The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-04-22
BY. LENA ROSENBERG.

CHESTER has q population OF over $4,000. The
Y overwhelming majority Of whom are workers
in basic industries. 10 percent OF the entire
population are Negroes. A large percentage are
foreign born. Every industry in Chester can be
turned into war industry over night while some
Of them produce war materials now.
The sun Ship Yard is nov employing about
1900 workers full and part time, on two new
ships and repair work on the S. S. Bidwen, an
oil tanker on which 19 workers were killed when
she exploded The conditions under which the
workers are forced to work are unbearable as
one worker expressed himself TT is madhouse''
Daily. workers are injured and often killed as
result of the maddening speed up and lack OF
safety measures to safeguard the life and health
of the workers The Sun Ship Yard has been
announcing that they would employ many work
ers This brought thousands to the gates not
only from Chester but many from lar away
cities. The Sun Ship Yard management used
these starving job seekers to force greater speed
up on those still working, which makes 1t pos
sible for them to continue on the two new ships
with very few additional workers.
The General Steel Casting Co., Morgan Con-
Germ. moved its plant from st. Louis few years
ago and in order to prevent competition they
bought I'D and closed down practically every
other steel mill in Chester. This resulted in at
least 5000 workers being laid of; some OF whom
were hired by the General Steel Now they have
about 500 workers working from one to three
days q week and some Of them not even that
much At the same time wages are being Slashed
regularly. Workers who at one time made Slo
a day working for this company, now make 81
and SIS a day when they work full time. In the
chipping department ten workers received So for
9 hour day leaving 90c day for each worker.
In the core department they pay for core boxes
that used to run from $3.50 to 50 at present soc
to 9Oc Cores on singers that were $1.50 now
are made at Csc.
The. General Chemical has in two years cut
its force from 300 to 400 workers. But even this
small force works only from l to days week
one out of two weeks The wages run from
As to 60c an hour.
The Ford plant employed about 5000 workers
Z. wear ago, now only about thousand are en-
ployed who work from a few days to week
out of every 8 weeks. Because Of trouble in the
EMPLOYMENT office at various occasions when
many workers came looking for jobs but could
not find them they changed their method OF en-
ploying new workers In order to apply for
lob at the Ford plant a worker must write
letter to the company. In response to this an
investigator or better said stool pigeon Is sent
to the workers home, who snoops around and if
his report is satisfactory the worker is notified to
come to work which usually means that some
other worker will be laid off. In this manner the
administration is able to find out just how their
workers live, what organizations they belong to,
etc. Ii often happens that worker after re-
ceiving a letter to come to work, he spends car
fare and when he gets there is told that there
is no work for him.
The Wisco Rayon plant in Marcus Hook, one
Of the largest rayon plants in the world, en-