The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-04-10
Jobs Decline
At Republic
Steel Plant
Stagger Plan Used by
Company for Great
Discrimination
By Steel Worker Correspondent


YOUNGSTOWN. Ohio. - TIL e
open hearth department of Re
public Steel was cut down from Is
furnaces in operation to 6 recently.
Quite a few new workers have been
hired, and the work is so much
staggered" that many are getting
only one day a week-and quite
often, in the case of the new men,
the one day that they work falls on
Sunday.
Every day hundred of workers
come out for work and are sent
back home. Some are forced to
report twice and even three times
day. If they don't come out, and
the boss notices that they're not
there, he calls their check number
to work that turn, and then lays
them off for a week or so for not
being there.
The bricklaying department is
subject to call by telephone at any
time of the day or night, some
times being called out for only a
few hours and told to go home at
8 or 4 o'clock in the morning, when
no street cars or buses are running.
This system makes it possible for
great discrimination, with some
men working steady and others
getting only a day or so a month.
The men are demanding equal
division of work and the S. M. w.
I. U. local demands weekly Post
ing of Working Schedules" and also
guarantee of at least one half days
pay when called to work"
The bar mill has been working 50
unsteadily that employees in that
department. of 20 years standing
have made as low as $40 for the
last two years. One worker figured
SIP for 1892 and $131 for 1888.
The electric weld min was COM
pletely idle for weeks. All depart
ments operate with practically
skeleton crews, with one man doing
the work that 2, 8 and 4 men used
to do.
A leaflet issued by the Steel Me-
tai Workers Industrial Union local
to the Open Hearth department on
the filthy No. toilet forced the
company to clean up the toilet bit
and give the men lights in the
toilet at night. The S. M. w. I. U.
Is issuing another leaflet to this de-
partment demanding that the COM
pany fix the broken water pipes so
the men can get drinking water
without going all the way out to the
gate for it. This way they some
times get sick working In the heat
without water, and sometimes get
sick going outside in the cold when
overheated in order to get water
from the pump-house by the gate.
The Amalgamated Association of
Iron, Steel and Tin Workers signed
up about 300 workers, but the men
have become disguised with the do
nothing" policy of the A. A. and
only 10 or IS attended meetings of
the lodge.
They called mass meeting OF
Bessemer department employees, and
only four workers showed up. A few
days later the capitalist press which
always boosts the A. A. and knocks
the s. M. w. I. u, carried an
nouncement that 100 Bessemer de-
partment workers ION their own
initiative" had applied for member
ship in Bessmer department
lodge of the A. A. and the lodge had
been formed.
The S. M. w. I. us united front
program for united actions of A. A.,
S. NJ. w. I. U. and unorganized
workers setting up joint committees
in each and all departments has
awakened considerable response
among the Republic workers. Such
a united fighting front is a matter
of absolute necessity if we are able
to win the wages and conditions
that we need.
The S. M. w. I. U. which was
practically sleeping during the win
ter months, has become much more
active inside and around the mill,
and is making progress. 1t is safe
to say that the S. M w. I. U. has
considerably more actual member
ship in the Republic than the A. A.
Build the fighting union of the
rank and file strong in Republic.
Join the Steel and Metal Workers
Industrial Union. Form joint &C
ton committees (of A. A. men,
S. M. w. I. U. men and unorganized
workers. in every department to
fight against every grievance and
for higher wages and better con-