The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-08-19

ode. The 10000 dye workers
ers. The boss knows that in my dye
house there is a local of the Ma
tional Textile Workers Union. Miss
Cunningham called me up from the
main office near Passaic and said
they didn't want the Weidmann dye
workers to go out on strike. IF
you have to have Il union why do
you go to a red union, she said, why
can't we have a union of our own
inside the dye house where we can
all be friends The only differnce
I can see since the code business
came through is the hours and the
dye workers aren't getting that any,
way. Since the code there are four
shifts at Weidmann's beginning at
different times, instead OF the two
shifts we had before. We really
work an extra half hour because at
lunch period we have to mind each
others frames and don't get paid
extra. We want a strike and are
going to demand sixty cents an
hour
Many Strikes Occurring
Many strikes in dye houses and
weaving mills are taking place now
and show why the code was forced
to propose an increase in the piece
rate, at the same time, however, re-
ducing hours which cut down the
increases to only about 81 week
at most and in many cases meant
an actual wage cut. The Libert'
shop is now on strike, the A and B
shop is on strike, the Rosenbloom
shop is on strike, all for increased
wages. The large Sun mill is on
strike against the layoff of the en-
tire night shift because several
members of the night shift organ
lied for a strike. The $500 hat band
weavers struck July s and won a
raise. The $500 workers of the Tex
tile Printing and Dyeing Co. struck
and won raise in July.
The mill owners are trying to con-
ceal the market conditions but the
overproduction is becoming generally
known. The owner of one mill de-
scribed conditions as follows: "Be-
fore this Mira I was paying S1.15
a pound for raw silk. After Mira
raw Japanese silk jumped to $3.50
to $2.40 pound. For my woven cloth
was getting is to 10 cents yard
before MIRA went into effect. After
MIRA the price rose to 1898 cents
yard. Then two or three weeks ago
raw silk prices dropped again some
what. Now pay S1.75 a pound for
raw silk and get % cents a yard"
But can't sell my cloth. Look here, u
this employer opened a large safe
ten feet high, and showed it crammed
full of rolls of silk" Of course the
dressmakers' strike in New York has
had temporary effect. But regard
less of this strike, Athe market is
flooded. Under MIRA the mills all
went on two eight hour shifts in
stead of one 10 hour shift. The in
creased production was based or
speculation and hope of a better
ment of the market. If conditions OF
the market do not get better soon ]
will close down my plant. expect
many mills to close down in the
near future. I think the employers
will try to redttce wages to the SIS
minimum where they don't close
down"
This week the merchants and en-
ployers of Patterson held a MIRA
celebration. They had a parade and
organized all their forces to "put
across" the MIRA. But in spite of
the parade and the flag raising at
city hall, the merchants and mill
owners cannot hide wha5 is going on
behind the scenes. Many workers are
complaining that the code is being
violated and that they are getting
less than S13 a week or working
more than 8 hours. These complaints
were referred to the Patterson
Chamber of Commerce" by Deputy
Labor Commissioner Roach. These
violations continue patterson News
of August 15.) The big strikes of
May and the constant strikes in in
dividual plants since then have
forced the employers to grant small
increases in wages. These increases
were partly nullified by shorter
hours. These increases have not kept
pace with the increased prices for
necessities which the workers must
pay. The employers will now try to
place the burdens of the crisis on
the workers by mass unemployment
and by reducing wages to the $13
minimum in the code and increased
violations of the code.