davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-18

The NJ W. I. U. Immediately
established a strong picket line at
the dock and all ferry entrances
and notified the Norfolk local to
keep a lookout for scabs. A
leaf1et was issued to the unem-
ployed seamen who supported the
strike one hundred per cent.
After two ond a half hours the
mates succeeded in letting so of
the lines and shifted to Norfolk.
The sailors still refused to turn to.
In Norfolk, Shipping Commits
sioner E. L. Posey came aboard and
fired five of the men, but conceded
the demand of $3.50 per month.
OF the seven men that struck,
two were members Of the M. w. I.
u, two were in the I. S. q. and the
other three we're unorganized.
Following the strike, the entire
deck gang. including the new men
endorsed the merger proposals of
the NJ. W. I. U. and raised the
price of a telegram to Victor Olan-
der stating their demand that he
concede to the NJ. W. I. U. pro-
rosals.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-18
Sling Loads Are Boosted
BY Longshore Decision

SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, Jan. IT.
San Francisco 1ongshoremen got the
first major example of the anti
labor character of the Longsho-e-
mems Joint Labor Relations Com
mittee of San Francisco, set up
when the recent strike was settled.
Arbitrator Judge M c. Sloss ruled
that workers must sling fifteen cases
to load in place of the demanded
twelve. The judge also ruled that
the workers should not have come
out on strike at various piers when
disputes arose, but should have
waited for decision of the Long
shoremen's Board.
Judge Sloss, impartial chairman.
has gained the reputation of q
strikebreaker since the big building
trades strike here in 1921, when he
played a prominent role in the open
shop drive.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-18

of $3.50 per month for A. BIS
which scale is provided for in the
agreement with the I, S. o. which
the company signed.
When the ship arrived in New
port News, the deck gang inquired
whether there was an I. S. U. hall
in the port. They were informed
that there was none, and were
directed to the hall of the Marine
Workers Industrial Union. They
presented their grievances there,
and with the support of the NJ. w.
I. U. local decided to strike for the
following demands:
l. A wage scale as provided in the
I, s. U. agreement.
2. Overtime pay of seventy-fve
cents per hour, or one hour off for
s~'ery hour of overtime work.
3. Two ordinary seamen to re-
place the deck boys.
4. Three dollars pay for stand
by in Manchester Canal each way)
5. No more than an eight-hour
day in port.
s. No unnecessary work on Sun
days.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-18
Hits Ci1nbel's
Employment
Sale BallyhOO
BY a Worker Correspondent


NEW YORK.-Amid the fanfare
that accompanies the greatly her
aided and widely advertised Gimbel
January Sale of "American-made
goods to increase employment"
there is a further intensification of
the exploitation of the workers in
this store.
Hypocritically enough, this sale to
increase employment" comes fast
on the heels of the mass lay-offs
that are part of the post-Christmas
routine. The wave that swept many
of the extra help out of their jobs
after the Christmas rush, carried
along in its tide numerous regular
employees, people who had been in
the store for years.
The lying and hypocrisy of the
bosses at Gimbels is now further
revealed in the compulsory leaves of
absence that are imposed on the
regular help. These compulsory
leaves of absence, which are tanta-
mount to a wage-cut and which is
Gimbels pet method of getting
around the meager N. R. A. mini
mum, reveals GimbelS sincerity of
reducing unemployment. TIL e
thinly disguised patriotic slogan Of
their January sale of American
made goods to increase employment"
is so much wool intended for the
eyes of their employees and for
mass public consumption.
A further inconsistency is re-
vealed in the policy of this great
emporium that tells the truth" in
the light of the fact that De-
partment Stores in general have in
Dictated that there was a consider
able increase in the volume of bust
ness during this past Christmas
rush over the preceding holiday
seasons since the depression set in.
Summed up, this means larger
profits for the bosses Of Gimbels
and decreased wages for the hun
dreds of employees.
Already in whispered converse
tions workers are discussing among
themselves the need for getting
together" and doing something"
Many have even looked with long
ing eyes at the struggles of other
Department Store workers, namely,
the militant and heroic strikers at
Klein'S and Ohrbach'S, and COM
mended the activities of these
workers. Undoubtedly, the working
class movement will soon see some
real activity at Gimbels. The
workers at Gimbel's are quickly
learning the role that the bosses
play in cutting their meagre wages
and the need for organization will
dawn upon many of these workers.
The time is coming closer.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-18
1890 Of Telegraph Workers
Discharged by Companies

