The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-07-09
Prepare for Big
Steel Struggles
Seven Recent Strikes Against Wage Cuts; An
Indication of Developing Movement
500 Cut in Living Standard in Past Months;
Metal Workers Prepare for Convention

dication and advance guard of the
mass strikes that are rapidly coming
to ga head, especially in steel.
Tire excellent advances now being
made by the Metal Workers Industrial
League in the Mahoning Valley ter
ritory, especially in. the mills of the
Republic Steel Corporation where
literally hundIeds.,of new members
are being recruited weekly, where the
American high-skilled steel workers
who were so difficult to approach less
than year ago are coming into the
M.WIL. and are carrying forward
the campaign for the new union with
intense energy, indicate that the
union is on the eVe of mass struggles
and mass growth
Preparing FOR Struggle.
The successes Of The MWIL. in the
Mahoning Valley are due to the fact
that the recruiting is being made on
the basis Of preparation for immediate
struggles, AGAINST the wage-cuts part
time work for relief, and against the
crooked mantevetfng of the Amalga-
rlated Association of Iron Steel and
Tin Workers officials who this week
agreed to lower the base rate for ton
mage men in the mills by Is per cent.
This is an open and direct sell-out,
and the M.WIL, anticipating this
move. started preparing for struggle
several months in advance. Especially
the American hfgh-skilled, including
the aristocrats Of the mills-the "rol-
1ers" were finally shorn of their illu-
sions regarding tire A. A. and manv
'key-men" have come into the MWIL
to help build the new union
Similar movements are fast deve-
Looping in the Calumet area of Chi (
cago, II the Pittsburgh district and
down through the steel centers of
southern Ohio and West Virginia.
The revolt of the steel and metal
workers is fast taking on forms of
open struggles. The M.WIL.. in its !
preparations for the national Conven-
ton to be held in Pittsburgh August |
10, IA Is, must Increase in its activity, |
strengthen its activity in the field of /
the unemployed and part-time work i,
ers and on. the basis of series of
planned daily local struggles come to
the fore as the only union of the steel
and metal workers. proving this in
action against the bosses and their
wage-slashing,. their fascist Cox
movements, and their preparations to
drive the working class into a new
world imperialist war.
| With the standard of living Of the
steel workers lowered almost so per
cent in the last eight months through
wage-cuts, speed-up and lay-offs, the
conditions of the young steel workers
4 become even more deplorable. The
constant wage-cuts and part-time
work have especially affected the
lowest paid sections of workers in
the mills including the young steel
workers The widespread policy in the
mills is to give less work to the single
men. In the Jones and Laughlin Steel
Corporation, for example, there is
talk now of laying off all single men.
This has already been carried out in
the mills Of Joh?.ncstown, Youngstown
and others.
When unemployed the situation OF
the youth becomes even worse. No
relief of any kind, is given out to
single men by. the, Steel Cos. or chars
ity organizations. In the J. & L. Co.
where some of the part-time workers
get stale groceries from the company.
single men can't get even that. This
situation is general throughout the
, steel industry. l.. :,
Fight of Youth.
In the recent. months the young
: workers have shoWn their readiness
5 to struggle against the wage-cutting
< starvation policy Of the Steel Trust.
J In the several small spontaneous
strikes against the May is fifteen
per cent wage cut, many young work
ers took active part showing great
militancy and fighting spirit. Out
standing among these, is the strike OF
the 100 Columbia Stamping co. work.
ers there the majority of the strikers
as well as some leaders OF the strike
were young girls. After bitter strug-
gle with the company, under the
leadership of the M.WIL., the fol-
:. lowing demands were won: recogni-
ton of the shop COMMITTEES, REIN
statement of the nine girls fired pre-
vious to the strike. the firing OF the
efficiency EXPERT: and a slight in
crease on piece work for the, dippers.
The Cox movement involving thou
sands Of young steel workers, is an
other proof of tisefact that the young
workers are now, looking for a wdy
out of starvation. Through demagogy
of fake promises, Father Cox sue
ceeded in Recruiting these young
workers into the fascist Blue Shirts.
Because we werevfot fast enough IN
exposing the dernagogy of Father Cox
and because. our union did not active
ly participate and"lead the struggle
'' for the demands of the young u1aeni-
ployed and part-bine steel workers
we are now face to face with grow
:. ing army Of unemployed youth under
the fascist leadership of Father Cox.
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