New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-23
THE TRUTH ABOUT "THE TRIBUNE
STRIKE"
THE FOREMAN TELLS THE WHOLE STORY.


To The Editor Of the Eccnfng Post
SIR: In printing very hurried interview with me py
one of your reporters. this evening, you reter 10
OF bad faitn made by The TRIBUNE printers VINO -,
their own solemn pledges month ago, and say you NM
THE TRIBUNE owes the public some explanation i"on
see why and as see they have sent up nothing toenS
on the subject presume they don't discharged son1
enoves here last night in the exercise OF my undouo
RIGHT nnder any rules OF any Office, and for COCA rea
An outside trades-union then ordered srlAe Vi u"
Whole force In my rOom and the larger parton 'Ho'
INST Their places filed, and alter some anio'
work went on as usual. don't see why The Ihl"O
should break Its habit by ooruulhS an ana" "
on The public. --.r,
But You sent to me for facts and as you seem 20 "u
more am very wiling TO give them. 1t Is mistake .n''
ga contract was entered into with the men pIo''u"e
for thirty DAYS notice OF strike or LOCKOUT NJ W
tract OF any kind whatever was entered INTO WIN We
men WAS not permitted 10 deal Win u.o
man but WAS forced to go the officers OF an ousuo
Tradesunion with which l and the men had soeiAny
nromsed 70 have nothing do. Under that oompnson
agreed with the Tradesunion to pay the price demahueu
and 70 let Union men be employed (which had always
been forbidden during my eight years servlce)
The Tradesnlon agreed "no to interfere OF Ia any way
annoy trouble attempt interference with me 30 ions
"a maid the price and allowed Union men to WORK; anu
further agreed not to interfere with my apprentices
Then It was agreed that this could be terminated At
days' notice from either side. assented 10 TINS ~ us
verbally II was aiterward reduced to wiring anu
hive faithfully kept 1t till the other side broke e'e''
provision OF 1t. . - .r.
But THE TRIBUNE never agreed to 1t. Those strikers
who are complaining about lack OF fair play chose the
time for breaking their pledges and threatening 10 sOp
the business unless their demands were imilou''''
conceded-they chose the time for this say "heh '
knew had been I'll for two weeks ana cOhhheu W o
for the last two days and when Mr. Reid, whom they
perfectly well knew to be the only person WIN autnoiy
10 make such an agreement also known by thein 10
be On b farm 600 mile away AS soon as he heard Oh "
he teegraphed not to yield, but bis message came oo
late When he home, and toId MN 'nS'
wbatI had yielded 46 cents and TO allow Union men
TO work. he said he didn't much mind the price, ou' shu
insist of running his office without outside ucauon
assured him that they had pledged that should not
be incrfered with In any way foreman oil the once
and II they didn't keep their pledge we were not Uohu
an could take Of urseves as before andit was o9
on nv declartngmy personal belief an Old anu mon
man that the Union meant TO Keep us pedeo 'S "'"
that he was persuaded not to kick over the whole thng
He never approved IT, or gave me any authority Tor
Every promise the Union made It broke II even swept
my apprcntces into it organization and only released
them on nv demand that it should be done or the agree
mept abandoned at once. Work was Systematically de-
layed the Union rcrpcIuay sending In agents 10
Interfere II detached :he regular force flooded me with
strangers a. substitutes ana set my own men doIgng my
scp, night and day aud those Of every other cmploye
,b,v sspected OF LOYALTY 10 the Office which employed
them IL sent in whom had discharged before the
strike for careessncss and gross bundcs ana forced me
10 submit TO the humiliation ot putting them al WORK
again under the threat OF another strike In hall an hour
# did not It stopped work because dismissed an
ipsorcut stranger, who said he was going 10 work
,ybout seeing the foreman-that he had nothing 20 do
Win The Torcman-and waited TN the high officers could
Ic vhctbcr 10 order strike that or not 10 Insist
w 80, iii Tho old tricks Of the trade for cIOrtug money
NOT fairly earned from the enpoycrsuch lor instance
a. forcing me to pay for Zig clcctrotype cut oi IS
orons four or ye inches square, which they had ab-o
Intel, nothing do with, precisely a. muCh as IL hhd
nllcd That space with solid agate composition Inc COS,
cnaIrd n the whole list Of these trade cHactons raised
the L Of the composing room 10 Inr', ine 'ho % go
had calculated from the advance ~ the rate ana hah re-
ported my employers s The only heeeasar! cost OF Tue
change
II son, n committee 70 call on me 10 Join tho Union
wen knowing that held my place solely because be-
n onisdo Dd hostile organization the talk ia the
GicC was so free could not help knowing OF IT, that
had To- Join or they would strike to force ny dismissal
Until that change had tried to get along under All INC
other brcnches agreement and had made no Prrpa
Tatious Tor resisting their demands Then began to
| look around
Ar.ra few DAYS delay. gave them my answer II
was refusal 10 join the Union miles, with my employers
arprnyal mat night starting across the Brook
IT, Tr,Jcc with only single companion, struck by
= Ind Tag aimed a, my head. but which. is dudgci
| quickly. only struck me on the arm and shoulder aud
companion knew too much Of such things III the past 70
had sIii kept the agreement In spite OF tho Union.
notorious breaches Of H. now solved 10 exercise NY
uud0ubtcd night OF dslhl--hI Db uHcndIfHt l"' n"'
misclcyous of the men Ia the ONCE hhh 40 th"lght q"
Union men, ana dldht IL but
resolved to dismiss and prepared Tor whatever might
| happen IN consequence.
| Snn know the rect had right under the agreement
which through all this had faithfully kept, Ia discharge
| my duty a. foreman hy diminishing men To whom OBJ
irCtcd aud did II, The Union which had been breaking
jts mart Of the agreement all along, now brOkc the whole
thng 10 pieces by ordering another strike Of tho whole
force and doing iis best 10 drag them all out Then or
| g,nized tho Office its Old nOnunlUn basis, and
there unlcss my employers object propose 10 Keep It,
They have faithfully fulfilled all their obligations TO me
for nearly eight ycarsis know they do To everybody
and bau try 10 serve their Interests as long "a lake
their pay for doing came TO them poor NlrginAn
| and "A rebel soldier. Working on their paper nave
changed enough TO sometimes the Republican cketi
Ln not enough give mp the main Idea OF my HE as
printer viz honesty justice, fr play, ana pcrhi
ncut employment are best secured when the men ana
their employers deal directly with each other and not
| with a tTadcs-unlon. =, ,.-..
A. 10 nav the been doing well. Every prac-
tcal printer knows that forty cents on lIl Iibl NJ Is
fully A. good pay fOItysiK cents on me HfTd " not
betcr-owng to TIM 1IBUSEs wide measure, lat type,
and liberal use of leads and display Under the old rate
| our men averaged twenty dollars week, seven
hours work i've days Ia the week. and fact work
| men uadc as high twenty scyen TO thirty dollars |
think or old out the street weTc averaging
better AZ that they likely ~ average henceOrth
| under their Union. Respectfully
| W. p. THOMPSON.
| N(tr. YOT1.. Dec. 49,