The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-03
lILBURN B0ILERMAKERS.
I'LL OF THEM QUIT WORK BECAUSE
TWO ARE DISCHARGED.
The Trouble Said to be the Result OF an
Effort on the Part Of the Management
To Change the Methods of Paying
Their Employees.

There was little friction Yesterday be-
tween the Milburn Iron Works company
and small number of their employees.
In fact the boilermakers, fifteen i'll num-
Der, laid down their tools and left the
shop, which necessarily stopped their
helpers, twenty-five in number, all ne
groes. This action was on account OF two
of their fellow laborers, Mike Seaman and
w. ]. Dugan. These two were taken of
the salary list and put on piece work.
They objected to being thus treated and
were discharged.
The boilermakers are paid at the rate OF
So per day, and on Saturday when Seaman
and Dngan were paid their weekly salaries,
they were told by the foreman that on
Monday they would have TO take piece
work. AS stated above, they refused, and
their fellow laborers demanded in body
that the two discharged men should be re-
instated. This demand was firmly refused
by the company, and all the men quit at
once.
Mr.. John d. Miburn, when seen by an
n APPEAL reporter yesterday afternoon, in
|lreply to the question il there had been a
strike in the factory, said; "Ies; the
| bolermakers, some ten or twelve in
number, quit work without cause this
morning; their helpers, which number
some twenty odd men, did not quit. but
are simply idle until other mechanics can
take the places OF those who quit. We
will have no trouble in supplying the va.
tancies thus made, for the men had nc
lust cause to 90 out The fact IL, we had
two more boilermakers than we needed,
and as a matter of business discharged
them. The boilermakers quitting work
does not affect operations at all. We ART
way ahead on work in that department
and can run ON a good long time without
any boilermakcrs. All OF the other EN-
ployes are working straight along, and
there is not the least trouble anticipated
We can easily supply the places OF The
men who quit work this morning. Today
there have been three or four good
skilled mechanics here TO take theil
places, but we did not employ them iron
the simple flct that the work in the boile
department is several weeks in advance
of everything else in that line"
A half dozen or more OF the striking
boilermakers were seen short while aft
erward, and the following version Of thu
affair, which was concured in by th'
others, was stated by one Of the number
Said he: 1--WE were being paid - day
We did not ask for any more, nor do W
now. Blu, II is just this: Two of the mel
were put on piece work; they refused 4
accept il, for the simple reason . boiler
maker cannot make aliying working b.
the piece. II is very hard work NJ best
Somo DAYS man may make more than ~
on others he would not make one third 9
Il, though he would work just as hard,
not harder. All depends on the particu
lar part OF the boiler one is working on
We are perfectly willing TO return 10 wor
at the old price, il the two discharge
men are taken back, otherwise We are OF
20 stay As we understand Il, the putin
III the two men on piece work WIS the II
itial step to gradually introduce that syi
tenn in the boilermaking departmcr
throughout. This We will not submit e
Another thing, our places will not be SUI
piled, for all OF " belong 10 the Boilermal
en- union, and no non-union men nee
apply for The places. We did not want
quit work, but the facts are as stated, an
We could not do otherwise"