The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-07
Ore Strikers
Lose Demands
In Settlement
AL Leaders Bargained
OFF Demands; Writers
Probe Terror
By sgd BENSON
Cspee.al to The DaiIy worker

(Spec-zl to the Daily Worker
BIRMINGHAM. Ala, July e.
Two thousand five hundred ore
miners of the Tennessee Coal and
Iron Co. and r. R. Corp. IT. c. -
have gone back to wo-k with a SELL
out agreemnt made by the union
officials
The strong strike, on since May 4,
forced soma concessions in the way
of wage increases Of from three to
five cents an hour for all skilled
work. Ninety per cent of the work.
ers are skilled in some capacity OF
other.
Demands Bargained Away
The basic demands Of the miners
were: Cd Recognition Of the Inter-
national Union of Mill, Mine and
Smelter Workers; % $3.50 daily
basic wage for 7-hour day.
Against the wage differential; 80
for one collective agTeemnt cover
ing the whole ore field; "a equal
rights fo- Negroes.
These demands we-e bargained
away by Lipscomb and company,
leaving the main grievances unset
tied. and conditions as bad as ever.
TIE strikers of the Raimund mine
of the Republic Steel Corp. and the
ore miners of the Sloss- Sheffield
Steel Co., and the Woodward Iron
Co. have not as yet agreed to the
settlement.
Many T. C. I. miners, as well az
those still out, are very much dis
satisfied over the agreemnt, and the
Party is issuing statement for the
miners to reject the agreement and
push forward on rank and file
basis for the basic demands. We
are demanding one collective agree
ment, and are calling on the t. G. I.
miners to consider going on strike
until this agreement has been
reached.
Mass Layoffs in 7. c. I.
The Enby Rail Mill, the Ensby
Blast Furnaces, and the Ensby Open
Hearth Furnaces of the T. C. l. will
be shut down July Is for period
of several months. These plants
employ some 1900 workers at pres
ept, who will be thrown out on the
miserable pity slips" Of the T. c. l.,
which are extracted by the corpo-
ration when the workers are re-
employed, or else thrown on the
grocery relief of the local Welfare
Board.
This mass .layoff comes at the
same time as campaign conducted
by the corporation against the
Communist Party, against the
Amalganlated Association of Iron,
Steel and Tin Workers and for the
company union. The T. G. I. has
issued petitions to the workers, ask
ing them to endorse the corporation
which had taken care of them
while they we're unemployed" AS
one worker put it, they give us
pity slips, but I'd rather get the
welfare grocery relief. At least they
give it to you, while the company
sucks it back when you go back
in the plant"
The delegation of liberal writers
and intellectuals have arrived in the
South and plans are set for them
to investigate the terror, especially
in Birmingham and Atlanta. The
delegation, modified by the Ma
tional Committee for Defense Of
Political Prisoners, is headed by the
wen-known playwright, John How
ard Lawson.
Lawson, who was arrested in
Birmingham last May while report
ing the trial of arrested Commu-
mist leaders, commented on the fact
that his arrest was within 100 yards
of where half dozen of his books
were on display in the Public Lii
brary.
He announced the delegation
would investigate charges made by
the LID that workers were ar
rested, homes raided, Offices broken
up, meetings smashed by the police
with the help of the local fascist
groups, both in Birmingham and
Atlanta.
In addition they visited Angelo
Herndon and requested lower bail
They will visit the Scottsboro boys
and find out why they are still kept
in solitary confinement, and why
young Roy Wright was removed to
Kilby Prison, where the condemned
boys are, instead Of remaining with
those yet untried.
Mass meetings will be held both
in Birmingham and Atlanta to re!
port the results of the investigation
on Thursday and Friday nights re-
spectively.