The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-02-20
OIL CO.
MURDERER OF Il
N, ]. w @ R K { r S
Pipeline Leaked; State
Starts WhiteWash

OF the slavery OF scores OF thousands
Of Standard Oil Workers, was play
ing golf in Florida, more workers
died in Elizabeth hospitals yester-
day as a result of the alcohol plant
explosion which was caused by the
failure Of the Standard Oil Co. to
repair a gas pipe line from which
naptha gas was escaping.
Failure to make such repairs in
many parts of the refineries of the
Standard Oil Co. in Linden, Bayonne,
and Jersey City has resulted in the
killing and Gripping of scores of
Standard Oil workers in the past,
Standard Oil workers said.
The flaming naptha gas that
snuffed out the lives of four workers
and injured 81 more on Tuesday,
continued all day yesterday to take
more victims of the Standard Oil
Company's greed for profits.
Company Happy-"Little Property
Damage"
While six more workers were dy-
ing, the company officials seemed
happy over the fact that "the blaze
was soon extinguished and little
property damage was caused to the
Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey"
While the company officials were
so happy about so little damage be-
ing CAUSED to the company, grief
filled the homes of scores of workers
in Elizabeth and neighboring cities,
in which the victims of Rockefeller's
greed live.
The grief of the families of the
workers injured in the explosion was
increased when hospital surgeons an
nounced that many more of the
workers injured in the explosion
were doomed to die and that many
Of the rest faced blindness for life.
State Begins Whitewashing Co.
At the same time the New Jersey
State authorities began the process
of whitewashing the Standard Oil
Co. and clearing it of all blame for
the murder of the IL workers and
the gripping of scores more.
investigations" to whitewash the
Standard Oil Co. were being made
by Prosecutor A. j. David, of Union
County, one by Police Chief Hickey
of Linden, one by the New Jersey
State Dept. of Labor, and one by
the Standard Oil Co. itself.
The Linden police department is
well known to be controlled by the
Standard Oil, workers at the plant
said. So are the Union County Of
ficials. -...-......
The workers of the Standard Oil
Co. refineries in linden, Bayonne
and Jersey City are entirely unor-
gained. eve are at the mercy of
the Standard Oil Co.," said one of
the workers who escaped from the
disaster yesterday" and they can
do what they want with us, because
we aren't organized. The Works
Council is the Standard Oil Com
.pany's way of keeping US from fight
ing for better conditions and wages,
and also for safety conditions"
Many Standard Oil workers at the
Bayway plant pointed out that if
they had been organized, they could
prevent such a disaster as occurred
Tuesday, because if they had fight
ing union in back of them they could
demand that safety precautions be
taken to protect the workers and
that repairs be made promptly by
company,
One worker told of the time he
was working in the Bayonne plant
of the Standard Oil, when the work
ers struck in 1915. The workers
had to battle police and thugs as
we'll as troops, which the company
had on it's side, but the workers won.
The American Federation of Labor
refused to fight for the oil workers
then, and he said he had no use for
the A. F. Of L.
owe Need Fighting Union"
at isn't the A. F. of l.. we want,
the officials of that organization sell
out every time.
eve need a fighting union, to
fight for better conditions and
wages, and protect our lives from
such slaughter like what happened
here Tuesday"
The Trade Union Unity League,
with national headquarters at 2 z.
18th ST., New York, yesterday stated
that the death of II workers in the
Standard Oil refinery explosion was
clear case of murder of the work
ers by the Standard Oil Co.
1t called on the workers Of t'2e
Standard Oil Co. to organize shop
committees in order to wage a de.
termined fight against slave wages
and conditions and to fight for pro-
lection of the workers lives.
1t urged all Stndard Oil workers
interested in organizing under the
fighting leadership of the Trade
Union Unity League to get in touch