In other words, almost one third
of all workers normally employed by
the telegraph industry have been
discharged.
A real significant fact to the en-
ployes of the Western Union is that
the supposed protection of the A.
w. U. E. is a snare and delusion.
Whereas, in the Postal Telegraph
without company union only six
teen per cent were discharged, IN
the Western Union thirty-four per
cent were fred. In other words, the
company union helped to hush up
the firing of twice the percentage of
the workers that were fired by Pos
tai.
The mass furloughs continue
amidst the usual silence Of the
high salaried officials of the A. w.
U. E. The merger will mean thou
sands more.
The facts mentioned above are
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-18
Partial Victory Gained by Sailors in Ship Strike
Equal Division.
of Work Need.
ARR. Station.
By a R. R. worker Correspondent

By a r. R. Worker Correspondent
ST. LOUIS, Mo- would like to
report about the lousy conditions
We have down here at the Union
Station.
There is enough surplus mail and
baggage laid up most of the week
and congesting the platform to put
almost the whole three-hour starv-
alton shift on full time. The least
that could be done, considering the
poor conditions of these extra men,
would be to give them a chance
at putting in few full days a
week, cleaning up this stuff that
chokes the platform all the time.
Instead Of this, what does the
company do? It prefers to have
bunch of regular men clean up
this mail or baggage at time and
a half rates. 1t seems kind of funny
to me that the three-hour men
are not given a chance. BY so do
ing, the company would save money,
and surely they are always hungry
for profits.
I suppose it's the old game OF
divide and rule, playing off one
section of the workers against an
other. The other Sunday they had
a big gang of men working but
not one three-hour man could be
seen. Naturally, our brothers on
the starvation shift must be upset
about this and must think us
bunch Of pikerS.
I know that most of the brothers
don't like the idea. OF course, too
many of us have large families and
struggle to make ends meet, this
overtime work is tempting. But
proper regard for our brothers
should make us see that they are
suffering much greater hardships
that we, the regulars.
However, it is necessary for us
to take a proper attitude in the
union on this question. Because
scab foremen like Gunther and
other slave drivers have a big say
in the union such vital questions
are never taken up.
I want to appeal to all the men
to discuss these questions, and
take a definite stand on them in
the union.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-18
Bares Lies
Of Company
Union Paper

BY r. R. Worker Correspondent
NEW YORK.-Two weeks ago
the Company Union at the Morris
Park Shops passed out a lousy
sheet called, THE Railroad Shop
Man." Now this paper didn't just
come from the sky. 1t was issued
as a drug to deaden our senses
against the good work of the Com
munist Party in the shops.
What does this sheet tell us?
First, that prosperity is here-or
coming. Second, that "justice must
dominate if we are patient. Third,
that the Company Union is a
means of getting representation in
OUR COMPANY" Fourth, that
only by organizing in the company
union (Which calls itself Brother
hood of Railroad Crafts of Amer
ca) can we get better conditions.
Not a word about the 40 who
were suddenly furloughed, not a
word about unemployment insur-
ance, is to be found there. What
else are we interested in If not
in these things? SOME PAPER
FOR US.
First as to what they say. AS
to prosperity-aSk the 40 who were
given the gate They'll tell us more
about prosperity than Charlie Robb
and the crook, T. H. Davis, can
tell us from their soft offices in the
Penn. Second, "Justice will domi-
nate" if we don't organize into a
ratty outfit like this Company
Union. Third, about representation,
we don't want representation in the
company. Workers and bosses can't
play ball together, and if the work
ers have anything left on their
ball." there will be a screw-ball on
the bosses pitch. Then it's not
"our company" yet. Fourth, they
lie. Only by uniting in the A. F.
of L., under the leadership of the
rank and file can we win anything.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-18
Ten-HOurW W ait
For Shape-up
OnFruitDOcks

