The record-union., 1891-05-12
THE iron MOLDERS.
They Reply to the Statement of the
IronfounderS.
The Desire OF the MoJders' Union to
Arbitrate not Sign of
Weakening.

&1OlutIS OlllOil III kodii 1dlC1SCO W piC
Ironfounders' Association, and the reply
of the latter, were published in the REC
oRD-UNIoN on Friday morning last.
Since then the molders have formulated
and published the following reply to the
communication of the Foundrymen's
Association:
Believing that some answer should be
made to the letter from the Engineers
and Ironfounders' Association, giving,
as they claim, reasons for refusing our
request to arbitrate, we wish to say that
the only suggestion of arbitration ever
made to us by that body was in the case
Of Mccormack Brothers, and this suggeS-
ton was made October II, 1899, five
months before the present strike took
place. Y statement at that time was
made to the association, and in reply to
! their suggestion to arbitrate it was shown
! that an agreement to arbitrate the points
! could be made by the Ironmolders' Union
| of North America only, the local body
! having no authority to do other than to
| uphold the points at issue. This at the
time was perfectly satisfactory to the
members of the association, none of them
| being in sympathy with the course pur-
sued by Mccormack Brothers.
The only proposition advanced by the
association, and which was declined by
! this union, was that submitted by a
committee from the association to our
! Executive Board at a conference held in
the Merchants Exchange January 16,
| 1890. The proposition in effect was as
| follows:
First-That the minimum rate Of wages
be reduced to So per day-a cut of fifty
cents.
Second-That the term of apprentice
! ship be heightened one year-making ii
five years.
Third-That all limitation of work
cease.
To the third was answered that we
recognize the limit of human endurance
only. If member did not give satisfac-
ton he should be discharged.
In the second demand the association
was shown that we had already gone be-
yond our international law, and allowed
apprentices six months after the four
years prescribed in which to make them
selves competent.
The first we declined, on the ground that
we were paid no higher, proportiOnately,
than the men in the East.
| Upon receipt of this declination, the as
sociation informed us that on and after
| March 10, 1890, they would no longer rec.
ognize our right to demand So so per day
to limit the number of apprentices to be
employed, nor to refuse to work with
non-union men. This began the strike
and yet in their letter of the 9th instant
they claim we voluntarily severed al
business relations between their associa.
ton and ourselves.
The shops, they say, are still open tc
our members. Certainly they are; and
the fate of the fly in the fable would be
repeated in our case were we to be
equally foolish and consent to an invita-
ton that virtually means the disruption
Of our union.
We do not deny the right of any EN-.
| Ylnuar IN al TI1lpS fn his ShnT
but we must also be accorded the privi
lege of organization, to better our condi'
ton as best we can and to protect our
selves as far as possible from the avarice
Of combined employers.
+ We do not deny the right of an Ameri
! we prevent aliens, simply because the
greed Of American ~ manufacturers
have made such a thing impossible by
flooding America with foreign labOrers
in orders to reduce wages and increase
profits. But we do think that they should
help US improve the condition of al
members of the craft by joining oul
union. Neither do we deny Cali
fornia boys the right TO learn trade
but we do ask that certain restrictions be
placed on the number of apprentices en-
ployed in order to insure their being
taught trade and rendered useful to the
community. We would ask how many
| aHlCTlcdu DOyS are dt pTGScIlJ 6ulplOyb "
in the shops, let alone those of California
birth? We also ask how it is that when
there was no limit on the number of ap
prentices employed so few of them were
turned out'' of the shops competent me-
chanics? OF twenty-seven apprentice:
employed in the Union Iron Works eigh
or ten years ago, but four are now at the
trade and competent to earn living at it
The Risdon Iron Works during tn,
past twelve years have not turned out
one apprentice who was sufficiently com
petent to be retained by that shop a!
a journeyman. What they will not d.
for an apprentice when sufficient mum
ber of mechanics are in the shop to teacl
the boys, we think they cannot do whe1
all boys and few mechanics are employed
We do not fight the boys; we try to hell
them learn the trade and become uSefu
members of society, and at the same time
protect, as far as possible, their fathers. Th
boys are wanted merely because the shop
then get so much cheap unskilled labor
not because they are intended for me
chanics. We have during the past fou
years had a score of boys who had partly
served their time, and to whom we haC
given letters emitting them to go into anI
shop under instructions, irrespective o
the apprentices already at work in th
shop. These boys were thrown out o
work on various accounts, but, nOtwith
standing the fact that they would dis
place a man in the shops, we gave then
all aid in our power to finish their time
but their services were not sought afte
by employers and they got to work a
best they could.
We also deny that "openr shops ar
the general rule in the Eastern States
in fact, they are in the minority. Fur
thermore, the points in the East running
| open shops do not compete to any grea
extent with Pacific Coast foundries. Th
only apparent reason for this desire t.
create open shops is to pit one MAJ
against another; to take advantage of
mans misfortune and necessities: to pu
him in keen competition with his fellows
! thereby reducing wages. Open shop:
were always and will continue to be
detriment to the community of whicl
he, surely, is not the least importan
member.
In conclusion, we wish to say that on
reasons for entering this strike are, i
our minds, just and necessary to on
welfare collectively and individually. ant
feel confident of our ability 10 defend on
> position whenever occasion demands
Again, while we have always been will
| ing-evcn anXious-to arbitrate. our las
request was not an evidence Of weakness
on our part, but was made at the earnes
} solicitation of some of the most promi
nent contractors, builders and busines
men of this city.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE IRON MoLDERs
, UNION, No. l64.
|, RISKY INSURANCE.