The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1932-11-11
FRUIT WORKERS
WIN VICTORY IN
CHELAN VALLEY
Raise IN Pay Won After
Militant Strike
Struggle
COMMUNISTS AID
Strikers Win Organize In
Trade Union Unity
League Branch
COMMUNISTS AID

hundred apple workers of Chelan
Valley, Washington, out on a spon-
taneous strike, have just succeed
I'd in winning higher wage scale
from the Pacific and American
fruit companies. The following
raise in wages was won by the
workers and the new scale will be
effective throughout the valley to
both strikers and non-strikers.
Old scale: Packing, 21z cents
per box; picking, 21e cents per
box; sorting, 20 cents per hour;
idding and stamping S5 cents per
&C" boxes.
New schedule: Packing 2 and
three-fourths cents per box; pick
ing, 8 cents per box; sorting 2211
and 25 cents per hour; idding and
stamping As cents per &c" boxes.
COMMUNIST CANDIDATE
AIDS STRIKERS
liver Moe, Skagit county candi-
date for the senate on the Com
munist ticket was in Chelan dur
ing the strike.
Moe was one of the four con-
victed of grand larceny and
riot in connection with a recent
Anacortes demonstration during
which unemployed workers tool
food from a store for their starv
ing families. The workers invitec
Moe to work with the strike com
mittee and to act in an advisor!
capacity throughout the strike
The bosses, however, refused Il
recognize Moe on the committee
but he continued to lead in tn
struggle of the apple packers.
BIG FARMERS IMPORT
STRIKE BREAKER
Henry Hobson, of Wenatche
was imported by wealthy grower
and fruit corporations to break
the strike. He pleaded with tn
strikers, telling them that go pc
cent of the growers were going t
lose title to their orchards an
that any addition in wages woul
place them in, even more seriou
circumstances. Hobson sought b
these remarks to split the sma
and impoverished growers, VIII
were behind the strikers, ava
from the cause of the workers.
His arguments were counter
| acted when Moe called for son
; darity of the workers and poe
growers stating, eff 80 per eel
, of you growers are going to los
, title to your orchards this year
: is imperative that you stand wit
, the strikers. You, too, will
' working for wages next year. Yc
poor farmers will then acquire ar
2 deserve the returned support
I the strikers and together you ca
present a united front again
your mutual oppressors."
J ELECT RANK AND FILE
COMMITTEE
The strikers elected a comml
tee consisting of worker fro
each of the nine sheds involved
= the strike. This group of strl
o ers forced the merchants to DO
y colt the Pacific and Amerlc;
it wholesale trucks. The commit
/ consisted of courageous worke
d but due TO their lack of mowledI
d regarding strike tactics, they !;
lowed themselves to meet benz
: closed doors with a group OF bu
ness men and growers. This me'
ing resulted in several compl
misses.
: Rank and file control, howev
> came to the front in the evenI
following the secret meeting. 1
strikers assembled five hundr
/ strong in the city hall and foue
II militantly for the original OBJ
n tives. Several changes were ma
in the wage scale offered by
n secret committee. The lldde
f were guaranteed $50 boxes to
and if any lesser number Of boz
came through, they would rece
= pay for 75O.
n VOTE TO ACCEPT GAINS
Manv speeches were made b
l. NV the committee members and
a strikers. After a great deal
= adjustments, the rank and
N voted to accept the new Wa
" scale. They felt they had W
the. fight from which every ap
worker in the valley would be
IN fit. :,
ID The strikers, after winning tn
six dav strike, asked Moe to \
them form a union, union I
|. would both protect their hard '
victory and lead them IN nut
CT battles against starvation wag'
he Moe pledged the support Of
- Trade Union Unity League
the workers are now eager to Il
q an agricultural workers union