The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-12-27
BY an Agricultural Worker
Correspondent

WINTERHAVEN, Fla.-The Flor
ida Citrus Exchange was shut down
on Dec. II by a strike. The pickers
struck because the exchange cut
their price from Il cents to 10 cents
q box. This was on trees from Is to
IS feet high.
The fruit is frozen and falling
of the trees, and the bosses want
20 take advantage Of this condition
and get all the fruit they can before
the Health Department shuts them
down, because fruit that has been
frozen is poisoned.
A. F. L. Leaders Try to Stem Strike
The strike is the first of its kind
this season in the fruit belt. There
is an A. F. of L. local here and its
leaders have been busy trying to
get the pickers to go back to work
without their demands being met.
So far the members have been able
to hold out without anyone getting
back to work. Yet, there are threats
to lynch all of the leaders, espe-
cially Jack Walker, who was asked
by the members to come and help
them in the strike because he is
known as fighter and the bosses
have been trying to get the men,
bers of the United Citrus Workers
to GUST him, making an offer of
hundred dollars to any member
that Will get Walker and turn him
over to the bosses.
The Polk County officers have
not been called to the strike yet, but
Chief Deputy Bill Mock was there
and was looking for Jack Walker
under orders from j. M. Chapman
the former President of the United
Citrus Workers Union and chief
red-baiter of Polk County. He has
boosted that he knows what became
Of Norman, and that he was the
man to put the finger on Frank
Norman along with Harry Askew Of
Highland City and Katy Farrell of
Haines City.
Boasts of Past Terror
Chapman has repeatedly boosted
before the membership in the local
meetings at Haines City that he
was the one that had Norman
kicked out of the union, and his
man, the gate-keeper at the Polk
Company, has said he knew where
there was a house that was burned
with all the evidence in it regard
ing Norman.
At the last meeting in Haines
City, the United Citrus Workers
officials said that they have the
same organization to get Jack
Walker as got Norman, if they can
catch Walker. At this statement
most of the members got up and
walked out, leaving a few who were
with the chairman, Mr.. Meadows,
the man that made that statement,
This is all of the bunch that has
set out to get all the good fighters
out of the United Citrus Workers
Union. They are kicking out all
those that do not agree with Chap
man, who, although having resigned
as president, is still the dictator in
the union. This chief red-baiter in
Polk County, the officials of the
United Citrus Workers and the A.
F. of L. have all united with the
Polk Company to help keep the
union from kicking at the code
prices. They have kept the people
fooled into thinking that they have
gotten them their wages and have
kept them from being cut to Is
cents an hour by Polk.
Leaflets Expose Chapman
The leaflets that have appeared
on the streets of Haines City lately
have showed this up, and let the
people know what Chapman has
been doing. Now Polk is beginning
to see that Chapman can't keep the
workers fooled, and there is hunt
on for those who are putting