The tribune independent of Michigan., 1935-08-24

During the time when the NRA
was being heralded as the great
machine to increase the wagts OF
American workers. one trusting
Negro mother in New York. who
was finding II hard To support her
daughter on the IS wtek she got
as a domestic wrote Mrs. Franklin
ID. Roosevelt asking II there would
De a code for domestics. Ire First
Lady OF the Land turned the letter
over To an official OF the NRA.
Thlso fficial Informed the Negro
women that there could be no code
FOR domestics. that she must wait
until prosperity came and then no
doubt. her employer would increase
her wages. For. said he. the domes-
tic had such an intimate relation
ship with her employer that she
must only expect her salary to rise
as the income OF her employer in
creased. Meanwhile he did not say
to the woan what she must do TO
keep herself and daughter in decent
surroundings and to keep the child
in school in city the size of New
York on SO week.
No code for domestics, What Is
ore. no relief for domestics as long
as they refuse TO work 20 and so
hours a week for 50 or So. Natural
~ because of the general unemploy-
nfent inthe country there is less
employment for domestics. Because
of heir inadequate salaries there
is no chance OF their saving for old
age A domestic may work through
the hest ycOrs of her life ana then
befcpplanted by a Younger. strong
- woman. just beginning 10 put
On the harniss Of household
slavery. You would expect that
IN It's planning FOR unomployment
insurace and old age pensions
the New Deal government
wcnld think first o! ii ssc Negro
women domesiicc. who have so
little chance to insure themselves
agan Is unemployment and the
Iuselossness of old age ~ SNn-
a part Of their wages. But IN
steal. the Wagner-Lcwis bill for
Social Security excludes house
hold servants from any considera-
tiOn Whatsoever Thus the'Ncw
| Deal" says TO 63 out of every
100 Negro women. Root hog or
die. The government is not In
tended to give you any help
What can be done? obviously
some acton must be taken TO con-
! troll the wages and labor condi-
itions of domestic servants. Negro
women. burdened under such
economic conditions, can hardly
be expected to contribute much to
racial improvement. Their proh-
/ lem is not theirs alone. In n
York and one or two other CEN
ters Negro domestice have begun
to organize themselves into un-
ions and TO bargain collectively
with employers Strong unions
lof domestic workers who will re-
] fuse to work at low standards OF
labor and pay can do much TO inn
proye the situation. Wide publi-
city given TO their plight by friend
lly groups of club women Will also
hclp. Pressure brought on pri-
vate employment agencies to re-
fuse to fiji applications from
household employers who seek TO
offer starvation Wages has also
proved successful means OF inn
proving wages in Brooklyn. New
York.
Bu while these plans arc de-
veloping. pubic groups OF citi-
IONS have duty 10 forcefully i'm
press upon local. state and federal
officials the need for the inclu-
siye of domestic labor In any
plans for social insurance. These
proups should demand for Negro
women adequate relief. no matter
how many three cents an hur Jobs
there may be. They should de-
mand that no government con-
trolled employment agency I'LL
dmestic jobs below scale sum
cient for a decent standard OF Nv
ing. Thty shuld Insist that DO
mestice be prvided for by genuine
unemployment and old age insur-
lance.