The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1930-11-14
BY KARL REEVE
dist. Organizer, Dist. No. 81

IN the iron and copper mines of Upper Michigan
and Minnesota, there are now not much more
than $4,000 miners, where few years ago there
were $4,000. The effects of the economic crisis
have already been severely felt, but the unem-
ploynent, wage-cuts and speed-up is contlnu-
ously increasing the misery of the workers
Shipments of iron ore from the Lake Superior
district in the first nine months Of the year, up
to Oct. 1st decreased more than fourteen
million gross tons as compared to the nine
months period last year. Copper production
has declined similarly (Skillings Mining Review
Oct. A.
What does the economic crisis mean to the
$4,000 or more metal miners and the thousands
of smelter workers in the smelling mills of the
district? Labor conditions in the Michigan
copper district are below normal :. in recent
weeks the number employed has been cut from
Is to 20 per cent The majority of employees
are working on a curtailed schedule of opera
tons" Thus does the Skillings Review COM
ment on unemployment.
We can best get picture of the misery among
the metal miners of the district caused by the
crisis, by referring to the reports from the mine
nuclei of the Party and from the organizer of
the Mine, Oil and Smelter Workers Union,
John Miller. 1.-THE economic crisis is deepening
with increased speed The mining companies
are laying off men right and left. The
workers are many times forced to work in I'M
heard of places from the safety point of view.
Their latest tactic has been to keep a GER
tain nationality working and lay off the other.
In Ironwood for example, the workers are made
to believe that there is plenty of work for every
one but the Firms. This is only bluff of
course, because the situation is getting such that
H. l.,
wage cuts. In the copper mines they cut wages
in organized fashion, first cutting the Quincy
mines 10 per cent and then later the Calumet
and Hecla Co. mines ten per cent. Where as
IN the iron mines they have been cutting little
by little, at one mine at a time even part of
mine. The men were waiting for last spring
to get work in the open pit iron mines, but
many of them were not opened up at all in the
spring, except those which have most modern
machinery and few workers. and work at ter
rife speed"
Another report says, within radius of SO
miles near Ironwood, there are over four hun
dred men living in the woods, in 'jungles'. Be-
fore the miners had a refuge in the lumber
camps, but now they can't get jobs there
Here is report from the Messaba Range,
which contains the largest iron mines in the
world. Around Keewatin and Carson Lake
wages are cut working conditions worse than
ever, speed up bad In bad places men are
falntlng for lack OF air. Men are forced to pay
ten per cent extra for their powder in case they
are forced to use more than $3.50 worth in a
month. No toilets are in the mines No wash
rooms or changing rooms In Ely wages are cut
from 85 cents per car to go cents. No ventila :
ton. Bosses bully the men, Work is very dan
gerous on account OF the stopping system In
some places the slopes are more than 600 feet.
hollow in every direction where the rocks Just
rain down. sometimes putting out the lights two
or three times per day through the conclusion
caused by the falling rocks. There is no air.
Even the carbide lamp does not burn, not to
mention the possibility to light match or
take smoke. Painting is daily occurrence to
the miners" t..
Men are forced to come and 90 way down
into the mine on their own time" says another
report from Ironwood. They have to travel
back and forth in the lunch hour In reality
they have no lunch hour no shelter. and the
safety OF the miners is entirely ignored They
are forcing the men to break even the elemen-
tary safety laws which exist, although the COM
pany is boosting the fake safety. Men have to
lie and cheat to the safety engineer in order to
hold their jobs. They receive no pay for HOLIDAYS
and are receiving straight time for overtime.
They used to get double pay for overtime but
this was abolished. They pay an insurance fee
of Is cents month. They live in company
houses. the rent being as high as 10 dollars a