The daily worker., 1933-09-07
A Yank Udarniki.

lcan came on D0arQ. 1t JuTHeu oub
that he was working as second
mate on one of the Soviet freighters.
He had grown regular Russian
mustache, had got married, and had
kid already. acs
Stanley asked him how he hap
pened to come over to Russia. Inc
man, whose name was jackson,
laughed;
"That's long story. | better
start with four years ago, the time
when l was out of work and broke
in the States. knew nothing of
Russia then, and cared less. One
day, / ran into a demonstration on
Union So. Having nothing else to
do, I listened in. Everybody was
standing and listening quietly, when
all of a sudden the cops started
to bust up the meeting. There were
a lot of dicks with reporters press
tickets in their hats, and one of
them smacked me on the head with
a billy" 'f
Jackson rubbed his skull like he
still felt it., and laughed again.
"That wallop' woke me up. | was
born in the States, and so was my
father, a bridge construction engin-
eer. We both believed that the States
was Gods own country. Well, he
had lost his job, and SO had l. That
wallop plus a lot of pavement
pounding sort of shook these ideas.
started to read radical papers and
attend mere meetings. | heard all
kinds of stories about Russia and
finally decided to see for myself. l
came, and / been here since"
Stanley asked how long he was
/, there. Asking questions was one Of
Stanley's strong points.
I cover three years, and believe
me, at that time things. were tough
er here than, they are now. The
iirst Five Year Plan was just get
ting started then, and believe me, 1t
took plenty Of elbow grease to put
that 'Piatiletka' on wheels. We
worked night and day-I myself lost
twenty-eight pounds in less than a
year. but today Pm udarniki"
"What the hell's that?"
"a shock brigader!' Jackson
pulled out card and showed it
proudly. "That's my certificate as a
shock brigader, and that there is my
Parry. card,zA good worker is ap-
preeiafed insfhis country! Do you
know that the highest honor in the
country-the Order of Lenin-is
givan = the best workers."
THE marll lseked at Jackson, i'm
4 pressed.
"Yee, hers in the Soviet Union,
work is a matter of honor and re-
spect. Sure we get extra wages for
overtime, BONUSES, and all that, but
that doesn't mean half as much to
: a man as the respect that he gets
from his comrades for it. Why the
men on my ship would do anything
for me. because they know I'm al
ways there when / can help"
Stanley asked if he had won any
medals yet. Z Z
'No medals, but was voted a
prize trip to the Black Sea. ! made
that trim twice already-once with
my wife and kid-three months
each time, and with full pay"
Again Gunnaf was incredulous
"Just because you were good
worker?"
'I'm telling you," smiled Jackson
ga good worker in this country is
respected as highly as a doctor OF
professor, and they'll do everything
possible for him. Take me: want
ed my wife to go to a university
she wanted to be a ships architect
and don't you think the union ar
ranged it for me? They sure did
and arranged to have the kid taker
care of in kindergarten, while my
wife studies"
"By.. Christ" exclaimed Stanley
suddenly, "don't that make you mao
as hell, when you think how we get
treated?" ''s''
For a minute nobody spoke. Gun
mar brought Jackson a2cup of cof.
fee. He brushed his mustaches ur
with his finger before drinking anc
asked how things were in the
States. A regular catcall Of misery
followed. % 90
"No jobsl" "Wage cuts.,' :
"Evictions!"- !"-"Beach is lousy with
sailors out Of work"-"Why, yor
read of women cooking cats anc
dogs to live !"-"Yes, and I've seer
them picking old fish -out of gar
bage cans on South Street. ."-"Yes
and I've seen them line up two
blocks long to get nickel from 8
priest who was handing them out
with Gods blessing"
jackson smiled bitterly. Goods
laxv9O
: "Oh," maintained the Professor
conditions are just as bad in other
countries"
..No they amt" contested the
Polack. .s.
Upon which slim asked him: "Dc
YOU know that in Poland, hungry
barefoot children walk the streets
with their mothers, begging fol
food? Do you know that in Polanc
thousands of.sworkers are impris.
oned and tortured for their radica
activities?"
The Polacka defended, himself
"Well, ] didn't only mean Poland"
"All right, take the other coun-
tries. In Germany, the unemployed
SAlAa are cut to the bone, and many
xre compelled to work for a few
cents a day. Or Just for tobacco
money. Over 10000 committed sui.
eide there IN one year. Austria
{, Hungary, Runania,-all practically
bankrupt with the farmers being
reduced to Middle Age serfdom
Take Italy, the model of the Ger.
man fascists: Mussolini himself
stated: cts lucky thing for the
Italian people that they aren't used
. eating more than once : dayl'