The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-27
By JOHN L. sPTyAK

. TULSA, Okla.-The work.
ers themselves have no idea
of how many are in the A. F.
of L. union here, nor how
many locals there actually are,
nor the percentages between the re-
flnery men and the field men. It
was only after talking with Judge
g. Ed. Warren, president Of the
State Federation of Labor, the
Chamber Of Commerce and oil COM
pany officials that I was able to
arrive at figures and percentages.
When I finally laid them before
Judge Warren he admitted that
they were approximately right
which makes me suspect that may
be they are little too high! So
far as Wildcat williams official"
announcement Of his organizations
strength, he gave me a figure of
organizational strength that was
higher than the total number Of oil
workers In the entire State!
But--from the standpoint Of what
happened to them since the de-
preston, the number in the union
at this moment is Of far less inn
portance than the spirit now prev
alent throughout the state: organi-
zation-they want organization and
they are getting very little help
from the A. F. of L. representatives.
An organization renaissance is
going on before their very eyes and
they are doing nothing except to
grant them charters when they
come knocking at the doorl
The workers are hopeful, they
say, I'll st by organizing themselves
they may be able to get a living
wage. AS it is the vast majority
of them who are working are not
earning livingu wage, since most
Of them are getting the minimum
the code requires and the increase
in commodities has not been coun-
ter-balanced by an increase in the
minimum wage for the oil industry.
Food prices have jumped here and
in the oil field areas some Is per
cent in the past four months alone.
The oil code, which has about
800 different operations, does not
specify the minimum wage for the |
various operations. It merely speci-
f1es two operations and then the |
minimum wage. 1t provides gen.
orally that the wage scale for the |
various operations with the excep-
ton Of the two specified shall be
as Of the wage scale paid in July, |
1929. Neither the major nor the
smaller oil companies pay any at
tention to this clause and pay the
overwhelming majority merely the
minimum wage.
THOUGH "oil is smiling again" as
the companies put it. neither
the fields nor the refineries are
working anywhere near capacity.
though the amount Of production
would normally require a greater
number Of employees than is work
ing now. This is due to the en-
forcement of the speed-up system.
whereby those who are working are
doing more work than they used to. !
crowded into the reduced hours.
And as near as I have been able
to ascertain, the companies do not
expect capacity production at any
time in the future which will even
absorb 80 per cent of those who
once worked in the industry. The
workers too, are realizing that they
cannot get jobs and are still drift |
ing back to the land, the factory.
railways, and mines, wherever they
can.
In Tulsa proper, most of the |
crafts are organized, inspired by
the same organizational renaissance
that affected the oil workers. What |
oil does, Tulsa does, and the other
crafts followed the lead as soon as |
the organizational spirit permeated |
the city. The organizational spirit. |
however, is being cooled by the A.
F, OF L. leaders. for though the !
workers are organized and paying |
their dues, their leaders are making |
no moves to better their conditions, |
not such obvious ones even as de- |
manding that the MIRA. codes be |
enforced in that particular craft.
There are some in various unions
here who are bitterly fighting the |
inactive policies of the A. F. of L. |
leaders, who are telling them: THE !
government is behind you. Well |
take it up with the government and