going
10 stand this long, If the letters
from some of them printed IN this
issue mean anything. They'll fight
ulder the leadership of the Trade
Unity League.
Photos shoao Westinghouse
lgorkers at ,Uork. Left. testing
current transformers. Right, IN
the saVitchgear department.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-05
WESTINGHOUSE
TORRENTS men
into SPEEDU,P
Gyps Them in Every
Way; Lay Off Old
by a Worker CORRESPONDENT,


NEWARK, N. i'm the Westinc.
house Electric plant in Newark. in
every departnlent, every day, new
labor saving machines IRE installed
The work is simplified so that girls
and young men with 10 experience
can do The work and can do it faster.
The old hands and good mechanics
are fired. The same old story but
with the same disastrous results to
the workers more unemployed,
smaller pay, more speed-up.
Then there's the production clerks.
II there is anyone, that tornlents
the workers more than the produc-
ton clerk, it is another production
clerk. All day long he keeps after
the workers with dumb look on
his face, magging with the eternal
ouestion-"When will you be done?"
OF when can I have it?" "How
many have Won done?" This mag
ging keeps up day after day and it
takes superhuman will power to keep
from hitting him in the head with
a melter. The workers speed up in
order to get rid of him if only for
a while.
The Suggestion System.
They may call the workers dumb
and tell him tina. he is poor because
he hasn't the brains of those who
are rich. But they say this only to
fool the workers themselves. The
bosses "know better" and for that
reason they have the whole plant
placarded with sigrs which read
1.-TWO incomes are better than one"
bland in your suggestion. These
suggestions come in by the hundreds
and many are very important inven-
lions. The worker is made to be-
lieve that he will get paid for them
according to their worth. After
waiting from 8 to l months, the
worker receives the liberal" sum-
of two and half dollars.
The workers name goes on the
bulletin board and thousands Of dol
lars saved goes into the pockets Of
The company owners. One case de-
serves mention. Two women friends
were employed washing glass covers.
One suggested way of wiping these
covers so that it will be unnecessary
to wash them. This woman got two
and a half dollar check and h,r
friend got the gate. The company
saves about $4,000 evsry year anc
they invested $3.50 to save that gum.
Not only does the company undc--
pay the workers, not only do they
Cypress them, overwork them, but
they cheat the workers out Of their
fruits of their brain. Yes, they can
boast of twenty-scven million profit
in one year. Who made it7
The workers from the Westing-
mouse Electric Manufacturing Co.
must organize into a union which
will fight militantly in their inter-
osts. Not in the A. F. Of /. COM
pany rcactionary unions but into the
revolutionary Trade Union Unity
League. Under it's banner We will
be able to struggle against speed
up, the rotten conditions, and for 7
hour, five-day week and for higher
pay.
Workers from the Westinghouse
Electric Manufacturing Co. wake up!
Fight fer. your right! Organize!
Send in your name and address to
the Trade Union Unity League,
Newark office, J3 Mercer Street,
Newark, N. J.
-Westinghouse Slave.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-05

demands for more wages, shorter
hours, abolition Of the piece-wor,.
system and week-worll instead.
MACHINIST.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-05
A Challenge from
Soviet RR Workers

The following letter the railroad workers of the station Eff
both challenge desire to
hear from American workers. Answer both!
Dear We the railway workers of the station Efremova
Nursky the of
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-05
WESTINGHOUSE MILLIONS ARE
SWEATED OUT or the WORKERS
The Toilers Are Speeded to Limit, Under Con-
ditons of Torture, Then Many Are Thrown Out
Only Way Out Is Organize Into Trade Union
Unity League, Worker Points Out
lRu u 1HorL.er Corresnondonn

" 1.-THE of the Westinghouse
Manufacturing Company shows that the made in 1929 987
than in 1928 This tremendous profit" possible
the speedup schemes
the
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-04-05
Soldiers Must Fight Their
Real Enemy The Bosses
(By u Worker Correspondent

CLEFELAND- used to be of those patriotic boys who
thought that Uncle Sam the guardian of all Americans
and took good stiff jolt to knock loose from ideas
used because
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-13
Father Goes to Jail
Rather Than Send
His Boy to School
Refuses to Pay Fine Inn.
posed by Court for
Contempt.
speclal pispatch to The scar.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
CULPEPER, Va, November 13.-
The compulsory school law Of vir-
GINA Is being tested in Culpeper in
the case of Tom Hand, well known
resident of this town, and the Com
monwealth of Virginia.
Some time ago Mr.. Hand was sum-
moned before Judge Charles Z.
Reams, jr., of the Juvenile and Do
nestle Court. for not sending his
l3-year-old son, Tom, jr., to school.
Mr.. Hand is understood to have said
that he had not sent him because he
was O very handy boy and useful to
himself, and Is also said to have
him.
concession on the part of the parent
was rather hazy, the matter was re-
ferred to the Circuit Court, in ses-
sion here on Friday, with Judge A. T.
Browning presiding, and again Mr..
Hand was summoned to show cause
why the boy should not attend school.
Acting as his own counsel, Mr..
Hand stated to the court that he
considered the compulsory education
law q fool law" and added that he
had no intention of obeying it. He was
thereupon fined SIS for contempt of
court. Refusing to pay this fine or
to allow any friends to pay 1t for
him, he was lodged in the county
jail.
There he has been visited by
numerous business and family friends,
all freely offering to pay his fine and
all being emphatically refused this
favor He states that he considers
himself unjustly treated, as the lad
was being taught at home by an
elder sister and his mother, and that
he will stay in jail until he dies be-
fore paying the fine. Meantime the
boy is still absent from school.