A major lesson learned, the direly exploited caddies at the Miami Beach Golf Club allow the bosses to divide them by race and lose a strike, and their dignity.

‘When Caddies Strike’ by M. Livingston from The Daily Worker. Vol. 7 No. 233. September 27, 1930.

Rich Idlers Exploit Youngsters; Cops, Grafters Work Together, Where Palm Trees Blow

We 120 caddies of different ages, colors, and occupations; Negroes, Mulattoes, Cubans, Spaniards, Indians and whites were thrown together in the evil smelling caddy-pen of the Miami Beach Golf Club.

We were autocratically ruled by Jerry, the caddy master. He was the supreme and only lawgiver of the pen. He did not recognize any “nexts” or any rights.

“If ye don’t like it get out”, was his favorite remark.

He gave a nickname to everyone of the caddies; and everyone had to respond when called by that name. If you objected when he called you, “Ass-head”, you might just as well quit right there and then. For never in all your life, would you see a golf bag again.

The caddy-pen, a square plot of ground, about 20 feet on one side, was surrounded by a high wall excluding the air and the sun. It was next to the barn where the fertilizer was kept, and we were, therefore, continually subjected to the most odoriferous and indescribable smells imaginable.

The pen was divided by an invisible color line into two parts The front part with two benches for the white caddies, the back part with only one bench for the colored caddies. Another idea of Jerry’s.

In the right corner was “Murphy’s altar”, a structure which used to be a billiard table and now was used as a plain craps table.

Every day we sacrificed our dimes and quarters to the god of craps represented by Murphy.

Our days began with the announcement of Murphy:

“Crap game opened”, followed by:

“Fifty cents open”.

“Quarter open”.

“Fifteen cents open”.

Those who were too broke to play craps, amused themselves at the expense of the “goosy” fellows.

We had two such fellow’s. One a tall, very black Negro, “Silver King,” and another a white boy, a half-wit, “Goofy.”

These two were never allowed to rest in peace. They were continually harassed, tickled, scratched, pinched, yelled at.

This is the sort of meanness which ignorance and lack of organized solidarity breeds among downtrodden and miserable workers, until they learn better.

Favoritism of Petty Boss.

Jerry had his own way of sending caddies out. He had his favorite caddies: Scotch and Irish.

These were the first to be sent out. We, “N***s,” “Wops,” “Cubans” and those known as tramps were sent out last.

Moreover, there was again the matter of bags to be gotten. The golfers were divided into two classes. Those that tip and those that don’t. The latter were the so-called Flats, Labs or Joe Labs.

When a caddy was not tipped, he marked on the golfer’s bag “Lab” or “Flat,” so that the next caddy who was unfortunate enough to get that bag should know how to treat the cheap golfer. Of course Jerry’s favorites always got the good bags, while the “black sheep” got the Flats.

The amount paid for one “loop” was one dollar. That meant four hours of walking under the blistering sun for one “Flat.” The most that one of us cheap skates could! make was two loops, and since we each time got a flat, it amounted to two dollars for eight hours work.

Hence we continually stayed on:
—Coffee and toast for breakfast.
—Coffee and cheese sandwich for lunch.
—Coffee, bread and beef stew for supper.

The Revolt.

One morning I and “Jew-boy” came to the caddy pen about six in the morning. We were cold, shivering, and desperately hungry.

The previous night we were obliged to spend in a sand trap on the golf course, as our landlady kicked us out for non-payment of rent and other deadly sins.

The day as usually began with the sending out of favorites. Eight o’clock “Twin,” who just got in, went out with a two-dollar bag.

Eight-thirty. “High Pockets” is out following “Low Pockets.”

Nine o’clock. “Whitey” is sent out.

“Jew-boy” lost his temper.

“Jerry, give us a break.”

“We were the first to come in and you sent out fifty guys ahead of us already.”

“If ye don’t like it get out. I ain’t keepin’ ye here.”

Immediately we all began to protest. And there was a spontaneous walk-out. A strike. Even the so-much harassed “Goofey” and “Silver King” joined our ranks.

Our demands were:

1—1.25 per loop.
2—No favoritism.

However the strike did not last two hours. Jerry called up the police department. Four policemen immediately arrived and they threatened the colored caddies with exemplary punishment. They did not threaten us, the white caddies.

Here is where we made our mistake. We, white caddies did not stand up for the colored ones, and all stick together. So the colored caddies, seeing this grew discouraged and were forced back into the pen. Thus the backbone of the strike was broken. Finally, late in the afternoon, the rest of us had to go back too. Believe me, this taught me a lesson, that all workers have got to stick together. For if we had, we could have won our demands.

That night, Jerry planted two plain clothes men near the golf course. And so “Jew-boy” and I were arrested the very same night for bumming a ride—a ride treacherously offered us by these same cops!

The following day we were sentenced to one month for vagrancy. After four weeks of “free room and board” we were sent to Palm Beach. Thence we were thrown out of the state.

Only months later I found out that five colored caddies were beaten and then put in jail on a trumped up charge of stealing cocoanuts. And that “Goofey,” poor “Goofey,” innocent “Goofey,” was sentenced to two months for “selling” golf balls.

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. National and City (New York and environs) editions exist.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/dailyworker/1930/v07-n233-NY-sep-27-1930-DW-LOC.pdf