As part of a ‘citizens first’ campaign, the City of New York began mass firing of foreign-born workers in its hospitals, discharging over 1400 people to the great detriment of patients and native-born co-workers. Below are a series of articles from the Daily Worker in December, 1932 on the firings, protest meetings, and mass demonstration in support of the fired-workers.

‘Hospital Workers Protest Against Firing of Foreign-Born’ from The Daily Worker. December, 1932.

800 HOSPITAL WORKERS FIRED. December 5, 1932.

Kicked Foreign-Born Out by City

BULLETIN. NEW YORK. The Department of Hospitals has announced that it has fired 800 foreign-born employes. They will be replaced by native-born workers at reduced wages, Commissioner J.G. William Greef announced.

NEW YORK. Twenty-five foreign- born nurses at the Bellevue hospital psychopathic department were notified Saturday that their services would not be required after December 15.

Many of the workers affected have been undergraduates for seven and eight years. Formerly those nurses living outside of the hospital received $125 per month, and those living in the building $90. Now all will get $80 monthly, regardless of where they live. A new requirement to help lay-off both native-born and foreign-born is that each must have at least two years of college besides being a high school graduate.

Nurses in other departments will be notified today either that they are to be laid off or are to receive a cut in pay. Nurses might look at what has happened to general help who have been there a number of years. Many receiving $80 a month were laid off and rehired at $30 per month.

A meeting will be called this week for the nurses to come to and plan resistance to the lay-offs and the wage cuts which the lay-off makes possible by splitting native and foreign-born workers. The nurses should demand no lay-off and wage cuts and hiring of more nurses to stop the terrible strain under which the staff is now working.

At the same time that nurses are being fired, sick workers have been coming to the Daily Worker to tell how they are being turned away or thrown out of beds when they are hardly able to walk, with Bellevue Hospital giving as the reason that there is a lack of facilities.

COPS HELP FIRE FOREIGN BORN. December 16, 1932.

200 Discharged at Bellevue Hospital

NEW YORK. Officials of Bellevue Hospital, a public institution, called in the police today to drive out of their jobs 200 foreign born employes. Hospital heads are discriminating against them, firing them to make room for native born, they say, though there is no particular evidence that many native born are being hired. By this act officials hope to split the native and foreign born and prevent unity for a common fight.

Those discharged include 30 nurses, and many orderlies, that is, they are the lowest paid employes. Many of them have records of long service. The firing is to be completed by Jan. 1.

There is much indignation among all grades of both native and foreign born workers at the hospital.

Three of the cops are stationed in the employes’ dormitory, one is at the main gate and one is in the information office. A sergeant is in charge.

FIGHT ATTACK ON HOSPITAL HELP. December 20, 1932.

Call Mass Meeting to Plan Action

NEW YORK, Dec. 19. Characterizing the discharge of hundreds of foreign-born hospital employees on Dec. 15 as a “cunning scheme to cut the wages of all hospital employees and to cover up speed-up and lay-offs under the sham pretense of ‘citizens first’, the Hospital Workers League is calling a special meeting of all hospital employees at Irving Plaza, 15th St. and Irving Place on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 8 p.m., to formulate plans and organize action against the attack by the city and hospital administration.

Put Forward Demands.

In petition addressed to Hospital Commissioner, J.G. Greef, the Hospital Workers League have already put forward demands around which a mass struggle will be developed. The petition demands: 1. Reinstatement of all dismissed city hospital employees without discrimination against foreign-born; 2. Abolition of the last wage cut; 3. Immediate enactment of an 8-hour day for all hospital employees.

Native-Born Also Hit.

“The campaign of Commissioner Greef serves to terrorize the foreign-born section of hospital workers and will be far-reaching for native employees as well”, declares the petition. That the attack on the foreign-born is directed against all workers was clearly indicated by the words of Greef who said that, “the vacancies will be filled only when absolutely necessary.” Not only will this measure place a heavy additional burden on the already over- worked hospital workers, but will serve at the same time to cut the wages of all the workers.

Hospital Workers Get I.L.D. Support. December 21, 1932.

To Make Joint Fight on Discrimination

NEW YORK. Dec. 20. The International Labor Defense will join forces with the Hospital Workers League in the organization of the protest mass meeting against mass dismissals of foreign-born workers from hospitals to be held at Irving Plaza, 15th St. and Irving Place tonight, Dec. 21, 8 p.m., it was announced by the Council for the Protection of Foreign Born yesterday.

Fight Discrimination

At the same time came news of the resignation of Dr. U.C. Vincent, from the Harlem Hospital, because of flagrant racial discrimination.

