The Daily Worker

WAGE SLASHES
FREQUENT FOR
SHOE WORKERS
Need for Organization
Is Great

Much has been written and said
about the slave conditions under
which the shoe workers are exploited. Although the subject is far
from being exhausted we will however
not dwell upon it at the present
time. The facts about the horrible
conditions are after all too well known and the shoe workers
surely do not have to be told about
them.
Within the last few years reduction
on top of reduction has been
made. This has reached a stage
where it is about impossible to earn
a living. Yellow-dog agreements
have been introduced. In many
shops the bosses are demanding security from the workers who in
some cases have to pay several
hundreds of dollars for permission
to work. Many other evils exist
which take too much space to mention. The shoe workers have been
degraded and humiliated.

Vicious Circle.

In order to make up at least part
of the losses caused by the many
cuts in wages, shoe workers are
compelled to work long hours which
only leads to further reductions.
Do you realize that these long hours
not only undermine you physically
and mentally, but also create a
large army of unemployed who are
competing for jobs and which
bosses use as a whip against all
shoe workers?
No one should believe that the
workers have lost their militancy
and will forever put up with the insults and abuses of the bosses.
Shoe Workers! We know that
you are not, you cannot be satisfied
with these miserable conditions. We
know that you are complaining
about your conditions; we know
that you are wishing that something
be done. We also know that by
"something" you know and realize
that the only thing to do, the only
way to combat the greedy appetites
of the bosses, is to organize, to
build a strong union, but instead of
wishing, you must do something to
bring this about.

It Depends on You.

You must realize that if we must
have a union in order to better our
conditions, then it is the shoe workers themselves who will have to
build it. And you sister or brother
shoe worker who may read this letter must ask yourself first before
asking it of others, "What am I
doing towards the organizing of
shoe workers?" You must ask yourself, "Am I doing my share toward
the building of a union?"
If every shoe worker will do this,
if every shoe worker will realize his
duty, it will not take long before
we will have
a
powerful union
through which we will be able to do
away with these miserable conditions.
From recent reports you already
know that through the efforts of
progressive active and militant shoe
workers, a union under the name
Independent Shoe Workers Union
has been organized. This union
earnestly set itself the task of organizing the shoe workers to improve conditions but the success of
its work depends upon you. You
must help, you ought to do your
share, and the first thing that you
should do is to join the Independent
Shoe Workers' Union and strengthen
the forces that are working for a
powerful union through which we
will be able to liberate ourselves
from the present slave conditions.
Start on the road to better prices
and conditions by joining the Independent Shoe Workers' Union of
Greater New York and vicinity.