The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-04-12
New Wage-CutS
Hitting Workers
in Metal Shop
Metal Workers League
Prepares Struggles

During the past week the attack
OF the bosses against the wages oil
the metal workers in New York Dis
trict has taken a new and most Vi
oious turn, This new campaign of
wage cuts is hitting all workers in
practically every section of the in
dustry, from machine shops and wire
mills to light-metaI novelty plants.
The Metal Workers Industrial League
is on the job issuing leaflets and
forming contacts with the workers in
some of the shops.
The Anaconda Wire Company in
Hastings on Hudson reduced the pay
Of the entire crew by ten per cent.
The announcement of the company
stated that the cut would amount to
Approximately ten per cent" The
workers realize that by approximate
ly'' is meant ten per cent, or more,
With emphasis on the MORE
The cut went into effect on the
4th. The committee of the MWIL
inside the shop at once went into
action, issued a leaflet which was
eagerly received by the workers. and
proceeded to build an organization
and make the necessary preparations
to put up a fight for the withdrawal
OF the wage cut. Seeing the mill
tant response Of the workers, the
bosses piled up stock and rushed
through the, most important orders,
fearing that a walkout against the
cut would cripple production and
make it impossible to fill these orders
on schedule. Then a great many
workers, especially in the rod-mill
got a vacation from April to Is.
The Anaconda Wire Co. is a sub
sidiary Of the Anaconda Copper Min
ing Co., which owns ore mines in
Minnesota and wisconsin as, do the
American Brass Corp. and many 9TH
er copper, brass and wire mills in
over dozen cities in as many states
The Premier Metal Etching Co. OF
Long Island put into effect a wage
cut Of ten per cent last Thursday
without previous notice. Upon dis
covering this, group of the work.
ers came down to the Metal Work.
erS Industrial League, where meet
ing was held with them and plans
mapped out for organizing the other
workers to strike for the withdrawal
Of the cut. Judging by the mill
fancy of these workers, we can ex-
pect a struggle in this shop in the
very near future, with great POSSIBLE
tiles Of success.
Another metal shop in Longz Island
the Metropolitan Electrical Co.,
also cut the wages of its crew, num-
bering about 125, by ten per cent.
Here the Metal Workers Industrial
League is securing many contacts
with whom meetings are being ar
ranged in preparation for struggle.
Workers in this shop are paid as low
as So to $12 a week.
A cut of ten per cent also went
into effect on Monday, April IL. in
the Mount Vernon Die Casting Co.,
Mt Vernon, N. Y. Many Of the work.
ers in this plant were making be-
tween soc and ACC an hour. The
company is also disoontinuing the
time and one-half for overtime.
These are not isolated examples of
wage reductions in individual shops,
but are an indication of what is hap
pening throughout the metal indus
try at the present tiine--signalizing
a renewed campaign to drive the
wages of the metal workers, which
in recent months have been cut al
most In half, still lower. The workers
in the industry are ready for organ
isation to resist this attack on their
living conditions land are looking to
the Metal Workers Industrial League
as the only organization that car
give them effective leadership in the
struggle to Improve their conditions
This is proved by the enthusiastic
response to the program and agits-
ton of the MWIL In the shops en-.
numerated above and elsewhere.
The few remaining organizations
OF the A. r. of L. in the metal trades
such as the international Association
Of Machinists and the Molders Tn
ion, because Of their class oollabora
ton non-strike policy, have discred-
tied themselves before the workers
The l.. A. of M. is pretending to car
ry on an Organization drive" among
the n1achinists That the object OF
the so-caalled drive was not to or
ganize these underpaid skilled work
ers was brazenly brought out in a
throwaway issued by this outfit and
distributed In front of many large
shops, wherein it was stated that the
workers should organize so as to be
ready when prosperity returns to de-
mand higher pay. This was further
elaborated upon by one of the chief
nurocrats of the I. A. Of M, by the
name Of Peabody, who openly stated
at a meeting of one of the locals
Of that organization, that he staunch-
ly opposed strikes against wage cuts
Because OF this, and also because
these takers charge $40 for initia-
ton fee, they have completely lost
the confidence of the workers.