The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-12-20
BY CARL REEVE

oa AEAARA A.
NEW YORK The C.W.A., as it
actually works OUT on the job, cuts
wages below the minimum promised
by Roosevelt, discriminates against
many sections of the unemployed,
and fires many of the job without
returning them to relief. The unem-
ployed workers correspondence to the
Daily Worker shows that the C.WA.
workers throughout the country are
bitterly protesting against conditions
imposed upon them by the G. w. A.
The small fraction given jobs have
won better conditions only where an
organized fight Of the workers has
been carried on, these letters show.
Wages Cut BY C.W.A.
A letter fran a C.W.A. worker
from Winter Park, Florida, gives a
typical example of the swindling Of
the workers carried On by the c.
WA. It was clearly stated by the
Federal Civil Works program that
common labor was 70 receive forty
cents, an hour" writes this worker.
with a thirty-hOur week, tOtailing
twelve dollars per week. The first
Saturday we received the pay at
forty cents an hour. The next Sat
urday, with no rotice whatsoever,
we were paid at Tie rate of thirty
cents an hour. The shock to all
employees was great. We were all
in debt.
MANY creditors were angry and
did not believe us when we told
them the government had broken
its own agreement. We owed for
the necessities of life. Every man
received three dollars less, last Sat
urday, than was actually due him.
The failure of the government in
paying the men all Of their pay
has made a let OF trouble for all of
us as well as small merchants who
trusted us.
This letter is signed by "a hard
worker and a good citizen" 1t is
typical of many letters showing the
reduction in wages put through by
Rooseyelt's C,W.A. agents. Another
letter from Lowell, Mass, says, I'VE
we're given jobs as C.WA. workers
digging sewers and installing water
mains, etc, receiving $3.50 for five
days WORK instead of the regular
wages we were getting on the city
relief work."
Their jobs Were Given
The letters OF C.WA. unemployed
workers from all parts Of the coun-
try show that the statement of Roo
sevelt that four million have been
put to work is entirely false. In
every city in the country from five
to ten times as many have registered
for C.W.A. work and very few addi-
tional jobs are now being given out.
The letter from Lowell is typical
Of many reports, The majority of
the regular city relief workers have
been laid eff, the excuse being the
allotment is exhausted. About five
hundred more families are on local
relief rolls than before the C.W.A.
Still Roosevelt and johnson tell us
things are on the upturn and even
tAfJttS5@A ~ land IOQl AGoI Vi Ten
years, We will leave this bad crisis be-
hind forever. What / want to know
is, what arc these II million unem-
ployed people going TO do during the
following four or ten years. Let them
cat cake"
The destitute, drought stricken
farmers Of this county have swelled
in number from 1000 families, to 1900
in the last few weeks, writes an I'M
employed worker from Bemidn, Min
nesota. The promises of putting
hundreds to work have not taken
place. On one project forty workers
were employed and a few days later
&c were fired. There is an Office staff
Of forty and hardly more jobs than
that were given out"
In this city $1,000 have registered
for lob but only 10000 got Jobs out
OF 50009," says a letter from Indian
apolis, Indiana. Where Go they
think the other 10000 are going TO