The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-07-31
In the Sheet
Steel Mills OF
Bethlehem

chief interest of the bosses only to
make as much profits as possible
from the workers, it is no wonder
that the Bethlehem Steel Company
was only too anxious to install new
speed-up machinery in the sheet mills
of the Bethlehem Steel at Sparrows,
Md.
The new continuous mills that re-
place the old type mills produce
$4,000 pounds for the eight hour
turn in comparison to the maximum
of 10000 pounds produced on the old
type mills and thus today in the
sheet mills the workers are working
continuously with but one minute
rest and as the type of mill and the
name CONTINUOUS" suggest;
that is just what continuous work
means where before there were pc
RODS of rest spells between heats.
The new type of mill required three
less men on each crew; that is, the
men are forced to produce twice as
much with three less men
Speed Up
On top of the new speed up, the
boss was not content in getting
greater production, but with the new
type of machinery he also introduced
a new wage scale which amounted
to practically sixty per cent cut
in wages. On the old tyre mill the
workers producing an average of
10000 pounds were getting piece
work, but with the new mills guar
anteeing a consistent tonnage, the
boss cut out the piece work and in
stituted a day wage rate that
amounts to two to five dollars less
a day than was made on piece work /;
but still the tonnage on the mill has
increased 200 per cent.
Workers Call Halt
The workers rejected the new
wage cut and on the first day of the
new wage rate the workers stopped
the mills on the three to eleven turn
and began to discuss in groups
through the whole length of the
mill what action to take. And as
here and there groups took up the
question, there was a general con-
fusion and no definite policy as to
what plan to pursue which finally
resulted in the most skilled work.
els, the rollers, getting together and
going to the office of the Dept.
superintendent to negotiate with the
boss as to an increased rate for the
rollers only. Of course the bosses
were only too glad to negotiate with
the rollers and the demands set for
ward on the basis of skill and craft
left the majority of the sheet mill
workers out in the cold.
Boss Calls Cops
While men were discussing in the
mills and not a machine was rum
ming, rhe boss called the police force
in the employ of the steel company
to intimidate the workers back to
the job with the result that the
mills late that night was memoir
able event in the records of the
sheet mill workers who will look
back on this night as lesson to
show the working class that there
is a class struggle and that the d.
vision between the bosses and the
workers is becoming ever wider. The
police with several fat bellied lieu
tenants came into the mill and said
alright what the hell you fellows
going to do-stand and talk or &c
back to work? And if your not go
ing back to work-get to hell out
of here and your fired" which re.
suited in many of the workers be-
coming inundated to the extent OF
returning to work while other groups
of workers went home.
Fake Promises
A new rate has been promised
for August first to the rollers and
nothing definite has been suggested
to the other workers in the sheet
mills. So it appears that on August
first the workers will again resume
their fight against these wage cuts
But the workers of the sheet mills
must not only fight against wage
cuts. The American Federation OF
Labor and the Mike Tighes of the
Amalgamated have a policy of craft
unionism and discrimination on the
basis of nationality and color which
resulted in the struggle being sold
out to the bosses by the misleaders
in the A. F. of L. organization.
To strike against wage cuts, the
workers must organize shop COM
mittees and affiliate themselves to
the Metal Workers Industrial
League which has the correct pro-
gram to fight the bosses. Our pro-
gram is to organize all metal work
ers without respect to what type OF
work he does in the metal industry
as long as he works in the metal
industry, that furnishes the basis OF
organizing the whole industry
There must be complete organization
of Negro and white workers. The
bosses heretofore have always tax.