The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-06
1000 Workers acclaim Call
For General BathlrObe Strike

for the sole crime of organizing
workers. The local fascists will
be forced to uncover their ugly
faces.
Civil Liberties Union Protests
AS soon as they heard about it
the American Civil Liberties Union
despatched q wire to mayor and
police commissioner, under the
signatures Of Roger Baldwin and
A. L. Wirin. "The reported efforts
of the police to drive Boldino from
the city are shocking violations of
his rights as Citizen it said.
IF necessary the A. c. L. U. will
take legal steps to protect the
rights of workers to organize in
South Norwalk."
But the activity of the Union
has already shown some fruit.
Whether in fear Of the spread of
union talk among the workers or
in order to cut the ground from
under the union by forestalling its
demands, the employers have sud-
denly corrected a number of long
standing abuses to which the Bath
robe Industrial Union has called at
tention in leaflets If, however,
they hope to check the spread of
the union thereby, the hope is
shortsighted.
Conditions Among Workers
The bathrobe workers are deter
mined once for all to put an end
to the terrific exploitation of which
they are the victims. All other
means and methods of obtaining
relief have been exhausted. IN
Vulnerable conferences have taken
place with the Code authorities, the
Labor Board, and the bosses. Re-
peated appeals to the Code Auth
GRITTY to amend the code so as to
make some provision for the work
ers were ignored. The N. r. A. has
set afoot a mad scramble among
the manufacturers for the bust
ness that is to be had; workers pay
was cut to the bone. In addition.
other evils have crept in. There
is the so-called cooperative shop,
in which several bosses do some of
the work in order to evade all
regulation. And the N. R. A. has
not even been able to enforce the
meaSly $l3 a week scale! Union
officials have repeatedly called at
tention to brazen infringements of
wage and hour stipuIations. All
they got from the gentlemen of
the N. R. A. was sympathy!
Not that they expected more
from those quarters. The purpose
was rather to convince those that
were still staunch followers of the
Roosevelt-LaGuardia myth that
workers have no stake in it. A
recent strike victory with the
Fisher-Jones Co., the three con-
tracing shops of which were
forced to settle with the Industrial
Union after paying fine of $3.50
and compensating the workers for
time lost, immensely cheered the
workers and convinced them of the
necessity of strike action.
The Bathrobe Workers Industrial
Union presented a list of demands
to the Contractors Association at
a conference on June 21st. They
have worked out a scale which
guarantees to the workers the
semblance of living wage. Speci-
fically, they want a IS hour week.
equal pay for equal work. security
of job with no discrimination equal
division of work, limitation Of con-
tractors and pay for legal holidays.
The strike power is in the hands
of the leaders. And when thew
exercise that power and call the
workers out in battle, they are sure
that the battle lines will include
not only the workers of New York
but those of Connecticut and New
Jersey as well.