By Marine Worker Correspondent
NEW YORK.-How long are we
men on the United Fruit going to
let the company treat us like cat
tie? They keep us waiting outside
for the shape-up like we were
horses ready to have the saddle and
harness put on us whenever the
bosses damn we'll feel like it.
Look what happened last Sun
day. We we're told to shape for
an orange ship at I a. m. After
waiting till 1890 we were told that
the ship would be in at IL a. m.
She did not dock till noon and
we did not start work till l p. m.
In other words we waited six
hours for nothing. But that isn't
all. At $50 there was another
shape up. These fellows got in
three hours, but they had to WAIT
TEN HOURS IN ORDER TO GET
SHAPED.
The men on the United Fruit
must start organizing to do away
with these conditions. We must
organize a local of the Interna-
tional Longshoremen's Association
and see to it that it is run by the
membership.
At present we should demand
that the company pay workers who
are hired half wages for waiting
time. We should demand that they
give us the correct time for shsp-
ing up.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-18
Telegraphists
In Chicago
Organizing
By a Telegraph Worker Correspon-
dent

By Telegraph Worker Correspon-
dent
CHICAGO, lii certainly want
to compliment my fellow workers
writing from New York to the Daily
Worker, especially the Jan. 4th ar
ticle. We have the same working
conditions here at Chicago and like
our eastern worker we worked like
mad all during Xmas holidays only
to be bawled out by our super
visors for not being able to do more.
We workers here are open to
some form of organization other
than the company union with its
hand picked officials. The Office
Workers Union has been making
some progress here among the
Western Union workers but slowed
up during the holidays.
We telegraph workers at the main
Office have received only very
limited number of copies of the
preamble, statement of structure
and principles for which the Office
Workers Union stands and if the
organizers will see to it that we ex-
plotted workers, including the mes
sengels, many who I know will Join
The union
I hope you will find space in the
Daily Worker to publish this letter
so my fellow workers in the east
will know we workers in the west
are in the same frame of mind re-
garding the manner in which we
are treated by the bosses
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-18
Constipation in Infants

T. S. writes: MY little fellow,
four months old, has been suffering
severely from constipation. The
bowel movements he does have are
accompanied by much straining
Twice spots of blood have appeared
with the stool. I have triel to re-
lieve him with milk of magnesia,
but as soon as I have stopped the
physic the same condition recurs.
His diet consists of 10 OF. of water.
Is o. of milk and 6 tablespoons OF
DeStri-Maltos No. 3, 5 feelings. 7
OF. each; and a half OF. of orange
Juice or 2 OF. Of prune juice; also
teaspoon of Cod Liver Oil. At
present he weights 16 lbs. IA o. In
general he is lively and looks well.
but of late he finds it difficult to
drink all his milk, usually leaving
over one ounce or so.
Gould you also explain this? ANY
loud noise always seems to startle
the child, sometimes to the point
of making him cry. Is this charac-
teristic of infants or is it possible
that this is an inherited trait,
since the mother is sensitive to
noise and particularly during preg-
nancy was easily upset"
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-18
Paper Praises
LabOr-Hating
St. Louis Judge
BY a Worker Correspondent

ny a WV NIL OOAACGPOAAAShb
ST. LOUIS, MOI am sending
you an article published in the st.
Louis Argus, congratuating and
thanking Judge James P. Finnegan
for appointing one Negro as one Of
his assistants.
The Argus knows that this good
Judge Finnegan is the same Judge
that fined a Negro worker $500 and
sentenced him to six months in the
workhouse for wanting to take
starving people to see the mayor
and the Board of Aldermen to state
their grievances.
The police refused to admit them
to see the mayor, only allowing a
small group to go in. The leaders
Of the group started to the chair
man of the meeting that was being
held in front of the City Hall. I'm
mediately the police began clubbing,
pushing and beating the workers.
One policeman ran to the speakers
stand and pushed it over in order
to keep the committee from making
a report to the workers.
Mr.. Mitchell of the Argus knows
good and we'll that two Negroes
Of his own race were brutally beaten
up by the police to the point where
they had to be taken to the hospital.
At the same time I am certain
that Mr. Mitchell or some of his
assistants were in court the day
that Judge Finnegan assisted the
police in framing up the workers
and handing out $500 fines and six
month sentences in the workhouSe.
I was at the City Hall and the
court, so I know what I am talking
about So as a Negro worker I pro-
test against such traitors to the
Negro people.
1 also enclose an article from the
same paper on the Pacific Move
ment of the Eastern World. Inc.
praising 1t as great organization,
as a society for the DEVELOPMENT
OF "our own" I wonder what they
mean by "our own"
Another thing I would like to
know from the editors of the Argus,
Why is it that out Of all my read
ing OF the Argus, I have never seen
where they congratulate the LID.
or say that it is a great organiza-
tion?"
What does the Argus do? 1t writes
as little as possible about the Scots
boro case. While the LID. is an or
ganization Of both Negro and white
fighting and struggling to save the
Scottsboro boys and for the rights
of the Negro people.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-18

