The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-01-17
Some Experiences in A
Metal Shop

metal Shop
| WORK In a metal shop which,
during the war produced bullets
for the air service.
This shop employs mostly women
workers-55 per cent women-most
of them Spanish. The wages in
the shop average $12 a week, but
most get So, including some skilled
workers.
STRENGTHENING
OUR WORK
We tried to strengthen our work
when We came there. First, at our
unit meeting we took up the queS-
ton Of how to become personal
friends with the workers. We
started agitation inside the shop
around the immediate grievances:
low wages, speedup and the ques-
ton of overtime. We visited some
workers in their homes. We had
one article in ,the Daily Worker
during this period, and the article
was pasted up inside the shop; also,
there was distribution from the
outside.
During the election campaign we
had a distribution inside the plant
Of the platform of the Party, in
English and Spanish. During the
period of the Hunger March, non
Party worker collected SO on list
in his department. Workers con-
tributed as high as so and rs cents
for the Hunger March. The total
collection for the March was $40.
AS a result Of that we gained 40
contacts on the Hunger March list.
NOW on the question of the shop
" nucleus and the guidance the
Party gave US: First, the district
did not call us in even once to dis
cusS what we are doing in the shop.
The section only for the last five
weeks has given attention to our
problems. But they paid attention
only by sending representative to
the nucleus. But no work was
carried on from the outside. The
same is true of the union leader
ship. During the entire time the
only leadership given to us by the
union was four or five weeks ago,
when a comrade came down and
tried to help us out.
NO DEPARTMENT NUCLEI
We did not have department
nuclei. We had a joint Y. G. L.
and Party nucleus. We always met
together The comrades of the
nucleus used to come to the union
Office almost daily. We did not
bring forward the Party nor the
Y. G. L. The League and Party
members acted as union members.
We did most Of our work as union
members, with the result that we
recruited only one member into the
Party during the three months,
and that was on the basis of per-
sonal contacts. We picked one Of
the best leaders in that group and
recruited him into the Party. In
our Party units there is no discus
sion on political matters. We had
only one discussion, and that was
on the 18th Anniversary Of the
Russian Revolution, and some dis
cussion on Party organization.
CONDUCT PARTIAL
STRUGGLES-WIN DEMANDS
We conducted some partial strug-
giles in the shop. First, in the -
department, as result Of certain
chemicals used, there was a very
bad odor in the department. The
comrades Immediately raised the
question that they could not work
unnder such conditions. They mo-
biIized the workers in that depart
and we had decided to stop work.
On the basis Of that, all the work.
ers stopped for 10 or Is minutes,
demanding that they stop the use
of that chemical. An hour later
they changed it and the workers
went back to work This was a
result Of sharp struggle. Through
this we recruited eight members
into the union.
ANOTHER struggle was conducted
n on the question of overtime
work The workers said they would
not work overtime unless they were
paid time and a half. They were
also forced to work on holidays
and sometimes on Sundays. The
comrades, together with the other
workers, demanded that on hoh-
days they get at least SO cents
lunch money. The boss refused TO
do anything and the workers quit
an hour and half before the sched-
ule, and the boss had to pay them
for the hour and a half.
There was girl in the shop who
died as result Of an accident. We
Immediately issued leaflet when
the girl was injured The boss
didn't pay any attention to it. We
put UP a union lawyer and doctor
on the job and they told us that
we must have a private nurse for
the girl. When we issued our sec
ond leaflet it was already too late
the worker had died. There was
then a question of modifying the
workers to come to the funeral.
We asked them to come directly to
the union headquarters. Very few
workers responded. The first day
no one came. During the whole
period the Party members did not
respond, with the exception of one
or two. On that day it happened
that a special leafiet was issued
calling the workers to the funeral.
Certain Y. c. L. members were
assigned TO distribute the leaflets.
The comrades OVERSIGHT. and as .