McLaughlin Plant Not Doing Well

LOS ANGELES, CALIF.

By J. M. Price

I cannot tell whether or not our readers are interested in the news I am furnishing from the land of few jobs and plenty of climate. This is being written on ground hog day, which we used to always look forward to back east but it doesn't mean a thing out here for you can always see your shadow. However, if some of us don't get some work pretty soon we will not be able to make a shadow.

Since my last letter misfortune has overtaken quite a few of our members as the Mission Glass Company at Burbank closed a few weeks before Christmas with the expectation of starting about January 15th but that date has passed and from all the information I could gather at our meeting Saturday, February 1st, the manager could not tell me when they would start.

The Crystalite at Glendale was down for a while but is again in operation with one shop. The new factory at Glendale making milk bottles has been working very steady operating three shifts. They must have lots of business as they requested permission from the G. B. B. A., to work on Sunday which I might say was apparently gladly given. It seems as though that this is a little bit inconsistent when we are all in the fight for a five day week.

The Technical Glass Company has been working a division of time while the Brock Glass Company at Santa Ana, I understand is still working full time.

At the McLaughlin plant things have been very bad for the paste mould shop and the press shop has not been getting very good time. But things have a brighter outlook as they are rebuilding the continuous tank in which they make crystal.

Oh yes, we have another factory started in Santa Ana. I have not been able to pay them a visit yet so will tell you all about it in my next letter. That is if some kind brother drops around and takes me over.

Joe Rohan, our executive officer out here, has left the trade flat on its back and is now working in a movie so you folks back East may have the pleasure some day of saying, "there is a movie star that used to be a flint."

Eddie Stypes is working in Santa Ana and it looks like Ed has come back to stay. Albert Swerer, one of the Lancaster, Ohio boys is doing well here. Albert and I were both sorry to hear of the tough breaks Brother Claude Dale was getting. There was a brother who was always willing to give his time and energy for the benefit of his fellowmen, never shirked whatever duty he was asked to perform and always holding some official duty in the local union and putting his heart and soul in his work. He was honest and a hundred percent union man and it is a sad blow to our organization to lose such workers in our battle to better the conditions of the working class of people.

I am going to try to get the names of all the members of Local Union No. 141 for my next letter. I hope at that time conditions will be better in the factories. Some of you may have noticed the fight on the Mexican emigration bill. The fruit growers claim they must have that kind of labor. If you could see the conditions they live and work under you might say let them have it. I don't want it but here is the catch in it. They get them but don't get to keep them for very long. A few weeks and then they leave for the town or city to compete in the labor market there and I want to assure you that no white man can compete with that kind of labor. There are several large tire plants here now. I don't suppose that cheap labor had anything to do with them locating here. Must have been the climate. That is one thing good about the glass factories here for I don't know of any of them paying less than 50 cents an hour for unskilled labor.

Well brothers, send in your letters to Brother Cook as we out here like to hear from the rest of the trade. Gee, if all the local unions (124 I believe) would happen to send in a letter all at once Brother Cook would have some job.

Just another little baseball story. Jay Andrews with the Topeka Kansas team some years ago playing third base, was having some trouble as old age was creeping upon him. The manager decided to try out a youngster one day so he put Jay on the bench. The game started and the young lad was having a tough time, having kicked two or three ground balls hit at him, finally about the sixth inning a batted ball hit him in the head so here comes Jay off the bench and out to the busher. "Hey, young fellow," said Jay, "gimme that glove and let the old man show you how to play third base. This isn't a game of bravery, it's a game of skill."