The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-25
Southern
To Stop
NTWU Active
In Plant At
Concord, N. c.
Leaflet on Speed-up
Results in Gains
for Workers
By a Weaver Correspondent


CONCORD, N. C.-In the mill
where I work, in the lapper room,
they are installing automatic
machinery to cut out one man on
both the day and night shifts. But
that was not enough; they had to
go and fire a worker even before
this machinery was installed. The
superintendent said that he saw a
man spit on the floor, so they fired
him.
In the card room since the N.
R. A. there has been speed up;
five frames have been Speeded up
to do the work of six frames. They
are putting more work on the hands
in the card room. In the weave
room the ovcrseer said that they
are getting the same or even more
production in the eight-hour day
than they got in II hours and 20
minutes before the N. r. A.
In the spinning room the spin
ners are speeded up. Some of them
don't make any more than before,
in spite Of the speed up; practically
all are getting the minimum wage
of $12. The doffers are Speeded
up to make more production; yet
the price was cut so that now they
make less than before. This speed
up ruins the health of the young
workers; it is killing the women
in the spinning department and
the young men too.
Work On 80 Looms
I am a weaver. Two years ago
I had 10 looms. We ran from 16
to 18 looms, and made $3.50 to
$685. per day. Since that time
they have stretched us out. First
it was from 18 to % looms, and we
didn't make as much on % looms
as we had on Is. Then it was from
% looms to Is, and now to &c
looms. Still we don't make as much
as we did on 10 looms! They came
back around and gave us another
10 per cent cut. They did give
us 10 per cent raise two weeks
before the N. r. A.
In the weave room there Is g
man called the blow-off man, who
comes around with a torch anc
blows the lint off the machines
He is making % cents an hour;
about $18 each two weeks pay, and
before, he made $23 each two
weeks. At his job he is likely tt
blow out shuttle that will xii
him, or maybe a weaver.
Before the code in the cloth
room, where the cloth is inspected
the hands averaged not under ST.
week, and some got as high az
$18 to $40. After the code what
happened? There was no speed
up; instead they cut the speed or
the frames in the cloth room. This
was because after the code the
weavers are supposed to make
better cloth on 30 looms each thar
when they had 18 looms, and the
speed of the cloth room frames
was cut so the hands would be able
to inspect the cloth closer. This
resulted in more docking of the
weavers, because the mill docks
for every little thing.
N. T. w. U. Active
We have a local of the N. T. w
u, and are coming along right
splendid. We have our charter now
and are bringing in one or two
new members a week. 1t is oul
intention in the next three months
to have so members in our mil
local, including some Negro work.
ers. The A. F. L. union, the U. T
W., tells the workers when they
ask about bringing in Negro work
ers, Organize the whites first anc
then we will study about the Ne
gro workers" We are going tt
bring the Negro workers into thu
N. T. w. U. We are intending tt
have a shop paper. We also have
some of the Labor Unity goins
around, which is doing good work
In the Locke mill we put out {
leaflet against the stretch-out from
10 to 20 looms, the elimination o.
safety hazard, and the bad light.
ing system which was the worst il
town. We had connections in thi
mill and got the leaflets out, anc
all the demands were granted. VIZ
haven't a local there so far, bu
we are working hard. After thi
happened at the Locke mill on
of the A. F. LIS leaders wen
around and began talking how TIN
A. F. L. was doing things for thu
workers. He was exposed, and be-
fore his own members had to admi
that it was the N. T. w. U. anc
not the U. T. w. that put out this
lea1et.