The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-01-15
BY PETE CHAPA

THOUSANDS Of steel workers in the Pittsburgh
District are suffering from the attacks of the
Steel Trust on their standards OF living On
october over 100000 steel workers in the Pitts
burgh District received direct general wage
cut of 10 per cent. This cut came at time
when over rs per cent OF all steel workers were
working to days per week. Before this direct
cut, the workers we're receiving wage Slashes on
mill basis at different times. The Negro steel
workers are hit hardest Of all
In the period since the october cut this
same policy OF slashing wages on mill basis
has been followed out in this district. On De-
cember l6 the Oliver Steel Company cut wages
10 per cent and put the entire working force on
a 6-hour day, which amounted almost to a rs
per cent cut.
The Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing
Company posted notice announcing 10 per
cent cut for all workers in the plant to go into
effect on January l.
The huge j. q L. works in Pittsburgh are
feeling out" the workers by spreading runors
that there would be another cut, These rumors
we're propogated in the bly, q. S. Steel mills OF
Monessen, McKeesport
The U. S. Department Of Labor statistics for
August revealed that the earnings of steel and
iron workers in June, 1881 were 22.S per cent
less than in June, $780, (steel production in the
Pittsburgh District is only at 70 per cent of
capacity at the present tirne.)
Unemployment Is increasing by leaps and
bounds Thousands Of steel workers and their
families are on the verge Of starvation. In the
Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation employment
office II is not uncommon to witness the wives
with children of steel workers demanding work
for their husbands.
The Government and the Steel Trust are at
tempting to solve unemployment at the expense
OF the part-tine undergrad workers In Ale
gheny County the employers backed by the Gov
eminent worked out program for taking care"
Of the unemployed in their county. The plan
called for the collection Of 100000 to be COL
lected through. contributions from manufacturers
and employees; 100000 Of this fund was TO go
for direct" relief and 100000 for Opening
jobs on public works"
Most Of tho money collected for this fund
has been forcefully taken from the part-time
workers, particularly from the steel workers. The
capitalist press admits that the greater portion
Of the fund was collected from the employees Of
the mills and factories.
Through the mass agitation campaign which
the Metal Workers Industrial League has carried
on against the October wage cut, thousands OF
steel workers learned to know about our Union
New fields of work we're opened for the Metal
Workers Industrial League In this campaign
This is especially true Of the work among the
unemployed steel workers which also helped to
reach the part-time workers in the steel mills
The biggest short coming OF our campaign was
the failure TO firmly establish our Union inside
the mills. We have not paid enough attention
10 the special needs OF the Negro workers is our
shop group work. Our major task at present is
TO build network Of department groups and
mill branches and prepare the workers for strug-
gle against wage-cuts and speed-up, for unem-
ployed relief and insurance and against Jim Grow
laws and courts
The District Committee Of the Metal Workers
Industrial League has adopted a Three Months
Plan Of work for building the organization in
the district The main points in the Plan are
concentration, shop work, and unemployed work.
Six towns have been selected in the district
where our activities will primarily center Out
OF these SIX places, Pittsburgh was selected as
The central point for concentration The mills
for concentration we're also selected for each
town. One or more responsible local organizers
were assigned TO each place.
The outstanding feature Of the plan Is shop
work The plan deals IN detail with the organ
national forms and methods that must be ad-
ss,ted LA crdee b9 GsweSop STRUGGLES OF the sssee
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