Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-21
TILERS MAY SECEDE,
They May Leave the Federation on
Account of Herrick's Strike.
OBJECT TO GOMPERS' DECISION.
An Eight-HOur Session With Allegheny
Light Company officials:
PITHY ITEMS FROM BUSY WORKERS

The Marble ard Slate Workers and Tile
LAYERS Union threaten to withdraw in &
body from the Federation of Labor. 1
they take this step it will be the first unior
In the country to secede from the great labor
organization. The union will hold meet
ing tomorrow evening to decide whether OF
not they will leave the Federation and have
an organization independent of any other
association.
The trouble has been caused by the strike
at Herrick & Co.'S store, on Smithfeld
street, some weeks ago. The strike was
caused by the firm giving out work to small
contractors who employed non-union men.
This and several other matters caused the
men to strike against non-unionism.
The strike was brought to the attention OF
the Executive Council of the Federation oi
Labor through the national President OF
the union, Mr. j. McIver. The latter sus-
tanned the action of the men in striking, but
the Federation officials refused to do so.
GoMPERs RECOGNIZED THEM.
1t is claimed that several of the men in
the store who refused to strike were sus-
pended by the union. They brought the
Gompers, who recognized them, and it is
alleged said they were right. He wanted
the union to reinstate the men, but the other
members objected and refused to do so.
When Mr.. Gompers arrived in the city
he was asked to settle the matter. With the
request was a statement that if he did not
sustain the action of the union the latter
might pull out of the Federation. This did
not scare President Gompers, but be said he
would investigate the matter. He will try
to do so to-day before he leaves for New
York.
The old sore between the members of the
union and the Knights of Labor is again
being reopened. 1t is said that the Knights
of Labor organization will take in the sus-
pended members. This organization is L.
A. 491, and is composed mostly of men who
the members of the other union had struck
against Some months ago there was q
strick at Whites shops. The members of
the union were defeated, as the company Sc
cured non-union men. Organizer Evans,
upon being applied to, organized the nom
union men into local assembly.
D. A. 8 WOULDN'T ACT.
The matter was brought to the attention
of the officials of .. A. No. 8, but they re-
fused to DO anything. 1t was then carried
to New York, by A. B. Smythe, Organizer
of the Federation, and laid before President
Gompers. The latter called a meeting of
the Executive Council, and a conference
was held with the General Executive Board
of the Knights of Labor, IN Philadelphia.
An agreement was made there that one
organization should not organize the men
who the other association had struck
against Notwithstanding this, the knights
of Labor Assembly were allowed to retain
their charter. At the October meeting of
D. A No. 3, the local had II members. 1t
is said they are now trying to increase the
by getting in the suspended
men at Herricks. Ifthey do it will likely
cause rupture between the Knights of
Labor and the Federation.