The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-11-06
Group Organizations
Urged for Every
Department
By an Auto Worker Correspondent

DEARBORN, MICH. - Inc IeC6I
exposures of the graft by the Ford
Executive Administration in tbs
Daily Worker showed that in every
Department robbery and corruption
were rampant.
These Ford executives were salts
fled to cut the Ford workers wage!
to the barest living margin, to drive
the workers by increasing the speed
of the conveyors' lines from 2 miles
minute to and 81 miles min
ute, which compelled the worker to
do almost twice as much in 8 hours
in 1884 as they did in 1882 and 1888
Furthermore, this cut wages on the
average IS per cent, all to benefit
the Ford Motor Co. They were not
only not content with doing this
but they had to pile it on by COM
polling many Ford workers to give
them money, to buy them whisky, to
buy their jobs, and they have a
general cut in on the many rackets
these Ford officials have engineered
for their personal use.
We now know that these Ford Of
fcials had their country homes re-
modelled and repaired by Ford work.
ers on the company's time, and that
truckloads of cement, lumber, cleo
trical piping and wiring, with all the
necessary fixtures, were taken from
the plant, like all the other mate
rial before mentioned, and done
under the notice and approval OF
the Ford service men.
We know that the Ford workers
have tremendous difficulties to over
come, but they are overcoming them.
We know that in the Spring Up
set Building and the Motor Build
ing 5000 to 1000 workers compelled
these officials to come over with ~
to 5 cents an hour, and there are
innumerable instances where wage
increases and Improvements in
provements in working conditions
have been won with a little organ
ization and concerted action. We are
still a bit distant from what we
know is necessary, before we can
let these Ford officials feel the
power of the Ford workers.
The Ford worker is becoming
aware that they have been fooling
him. At one time, say about 1928
to 1888, the whole plant would have
been flooded with election petitions
from one or the other candidates
of the Republican or Democratic
parties. During this election they
have been conspicous by their alb
sence.
I do not mean to say that no pc
titions we're sent around, but they
were not so many, and you could
notice that they were signed less
readily and refused with more cour-
age. The Ford workers definitely
stated they had had enough of it.
In the general talk you would find
they had made up their mind not
to vote. They had concluded that
between any candidates of the Re-
publicanS or Democrats it would not
make any difference. At least they
would say, it never did before. The
Roosevelt administration and the
New Deal has finished many work
erS' education, so far as the Repub-
licans and Democrats we're con-
cerned.
But when you tell them there are
Communist candidates it is differ
ent. Had they heard of John An
derson, an automobile worker, who
is running for Governor of Mich
igan? Did they know John Pace, an
ex-Ford worker who is running for
U. S. Senator? Did they not think
that demand for "the right of
the workers to organize, to belong
to unions of their own choice. For
unemployment and social insurance
at the expense of the bosses and the
Federal government" were good
things? That demand for cash
relief for unemployed Ford workers
from the Ford Motor Co. pending
Federal unemployment and social
insurance" was not worth register
ing their vote for?
The Ford workers agree that
Clyde Ford, the Republican mayor
of Dearborn when the Ford workers
were shot down, would also be
against the workers as Republican
governor of Michigan. They realize
that as Clyde Ford, while Mayor OF
Dearborn, worked for the interests
OF Henry Ford, he would be better
able to do Henry Ford's work as
Governor, and they quickly decide
it would be bad for them as work
ers.
They have no use either for Le-
viski, the nominee of the Democratic
Party.
The Ford worker is attending the
Communist Party meetings in the
Henry Ford-controlled townships
around and about Dearborn. He is
slowly but surely finding out things
The interest of the Ford worker can
be aroused if we patiently talk to
him. His conditions in the Ford
plant make him receptive.
Let us organize in groups in every
department and be ready to put
forward our demands when the new
model Ford starts production, and
now, let us not forget to vote Com
munist.