These developments mark the mounting wave of protest against attacks on foreign-born, and Negro employees by the administration, which are recognized by all workers, native and foreign-born as an attack on the living standards of all workers.

In outlining the burning issues of the struggle, the Hospital Workers League demands immediate reinstatement of those dismissed, and discontinuance of all forms of discrimination.

Other demands to be raised at the meeting and carried in the campaign I will include the struggle against wage-cuts and enlargement of medical service in view of the growing demands of the destitute masses. Prominent speakers from the Medical and Working class movement will address the meeting. A plan of action for further struggle will be presented at the same time.

Speed-Up Hospital Workers in Mass Lay-off of Foreigners. December 24, 1932.

NEW YORK. Only six hundred of the 1415 ousted alien hospital workers have been reported replaced by citizen workers. Despite demagogic exceptions of workers who had applied for citizenship, these workers were also laid off. The lay-off was announced as a “jobs for Americans” move but has resulted in greater speed-up for the native-born workers and wage-cuts for highly skilled nurses and unskilled hospital help as well.

The Hospital Workers’ League has protested the lay-offs and is working to organize both native-born and foreign-born workers to fight further lay-offs.

PROTEST FIRING OF FOREIGN BORN. December 28, 1932.

Hospital Workers to Demonstrate Thursday

NEW YORK. Hospital workers will gather in mass protest against the wholesale firing of foreign-born workers from city hospitals. The protest mass meeting will be tomorrow at 3 p.m. at the Municipal Building.

A committee of 25 was elected at an enthusiastic well attended protest meeting held at Irving Plaza, Dec. 21. It will go to Commissioner of Hospitals, Greef, with the declaration of that meeting demanding:

1. Reinstatement of all dismissed Hospital employes, without discrimination.

2. Abolition of the last wage cut.

3. Immediate enactment of an eight-hour day rule for all hospital workers.

The demands will be presented, along with a petition signed by thousands of hospital workers to the same effect, while the mass meeting outside Greef’s office backs up the committee.

Hospital Workers Protest Today. December 29, 1932.

Demonstrate Against Firing Foreign Born

NEW YORK. Today at 3 p.m. a committee of the hospital workers of this city will see Commissioner of Hospital Greef and demands no more firing or discrimination against foreign-born workers in that department and reinstatement of the 1,400 already dismissed. They will also demand the eight-hour day and abolition of the last wage-cut.

The committee of 25, elected at a big protest meeting of hospital workers Dec. 21, will have the backing of the masses when they go into Greef’s office. They call on all employed and unemployed hospital

workers to assemble at the Municipal Building today at 3 p.m. for that purpose. Workers of other city departments are invited to come, too.

They will present a petition along the line of the demands above, signed by large numbers of workers in this industry.

PROTEST CUT IN HOSPITAL STAFF. December 30, 1932.

500 in Demonstration Against Dismissals.

NEW YORK. Hundreds of hospital workers supported by members of various working class organizations, protested yesterday at the office of J.G, William Greef, Com- missioner of Hospitals against the discharge of 800 foreign born workers and the intended dismissal of hundreds of others.

At the same time, a delegation representing the Hospital Workers League, and the Council for the Protection of Foreign Born, both located at 799 Broadway, presented a petition to Mr. Greef demanding immediate reinstatement of all discharged workers, abolition of the last wage-cut and an 8-hour day for all hospital employees.

The petition presented by these organizations has the endorsement of several other organizations such as the Federation of Social Service Workers, Independent Pharmacists Union, the International Labor Defense, etc.

The delegation composed of Dorothy Wilkes, who led three other hospital workers, P. Olshen and E.C. Morgan, exposed Greef’s “economy,” wage-cutting program.

“The cut of $1,500,000 in the Hospital Budget and the discharge of the foreign-born workers effects not only the 1,400 who were discharged, but is a blow at the standard of living of all the workers, native-born as well as foreign-born,” declared the committee.

Hits Native Born Too

“A general campaign has been launched against the non-citizen workers in the attempt to mislead those of us who are native-born into the belief that this is being done for our benefit.” The committee pointed out at the same time that the lay-offs were planned long before the idea of victimizing the foreign born was worked out by the city authorities, and that no new additions to the hospital forces are intended by the city.

The alarming growth of deaths among neglected and destitute workers was given as a further reason by the delegates as to why the reduction of the Hospital Budget constitutes a crime against the toiling population.

Greef evasively replied that he agreed with the grievances voiced by the delegation, but could not do anything about it.

The entire delegation replied that the organization of the hospital workers and their sympathizers will be extended in the effort to smash the attack of the City on the hospital workers. A mass meeting of protest will be announced in a few days.