A look at the struggle of New York’s Window Cleaners’ Protective Union to get safety and compensation in among the world’s most dangerous jobs.

‘Window Cleaners Fight for Standards’ by Leon Platt from The Daily Worker. Vol. 3 No. 230. October 12, 1926.

NEW YORK, Oct. 10. The yearly agreement between the Window Cleaners’ Protective Union and the Employers’ Association of Window Cleaners expired on September 30. At the same day a general union membership meeting was held with a 100 per cent attendance to discuss the negotiations between the Employers Association and the union.

Among the new demands that the union put forward to the employer were featured a $44 and 44-hour week, instead of $40 and 45 hours as it prevails now. Altho these demands are considered by the window cleaners modest, the employers refused even to discuss them with the labor representatives.

This attitude of the employers, and their constant attempts to break the Window Cleaners’ Union, served as a signal to the workers to strengthen their ranks and resist the offensive of the bosses to lower their standards of living. This was clearly demonstrated at their membership meeting, where all like one man decided to fight for their new demands and union. The challenge of the bosses was met by a declaration of an unanimous general strike, beginning October 1 of all window cleaners in New York City.

The Window Cleaners’ Job.

Not only is the work hard and tiresome, but the danger of it would justify a working week of less than 44 hours. The worker In the other branches of the building trades won a long time ago the demands the window cleaners put up now. The wages of the bricklayers, structural iron workers are $14 to $18 per day while window cleaners, whose work is more dangerous, get only a half of that.

In general, the window cleaners’ job is the most dangerous. The worker has to stand on a space of 5 to 8 inches on the 30th floor and wash the windows. There is nothing that can assure his safety. The belt Is attached to side screws which are often loose and unreliable and are the only things on which the man holds on. As a result of such risky work many window cleaners loose their life and greater numbers are injured and crippled for life.

The Bosses’ Trick.

The window cleaners experienced many struggles with the bosses in their attempts to raise their standards. But since they organized themselves into a union and especially when a militant leadership was put into office, the window cleaners fought bravely their battles and succeeded to improve their conditions.

The employers, seeing that no force can break the determination and solidarity of the workers, attempted to split the ranks of the workers by spreading false rumors about their leadership, with the Intention to confuse and sidetrack the workers. This was speedily and successfully checked at the membership meeting.

The state department of labor, thru its department of mediation and arbitration, offered to arbitrate their dispute with the bosses. But the workers felt that their demands are just and refused arbitration. The bosses took advantage of that and spread rumors among the workers that the union refused to meet them at a conference to negotiate the new demands. This trick and provocation met with complete failure, the solidarity of the workers is now stronger than ever. The fighting spirit of the workers and a militant, honest leadership assures the workers of victory and success in their struggle for better conditions.

The Daily Worker began in 1924 and was published in New York City by the Communist Party US and its predecessor organizations. Among the most long-lasting and important left publications in US history, it had a circulation of 35,000 at its peak. The Daily Worker came from The Ohio Socialist, published by the Left Wing-dominated Socialist Party of Ohio in Cleveland from 1917 to November 1919, when it became became The Toiler, paper of the Communist Labor Party. In December 1921 the above-ground Workers Party of America merged the Toiler with the paper Workers Council to found The Worker, which became The Daily Worker beginning January 13, 1924.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1926/1926-ny/v03-n230-NY-oct-12-1926-DW-LOC.pdf