The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-09-17

lied that 1t would be better to put it
into effect after this preliminary
preparatory manoeuvering. The sec
ond reason is that the Steel Corp
Grafton wanted the workers to real
ize that the crisis is getting worse
and that there are no prospects for
improvement in the near future. The
steel bosses think that in this way
they can prevent the workers from
resisting this wage cut militantly.
The Daily Worker pointed out pre-
viously that the wage cuts in the
steel industry would be followed, as
the capitalist press admitted, by a
general attack on the wages of the
workers thruout the country. The
date of the steel wage cut has been
set for September 20. The wage cuts
for the workers thruout the coun-
try will follow in the Immediately
succeeding weeks.
The steamship corporations are
also preparing to slash wages of the
longshoremen. Preparations are UNI
der way on both the North Atlantic
and the Gulf coasts to slash wages
on October, when the agreements
with the International Longshore-
mems Association expire The ship
owners of the North Atlantic COM
panies, who are united in the North
Atlantic Passenger Conference, have
already given the wage cut and
speed up proposals to the Interna-
tional Longshoremen's Association,
which is now considering" them.
They demand wage cuts on straight
time from IS cents an hour to rs
cents and hour and overtime wages
from $13o an hour TO $1.o5 an hour
In addition Saturday afternoon, ex-
cept in June, July and August are
to paid straight time instead of on
an overtime basis. Wages for Sat-
urday afternoon will be thus paid
at the rate of rs cents an hour in
stead of the $1.3o rate at present.
The steamship companies have previ-
ously guaranteed four hours work.
In the future they will only guaran-
tee two hours work on Sunday when
the workers are called in to work.
1.-THE ship lines also propose to as
sumo a greater control of the volume
of labor to be employed in the I'M
loading of their shops. This propo-
sal means reducing the size Of the
gangs and intensifying the work thru
speed up. The ship owners have al
ready cut the gangs with the agree
ment of the lila business agents, but
now they plan a general reduction
of the gangs as an open practice.
On the gulf coast the ship-owners
plan to cut the wages of the long
shoremen in the Houston, Galveston,
Texas City, and Corpus Christi dis
tricts to the level of the Sabine dis
trict and at New Orleans. This will
mean a wage cut from 80 cents to
IS cents an hour. Time and a half
is now paid for overtime after eight
hours work. The ship-owners demand
overtime only after ten hours work
and that should be paid only at the
rate of 81 an hour. The mislead-
ers of the lila in Houston are re-
ported to have accepted the cut. but
have made a counter proposal" for
an increase in the overtime rate.
They are doing this so that they can
sell out the workers on the straight
time wage scale thru a miserable
concession on overtime which is very
scarce anywhere on the coast now.
In order to prevent these wage
cuts the workers in the steel mills
and on the docks must organize shop
committees. The revolutionary or
CARNATIONS affiliated with the Trade
Union Unity League are preparing to
lead the workers in strikes against
this additional attack on their living
standards. Steel workers! Join the
Metal Workers Industrial League to
fight the wage slash of the Steel
Trust. Longshoremenl Organize with
the Marine Workers Industrial to
repeal the wage cut and speed up
attack of the ship-owners. Organize
to strike.