The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-04-02
Ford Fables Exploded

and exploitation as the older men. AS one
young Ford worker puts it: THE Ford man
does not know from day to day whether he will
be alive" Smashed fingers and stubs are taken
for granted. 1t is no longer news. Work is so
fast that many times your fellow-worker hasn't
time to even realize that you are hurt. know
one young worker who got his finger smashed
by defective punch press. While he was out
a young Negro fellow-worker was put on the
same press and two weeks later he had his
whole finger removed by the press. Then there
is the peculiar Ford institution known as the
Service Men. Hundreds of them do no work in
the plant except to walk around and see that
everything is o. K. and presumably to see
that one is stealing tools, etc. But every
Ford worker knows that the service men
stool-pigeons whose sole purpose is to keep both
ears open for any talk of organization. There
isn't Ford man but despises these service men
who get their jobs through favoritism or for
being a general sucker around the foreman
Then there is side to Fords "benevolence"
that is little known, but is a common topic
among the Dearborn workers That is the
sinking graft and corruption around the Ford
employment office. Jobs in Fords bought
and sold outright. Right under the nose of the
plant there is place where you can get a job
for 500 of $3.50 if you care Many times Ford's
in Fords) are utilized for buying ones way in
One 20year-old German young worker paid
500 for job and worked three months There
used to be Spani~l agency for buying jobs for
Latin-Amercan workers in one of the Detroit
downtown buildings. Cases like these can be
found hundreds of times These petty racke-
teers play quite a part in keeping the workers
from organizing.
In the Body Plants outside Of Fords as, for
instance, in Fishers, married women are now
being laid off and young single girls are being
put in their places. Single men are being laid
off and married men put in, no doubt under
the direction of Murphys Unemployed (scab)
Committee.
In Briggs HIP. Plant, which has motto of eff
poison fails, try Briggs" almost the entire plant
is run by young workers and quite a number of
Negro workers. The conditions here are his
tory, even in the boom period. There is a notice
in the girls toilet, amongst other regulations
that if any white girl is caught talking to a
Negro she will be Immediately fired"
In L. A. Young, an accessory plant, young girls
are working part time. Actually cases have
been reported of $3.50 for 10 days work
This brings us to the question of the young
unemployed workers Mr. Murphy has already
said that those who "have home have been
over year in the city and have children" can
get actual relief. Single workers, young workers
get 20 cents day to eat on. Mr.. Murphy Ca
single mani gets, however, around $4,000 year.
When asked about the cases of poisoning from
rotten food, he replied that he used to get
worse food in the army
Especially hard hit the unemployed young
girl workers. Hundreds of them sleep in the
l0-cent, all-night' shows. One girl when ask
ing for some food and place to stay in down
town flop house dhey are only for men, got
the reply: "Sell what you got. This place is for
men,"
The Auto Workers Union, on the basis of
these conditions, must work out special youth
demands and show the young auto workers
way out OF their miserable conditions. With the