The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-02-12
THE FURRIER STRIKE IN
DANBURY

formula Mercury" is so dangerous that the
worker engaged in this work becomes victim
Of what is known as shakes" The workers re-
main hopeless cripples, writing in agonzing
pain, until death relieves them from their I'M
endurable suffering.
The girls employed in drying the hair, cover
their mouths with wet linen kerchIefs. But this"
precaution does not prevent them from becoming
victims of the proletarian disease. The air in
the factories is so poisonous that the hair on
the workers heads turns red. The eyes are at
tackled with trochoma, The workers immersed
in deep water, wear long rubber boots, also long
rubber mitts; for the slightest contact with the
mercury stuff means burning hole in the
hand. The poison destroys the nails Of the
furriers' hands; many are afflicted with wounds
that make their hands look like raw flesh.
Most of these dangers could have been avoided,
If the bosses were forced to install modern pre-
ventive measures The capitalist state has
adopted a number Of laws which were supposed
to safeguard the lives and health Of the workers,
but these laws are not obeyed. The inspectors.
along with the city administration, are mere
marrionettes in the hands of the bosses to carry
out their will. And while the workers are forced
to work under such slave conditions, their lives
being in constant danger a stream of gold is
steadily pouring into the Golfers of the manu-
facturerS who are getting richer from day to day.
The Industrial Union exposed the horrible con-
ditions Of the workers and unmasked the para
sites with their A. F. of L. lackeys. This in
furiated the black cohorts the so-called "Citi-
zens' Committee" to such an extent that they
issued leaflet with an offer of 81 900 to any
worker who would repudiate the charges of the
strikers.
This money offer was the first attempt to
bride some of the strikers and to defeat the
The efforts of these gentry had the reverse
effect. The strikers closed their ranks still
tighter, and intensified their struggle all along
the line. The entire working population sup
ported and aligned itself with the strikers.
The bosses and their government conducted
an organized campaign to break the strike. They
succeeded in intinddating the hall-keepers from
renting hall to the strikers The labor depart
ment in Washington sent an agent by the name
OF Miss WeinStock." The state of Connecticut
also sent in agents and they all were doing their
utmost to break the strike. They made an at
tempt at calling meeting at City Hall where
they proposed wage cut of 10 per cent instead
OF 20 per cent They broadcast false statements
that the strike was settled, that the strikers
agreed to accept reduction and the workers
in other factories have returned to work.
All efforts Of the bosses and their strike
breaking government were of no avail The
workers consolidated their ranks The strike was
spreading into other shops wherever the bosses
tried to cut wages. The workers were militant
and courageous. At night, they watched the
roads to see that no work was being delivered.
At o'clock in the morning, they came out in
mass pioketing. No arrests or terror of any
kind stopped the militancy of the workers. The
strikers were determined to win the strike and
to build their union in Danbury.
The Needle Trades Workers Industrial Union
comes into the forefront in many localities
around New York, always fighting to better the
conditions of the workers. The Industrial Union
led the struggle of the shirt-makers in New
Haven, of the needle workers in Troy, N. Y,
and organized Hillman's slaves in Rochester to
revolt against Hillmans hunger system The
Danbury strike was the most important of these
struggles Thousands of needle trade workers
in Danbury and in other suburbs watched the
outcome of the strike.
In this struggle the bosses were forced to re-
treat from their original demand for 20 per
cent cut, two shops won their cut back others
got 10 per cent back, now the furriers and hat
tiers of Danbury are building the union of their
own, the Needle Trades Workers Industrial IN
ion Under the leadership of our union, they
are preparing much greater and better organized
struggles for better conditions