The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-08-19
NEW DEAL IN RED HOOK; WHAT OFFICIAL
CONVENIENTLY TRY TO HIDE

when the loan sharks had taken away
his furniture because he owed the
last few payments, the Council car
ried on such fight that his fur
niture was restored to him. Now he
appealed again to the Unemployed
Council A committee was imme-
diately elected to go with the Reyes
family to demand the So from the
Home Relief Bureau.
Mrs. Dolores
Mrs. Dolores was fortunate enough
to have hung on to her job during
the length of the crisis Of course
there were slack seasons for months
at a time, besides staggering. Ten
per cent was cut from her pay
check like the swift precise strokes
of a butcher carving a carcass.
She had six children. Her hus-
band, Leonardo, had been jobless for
Is months In her factory they had
been working steady for two months
now, SIS hours a week. The boss
wanted to get a lot of work done
cheaply before the new law giving
high wages and less hours to work.
ers, the Mira, would go into effect
The new president. Roosevelt, was
for the working people. Things would
get better. Leonardo would surely
get work now.
Mr.. Shapiro, the superintendent
called a meeting of all the workers
and told them they would all have
to join the union. Mrs. Dolores was
delighted. How clever of the Presi-
dent to get the bosses to insist on
unions! The motion was unanin-
ously passed. Further plans would
be printed and given out on pay
day.
A New Deal Wage Cut
Mrs. Dolores couldn't read English,
so she decided to bring home the i'm
posing printed paper she got on pay
day for Leonardo to read and explain.
She opened her pay envelope, and
found only $3.50 there instead of SIS.
Such a mistake In the office she
finally got the attention of a pert
stenographer, who explained that SO
was take off as initiation fee into
the union, and 10 cents for two
weeks dues.
Mrs. Dolores could not keep back
her angry words. She demanded the
rest of her pay-pleaded that she
must have it. The superintendent saw
that some of the workers were crowd
Ing around Mrs Dolores. Visions CT
a strike crowded into his mind.
Here's your lousy money and gc5
the hell out of here. And that goes
for anyone else who doesn't like It,
Mrs. Dolores felt the red in her
cheeks turn to deathly paleness. The
workers locked at her questioningly.
expectantly. If only Ampara were
here now. She would know what to
do But Ampara was in Porto Rico.
Words choked in her throat. She
walked from the factory; the other
workers followed, slowly.
Our Coed Comrade Ampara
Ampara was member of the Com
munist Party. She had said from the
very first that President Roosevelt
new law would only make it harder
for the workers. Ampara had said:
organize in workers unions. Mrs.
Dolores understood now. Papa Reyes
knew about unionS-he must-wasn'
he a member of the Communist
Party? She would go to him. Perhaps
they would help her go back to the
factory and build workers union.
Papa Reyes introduced her to an
organizer of the Needle Trades Work
ers' Industrial Union and the unit OF
the Communist Party is assisting in
organizing the workers in Mrs. Dol
ores factory.
OF course, everyone will miss the
help that Ampara might have given
She is young Porto Rican girl who
also lived at % P Ave. Her strong
brown eyes and sure fingers made
delicate lace for the dainty satin
underwear of Park Ave. debutantes
If you ever see ticket "hand made
lace on SIS satin panties, please
know that Ampara got IS cents a
piece for this backbreaking labor.
About eight months ago she Joined
the Communist Party She read and
studied, and was always ready to dis
tribute leaflets, or demonstrate or
the docks against the ships that carry
munitions to South America, SO that
workers may slaughter other workers
No amount of urging or cajoline
however, could convince her to b;
chairman at an open air meeting.
She went back to Porto Rico two
months ago.
A few days ago We read in a Porte
Rican revolutionary paper that oul
Ampara was making a successful
speaking tour throughout Porto Rice
and was being acclaimed as leader
of the workers.
Red Hook has it's moments-ane
this was one of them. Steps quicker
and there is a new firmness in theil
tread as we prepare to follow the leac
OF our good Comrade Ampara.