The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-06-18
Restaurant at Worlds Fair RObs Mattresses
TOfeneti'S Chain Hired More Than Needed,
To Make Money Out of Initial Charges

a locker in which she could hang
her clothes, and two girls were as
signed to one locker, so that Melted
81 per locker.
They were also told that since
the Fair wouldn't open for another
three weeks, they would have to
work in Toffenetti's various down
town stores. 1t was explained to the
girls that the reason for this was
that the girls would learn their
system, but they would not get paid
for this, but would work for meals
and tips.
Paid $40 Cash
So, according to the above state
ment it cost a girl about $40 cash
before she ever started to work;
that included the money she had
to pay for a pair of black oxford
shoes she had to wear when on
duty. And please note that there
is no mention of the money she
spent on carfare, travelling back and
forth to work and meetings. and
all this happened before she ever
started to work at the place she
was hired for.
The restaurant at the Fair was
to be opened on May 26. The man
ager explained to the girls that on
the first day all the employees at
the World Fair branch were to work
for tips only and were to receive
no wages because they were offering
their services to the general public.
This statement that you are now
going to read concerns the girls
that work nights. This shift starts
at pm. On the day the girls
worked for no wages they worked
three and four hours overtime and
had to work hard. But the next
day it was a different story because
on that day the payroll started and
every hour of work that was put
in Mr.. Toffenetti would have to pay
for, so more than half of the girls
were sent home and were told to
report for work tomorrow
The remaining girls that did work
that night worked till about 1880
and again ore-half of them went
home, SO that was two and one-half
hours they put in with pay, instead
of the six hours promised. So the
remaining girls worked until $50
and were sent home. So they lust
worked four and one-half hours in
stead of six. From $50 until 10
there were just five girls working in
a restaurants that seats 1000 people.
Thus, just five girls worked their
full hours.
Paid Fare for Nothing
Day in and day out these girls
would be sent home and would not
put in an hours work. They were
told that the place wouldn't be
busy tonight, and that they should
come down tomorrow" They kept
about 30 girls and the other girls
spent carefare and weren't allowed
to work at all, so they we're Just
spending their money for nothing.
The next day they came back, and
maybe some of them worked, and
some didn't. The girls that were
persistent about working were al
lowed to work for few hours about
three days week. But the girls
who were afraid to stick up for their
rights worked no more than two
or three hours a week.
The girls were getting more and
more disguised every day. Many of
them were married; others had no
and had to shift for them
selves. One young mother had is
cents when she boarded a car for
work with the high hopes of work.
ms that night. When she arrived
at her destination she was told to
report for work the next day. as
they wouldn't be busy that night.
This poor woman broken down and
cried, and said that she had eight
cents to her name and that seven
cents of this money she would have
to spend for carfare getting home,
and that she had no money to buy
milk for her sick baby. But that
statement didn't have any effect on
the manager, and this woman left
the place sobbing.
So it is apparent that it is the
goal of Mr.. TofTenetti to get these
girls disguised, by sending them
back and forth, SO that finally they
are so beaten that they give up these
jobs, and then more girls are hired,
more costumes bought, and more
lockers paid for, and in that way
Mr.. Toffenetti is making money.
When Mr.. Toff1netti was asked
why he hired SO many girls if he
could not accommodate them he