The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-06-05
Increased Wage Is
Now ChiefDemand
OfTextile Workers
National Textile Union
Calls for Strike
Preparations
By ANN BURLAK

BOSTON. Mass.-The N.R.A. or
der for a IS per cent curtailment
in the cotton industry comes on thu
heels of a ruthless speed-up and
wage-cut drive instituted with the
Introduction Of the MIRA. Cotton
Textile Code. Many cotton work
ers are already walking the streets
as result Of the speed-up sys-
tenn. Most workers already work on
2 curtailed week basis, so a strike
against curtailment at this time is
not the main issue with the workers.
The main issue today is the de-
mand for definite increases in
wages.
To those workers who are still
working a full 4o-hour week the new
NR.A. curtailment order offers a
permanent wage cut of rs per cent.
This means that those who are
making $13 will be making only
$9.75 a week. The workers who get
short work week now have lived
in hopes Of making it up during a
rush season. This curtailment
means no rush seasons; it means
s9.75 weekly wage permanently
for most workers.
Large Profits
Meanwhile the cost of living is
not slackening on its climb up
wards. This raises the greatest need
for definite increase in hourly and
piece-rate wages right now. The
manufacturers can certainly afford
10 give wage increases for they are
making larger profits since the
N.R.A. came into existence.
j. P. Coates, big cotton mill in
Rhode Island, made over $1,000
900 net profit in 1893. The Peouot
Mills Of Salem claim to have q sur
plus of $2.70o,00o on hand. Other
cotton mills have made similar
large profits during this year.
N.T.W.U. Demands
On the basis of this condition the
National Textile Workers Union
has issued a call to the New Eng
land and cotton workers, raising the
following demands:
Increased wages lat Least so
cents an hour. mo less than
80 hours a week and 40 weeks
per year. 2-Reduction in the
present speed-up. 4-Recognition
Of rank and file elected Mill Com
mitteeS and the Union Of the
workers own choosing. The call
tells the workers to rally around
these demands for now is the
tir1e to strike.
It is very significant that the
leaders Of the United Textile Work
ers Union "a. F. Of L)-NfcNdahon.
German, Revierc-raised the SLOGAN
OF national strike against the
curtailment." These gentlemen
raised this slogan precisely because
they are afraid that the workers
are already preparing to strike for
HIGHER wages. which is the real is
sue TO-DAY. Then they called the
strike eff and agreed to the cur
tailment without any corresponding
ware increase.
We must not forget that these
heads of the U.T.W. are the very
persons VINO helped to put across
the Sl3 starvation wage level
through the cotton textile code.
They are the very men who at that
time pleaded with the N.R.A. for a
30-hour week stagger plan without
raising the issue of wages at all.
They now try to behead the strike
movement.
The National Textile Workers
Union is the only union that went
to Washington and fought for a
real workers code demanding a
minimum wage Of so cents an hour.
a guarantee of 30 hours per week
and 40 weeks per year, with guar
anteed yearly wage of s72o. The
National Textile Workers Union
places these demands before the
workers again as the expression of
the most vital needs of the cotton
textile workers today
In every cotton center the Ma
tional Textile Workers Union calls
upon the workers to elect rank.