The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-12-08
BY MARGUERITE YOUNG
lpaky WORKER washingtonL Bureaul

tDahy worker washington -bureau1
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6. - zilla
Halves, young revolutionary school
teacher, who is leading hundreds of
southern textile strikers, told me a
story today-one of the clearest and
most complete cases of the betrayal
Of workers under the New Deal that
have yet encountered.
"It's tough how we take 1t at every
turn under the N.R.A,,p shd said,
"but one thing is certain: nothing
could teach us faster that our only
out is the revolutionary way than
the very disillusioning experiences
we're having when We rally around
MIRA. promises"
Decision Legalizes Old Conditions
In her hands was decision by the
Cotton Textile National Industrial
Relations Board. 1t declared the
stake of about 1000 at the Brook
side Cotton Mill in Knoxville, Tenn,
"off." It didn't mention the speed
up and stretch-out that drove the
employees to strike, nor the piece
work wages which actually reduced
the average pre-code wage of SIC to
$40 week, nor union leaders who
were blaeklisted before the strike
began, nor the Ku Klux Kanism that
had terrified the strikers and yet
caused them to close ranks and fight
harder.
1.-THE decision really simply legal
ICES the situation that existed on the
day the strike began" zilla Halves
observed
will the workers accept it?" I
asked. IT notice that the decision
says it is rendered under agreement
OF record by representatives of both
employers and employees
Struck Despite U.T.W. Order
THAT statement is based solely on
the fact that one United Textile CA.
F. of L. Union leader said, before
anyone knew what the decision would
be, that he thought it would be ac-
cepted. The strike was called in the
first place despite United Textile
order not to do it. How many will go
back to work, now, don't know. But
am sure of this-that every one
will realize it is rank betrayal"
The decision is almost identical
with another by the Board, declaring
the strike OF the $500 employees of
the Horse Greek Valley section Of
South Carolina is "off."
Under the Cotton Code
"Brookside employees started Or
ganizing themselves last May" zilla
Halves related. "They asked for a
U.T.W. charter on July Is, just two
days before the cotton code went into
effect. Then the stretch-out started
in every department.. Weayers who
had worked 16 to 20 looms were
jumped to 80 to ~ looms; spinners
who had worked two frames got
three; slasher hands were classified
as helpers and were paid their lower
wages though they continued to do
even more of the same work. The.
actual piece-work wages under the
code were SO reduced that top-weav-
ers who had earned $23 week be-
gan to earn around $14. Those who
had been earning the average Of SIC
couldn't even earn the sl2 minimum
provided by the code-the company
announced it would give them two
dollars because the reduced wage ac-
tuslly came to $40!
by Oct. 8, Brookside was 10 per
cent organized, and had elected floor
committees. An executive committee
was sent to A. L. Emery, agent in
charge for the employers, to demand
that he deal with the floor commit
tees in regard to the stretchout. He
refused. Again on Oct. 10, the COM
mittee went to Emery. He said, We're
operating under the code 100 per
cent and wont even talk about it.
Later the management indicated it
would talk if the employees were or
ganized 100 per cent-but by this
time the organizers were already be-
ing eased out. Fred Laugherty, trea-
surer Of the union, was told his SER
vices were not needed any more. The
whole card room, In which he worked,
struck at once, and Laugherty was
taken back. Three months later the
mill ran his job out'-completed the
work his machine was handling and
stopped operating 1t. The same thing
happened to Ernst Knipe, vice-presi-
AOAAO u VAC t4A4Ol4J clt4A w CLFCt al
other leaders. 1t was then they Of
fered to talk II the employees organ
lied 100 per cent"
Asked to. Help Organization
1t was then J. r. Coope, local
U.TW. organizer, asked zilla Halves
to help organize the mill. She did
IL In addition to her regular Job of
teaching labor economics in the
Highlander Folk School at Mont
eagle, Tenn. At this revolutionary in
stitution on a mountain farm near
Chattanooga, five teachers, headed by
Myles Horton, are instructing about
100 adults and children In the vital
history and outlook of the class
struggle. For laboratory work." these
students actually Join in militant
struggles. One of the students got in
a good deal of this, since she was
actually striking Brookside worker.
Miss Halves, who became a Socialist
Party member at Vassar College, now
directs her own and her students ef-
forts toward specific revolutionary
struggles. and doesn't hesitate to say
chat there's wide sympathy among
them for Communist leadership, al
though the school has no political af-
fi1iatioY