him and a policeman who said that
he was nowhere near the alleged
attack and succeeded in tangling
himself in such maze of contra
dictory statements that in less than
Is minutes the case was thrown out
of court.
I. S. U. Moves
As though anticipating an in
creased volume of union traffic the
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-18
NOTE

We publish every Friday letters
from workers in the transporta-
ton and communication indus
tries; marine, railroad, trucking.
traction. telegraph, telephone, etc.
We urge workers in these indus
tries to write us Of their conditions
and efforts to organize. Please
get theee letters TO us by Tuesday
Of each week.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-18
Bananas Kept Warm
AS LOngshOremen Are
Left Out in the Cold
By a Marine Worker COrrespOn-
dent

By a Marine Worker COrrespOn-
dent
NEW YORK. - I am not a
Communist myself. I voted for
the Democrats in the last cleo
ton. But, I think you people are
trying to do the right thing by
fighting for better conditions.
For instance one thing about
the waiting room on Pier Z N. r.
of the United Fruit Company.
This room is about twenty by
forty feet, and sometimes as
many as seventy-five men are
crowded into it. The room is
filthy and has a bad smell. On
cold days the room is too cold TO
stay in.
Now, what would like to
know is this-isn't it strange that
the Company is so careful to
keep the bananas from freezing,
but it doesn't care at all if the
men freeze or get sick?
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-18
In THE HOME
Letters About Two Women
BY ANN BARTON

Dear Comrade Barton.
Did you ever, while sitting and
listening to the radio, feel like get
ting up and splitting in the face
of the speaker?
We'll, I felt that way tonight
while Mrs. Courtlandt Nicoll, So
cial worker, was speaking on the
Child Labor Amendment. :"
Do you know she said, what
it would mean if child labor were
absolutely abolished? 1t would
mean that a seventeen or an
eighteen year old child would be
prohibited by the Government to
assist her parents in any way; she
would not be able to help with
dishes in the house;-a seventeen
or eighteen year old child would
not be able to work her way
through college!'
"She said, This would be Com
munism!' She did not speak of
the children of the age of ten who
work in the canneries. would
like to point out to her, where right
under her nose, in New Jersey,
children of twelve and thirteen
years of age were Shaving, in even
the so called prosperity years
around 1926. But she concentrated
her whole attack against the Com
munists, who are fighting child
labor. 4.
81 would like to ask a favor Of
you. Will you please ask Comrade
Ramsey if science is on the way
towards inventing a radio where
the listeners may express to the
speakers what they feel? The work
erS would find such a radio very
useful. The lady in question might
not be able to finish such speech
so comfortably. +. Rae Beale."
(Comrade Ramsey says he'll look
into the matter)
| Inc 1OllOWlng is a letter from an
organizer among the steel workers
in Youngstown, Ohio:
Dear Comrade:
when the Communist candidate
for Sheriff of Mahoning County in
the recent elections, first came into
the working class movement, about
ten months ago, he was continue
ally held back from activity by his
wife, who was a Democratic pre-
cinct committee woman.
"He discussed things with her,
and after a while she became less
antagcnistic, and later than that
became active in the International
Workers Order. At the final meet
ing of the election campaign, which
was addressed by Earl Browder,
this woman was one of the first to
raise her hand in response to the
appeal for new members to the
Communist Party. Called to the
platform, she delivered a splendid,
straight from the heart talk ex-
planning her rocky path towards
the revolutionary movement. Her
speech was high point in the
meeting.
Now, at the Lenin Memorial
meeting which takes place in
youngstown, Saturday, January 18th,
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-18
Forced Labor Plan Makes
No Allowance for Illness
BY a Marine Worker Correspon-
dent

