The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-01-19
Workers Write to Daily
of Racketeering AFL
Local Officials

To Editor Of the Daily Worker,
Dear Sir:
am a member Of the Metallic
Lather's Union, Local Al, 76th st. and
Third Ave, New York City. I am
working on the C.W.A. relief work
and for every day 1 work my union
makes me pay of my wages to pay
the delegates wages which are SIPS
a week.
don't think 1t is fair, as I am
nearly two years behind in my does
and have a family to support; and
my own dues are mounting up and
must be paid soon or eventually /
will be suspended from the union.
Our constitution states member
cannot be assessed more than his
| dues for any one month, which is
$3.50. If we complain the union guer-
rillaS will beat us up. There is no &C
count kept of the money. Tt is taken
from the men. Every delegate for
himself.
VIM you kindly investigate and see
what can be done to relieve this con-
dition.
A Union Member.
P. S.--All men outside Of relief.
working, are also made to pay: that
is, men employed on building con-
| struction.
In the Waters Union
To Editor Of Daily Worker,
Dear Sir:
We read your paper every day now
and find it in every respect extraor-
binary good. Just the paper we
needed 50 long, us workers. It can't
be beat. The E. C. C. I. has got the
right stuff and idea.
I follow the racketeers' expose in
your paper, especially the walters
racket, on account Of my line. You
tell exactly the truth, as I belong to
a local Of the International Alliance
affiliated with the A. F. of L. It's a
blood-sucking local union. But what
can you do about it. They got the
jobs and If you don't pay you don't
work and starYe.
You do not write enough about the
walters and what we make in tips
after we work for almost nothing,
and after paying the union, the graft
to the officials of the union, the
headwaiters, the captains, the bus
boys and now the food, all from the
| few tips we make a day. It's dogs
life, worse than that, and the clothes,
uniforms we have to buy, to keep them
clean and neat as the bosses want
us, all from few tips, and if we
dare complain we get kicked out on
the spot and put on the blacklist
no more work.
The employment agencies take So
and $40 fees for one weeks work. We
work one week and we get fired so
the agency can send another man,
taking another fee, as the law in the
receipt says after a week the fee il
forfeited, and so they split the fee
I presume, with the employing head
waiter or manager.
Two months ago the Paris Employ
ment Agency on Sixth Ave. adver-
tised in the New York American, the
Hearst paper, as you know, for 100
walters for high-class restaurant
When several of us walters applied
for the job, the manager told US con
fidentially he wanted his fee OF SIT
for promising the Job at IS a week
for while he should charge $3.50, II
per cent according to the law, 10
per cent for one months work, and
what else
We were supposed to pay the pro.
prietor Of the restaurant $3.50 to OBJ
tain the job. A few of us understood
the racket and politely told him we
would be back. I do not know 4
anyone did pay the amount or not
This Is true, as you can look up the
editions of the American between the
first to the fifth Of November. ]
thought I'd write you then, but
passed it. A VICTIM.