The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-06-14
Illinois Steel Co., in
Lying Letter, Tells
Men Not To Strike
FaIsifies Own Profits
and Attacks Demands
of S. NJ. W. /. u.
BY BILL ANDREWS
DAILY Worker Midwest Bureaul

CHICAGO, June 13-Verballv
turning their pockets inside out and
crying on the workers shoulders
about the hard times for both bosses
and workers, the Illinois Steel Com
pany issued a pleading letter to its
employees on June 5, begging them
not TO strike.
Carefully forgetting the huge
profits piled up by the steeel
trust during the war and postwar
years. G. G. Thorp, president Of
the company stated in the letter
that Illinois Steel lost S78, 000, 900 in
19S1-1933.
He admits that the workers also
had tough time" He states that
out of 225,00O employees in 1929,
only 10000 worked full time in 1892
and 139, 900 part time. He careIessly
let's slip the fact that the N. r. A.
is holding down wages despite the
increase in wage rates. He says:
With business still slack and
the code limits on maximum
hours, WEEKLY EARNINGS are
not up to 1929" (Thorp's en-
phasis).
Raises Red Scare
The usual attacks are contained
in the letter concerning the Steel
and M al Workers Industrial
Union. The union is IAN organiza-
ton frankly affiliated with the
Communist movement" says Thorp,
frantically trying to raise the red
scare against the only militant
union in the industry
The letter states that the Steel
and Metal Workers Industrial
Union. besides presenting demands
similar to those of the Amalga-
mated Association. go further and
demand modification of employ
ment relations which existing eco
nomic and social conditions make
impossible"
This is deliberate misstatement,
since the demands presented by the
S, M. w. I. q. were the same as
those adopted at the A. a. conven-
ton.
After mild criticism of the
Amalgamated Association. which is
part of the A. F. of L., Thorp
writes, mo comment is made with
regard to the Communist union.
Surely it can have no appeal for
the employees Of this company"
my emphasis, B. A.
Steel workers can learn a great
deal from the greater viciousness
of the companies attack on the S.
M. w. I. u, whose appeal" to the
workers is based on a real program
of class struggle. on uncompro-
missing strike action to force the
acceptance of the workers demands.
Not Even a Union
The letter then makes long
dissertation about reforms in the
employee representation plan in OPP
Grafton in the Illinois Steel to pre-
vent real militant unionism. Tt
isn't company union it isn't q
union at all" says Thorp, with
amazing frankness.
He then reels off most unim-
pressive list of company services"
to steel workers, such as home gar
dens where starving laborers could
raise garden truck ton his own fig
ures, each worker who got plot
averaged about half an acre. Farm
experts would be interested to learn
how to support a family on that
much land), employee stock owner
ship, pensions (Which are, in most
cases, neatly avoided by firing of
old workers just before they reach
age Of retirement, and similar de-
vices designed to make workers
loyal and reduce labor turnover.
Thorp ends with an emotional
appeal to workers to remain willing
slaves, to stick with the company,
or, in short, to submit to continue
alton of the present rotten condi-
tons in the mill.
The letter, signed by Thorp, was
approved by w. A. Irwin, President
of the U. S. Steel Corporation.
which controls Illinois steel.