By Marine Worker COrrespon-
dent
BALTIMORE, NId-It is officially
admitted here that less than 40 sea-
men are in this port as a result Of a
forced labor" announcement fol-
lowing close on the Xmas holidays.
OF the men here few have been
allowed to escape the forced labor
plan. Those who have excused
themselves in the past on individual
hospital preteXts are now herded
into the projects and fed a special
soft diet. 1t is said that the forced
labor plan is to apply to all ports
on the American seaboard and the
local committees elected to devise
ways and means to combat it are
establishing an interchange of COM
munications with other ports pre-
paratory to initiating mass action
against forced labor. 1t is planned
to synchronize activities so that all
ports can act at once. A committee
elected at meeting yesterday we're
to address the Baltimore Executive
Labor Council in an effort to enlist
their support in the fight against
forced labor for seamen. The ad-
dress was postponed till next week.
Merger Proposals
Early in the week Drummond,
local M w. I. U. secretary led a
delegation over to the I. S. U. hall
to offer proposals of merging the
two unions. The delegation was
elected from the floor of the NJ. W.
l. U. after the entire body of as
sembled seGmen approved the pro-
posed action Members of the com
mittee, headed by Drummond, rep
resented both major organiza lions
and the unorganized sean1en here
who expressed a great desire that
UNITY should exist in the Marine
Industry. The I. S. U. officials,
however, refused to entertain this
committee. So the I. S. U. rank and
file is being appealed to to force the
merger.
The local Unemployed Council is
also carrying on a campaign urging
the I. S. U. rank and file to bring
an official I. S. U. reversal of their
declared policy of exclusion of GER
tain militant seamen.
M. W. !. q. Men on Trial
-Four members OF the M. w. I. u.
went on trial, early in the week, TO
face charges ranging from simple
trespassing to assault and battery
on the I. S. U. delegate named
HUMPHREYS. These charges grew out
Of an alleged attack on HUMPHREYS
by these men. The four seamen
contended that they only defended
themselves in an attack planned
and carried out by Hung lies and
his henchmen.
During the trial the Judge eau
toned the seamen that if they were
ever brought before him again on
similar charges they would meet
with severe punishment; he specif-
cally indicated HUMPHREYS at this
point and warned him that Strong
arm" tactics would not be tolerated
by him for any reason whatever.
HUMPHREYS admitted on the stand
that he was responsible for the
statement that he would organize
this port by terror if necessary"
He introduced as witnesses a
dock Waterman who declared that
the men were total strangers to
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-18
Boss Upbraids Workers
For Adm g Girl Who
Faints on Mangle Floor
By a Laundry Worker Cor
Sp0ndent

NEW YORK.-Msy I first ex-
press my gratitude to the Laundry
Workers Industrial Union for it's
endeavors to organize a union. for
better working conditions. and may
at the same time offer my serv-
ices in that struggle.
The workers of the Cascade
Laundry, which employs about 1000
workers are working under deplor-
able conditions.
I would like to cite one instance
that has always been deeply rooted
in my mind 1t was during the hot
summer days of last year when
girls on the mangle floor would
faint every now and then while
working on their feet all day beside
the furnace which is called a
mangle.
One of the bosses happened to be
around at the time in which one
of these frequent incidents took
place. On noticing that two work
ers bent over to aid the victim, he
exclaimed, Hey you, what do you
think this is? Get back to work."
I could relate more incidents of
a different nature, but suffice it to
say that we need workers union.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1935-01-18

contained, buried in lot of other
material, in the Telegraph World Of
December, 1884.
This summary should strip off
the mask Of the A. w. U. E. and
reveal its true hideous nature to
every Western Union employee.
Smash the company union and
join the only independent union,
the United Telegraphists of Amer
lea, before the merger is consum-
mated