Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-04-01

To the Editor of The Evening Star:
WASHINGTON, ID. c., April 1, 1891.
Sir: In your issue of March 81 you publish
an interview with Mr.. Kennedy, president Of
Columbia Union, No. 101, which is SO full Of
misrepresentation that we feel it due to the
public that its false statements should be re-
futed. Our purpose has been to keep out of
all controversy-to meet the 'stand and de-
liver" scheme Of the union with quiet but pos
tive refusal to turn our cash drawer and the
office over to the men that work for US. whether
the demand arises from among themselves or is
dictated by the union. Every printer knows
that Mr.. Kennedy is only talking buncombe
when he compares the skilled printer with the
bod carrier. The one work in comfort in
all weather. the other is subject to all the
changes of the seasons and the weather-for
instance, howmany days have the hod carriers
worked this spring? The printers have had
work every day, and if they have attended to
their business have had the opportunity to
make more money since last November than
| the hod carrier can make in a year.
As to Mr.. Kennedys $40 a week as the aver
age made in book and job Offices, few figures
plainly stated from our books will refute the
assertion better than argument Here they
are:
Number Of hands paid by the week, employed
permanently the year around, three at 525. one
| at S22.50, four at $40, three at $18; total
eleven; average. S21.O5 per week. The num-
Der Of piece hands varies from forty to fifty
who are paid 40 cents per 600 ems and get
all the fat that occurs in the work on which
they are engaged-not q line of copy is culled,
every short page Of table is counted as a full
page and every piece of matter .that can be
saved is given out to the men. The firm we're
journeymen and they do to those who work for
them exactly what they would have liked to
have done to them when at case The average
shown here for a few weeks taken at random
from our wages book can be sworn to if neces-
sary:
One week-Thirty-five hands average Ella. 95.
One week-Thirty-six hands average S17.55.
One week-FOrty-six hands average S16.O2.
One week Thirty-eight hands average Sl7.16.
And there was not an hour of overtime, night
work. as the new scale calls it, in either of the
weeks.
The men are supposed to work ten hours a
day, except on Saturday. when they are giren
ono hour and half, We say gicen, as the scale
never called for it.
When Mr.. Kennedy talks about the bad at
mOsphere OF printing offices he is drawing on
his imagination as to its evil effects on the
| workmen. They live to good old age. There
are men at case today between sixty and seventy
| who do as much if not more work than the pres
ent young crew.
Mr.. Kennedy is anxious to put more men to
work, that is. he wants q refuge for the I'M
fortunates that every change of administration
dumps on the street out OF the government
printing Office, and that is all there is to it-he
WOuiu tahc tue Drcau OUT VI the mOutub Oh our
city workmen and give it to men who do not
| belong to this jurisdiction-a sort of political
journeymen who depend on influence, not on
merit.
1t is a certain fact that no employer desires
to run his force after hOurs-it does not pay;
but the unions idea Of charging 10 cents an
hour after o'clock would cause O loss of work
that it would be hard to estimate. Fancy
customer with q brief to be used the next day
coming to an Office at 430 p. m, and being
told that he must pay ten or twenty men 10
cents an hour for night work. Why" he
would reply, "the sun does not set for two or
three hOurs-hOw can it be night" And we
would like to see Mr.. Kennedy explain it away
Mr.. X. says the employers have been talked
with-have had the scale six weeks to consider.
The scale arrived on March 4-not month
yet-and no officer, chairman, or journeyman
has ever much as asked an opinion on the
question! Mr.. X. had better get acquainted
with the facts.
As to cost, Mr.. X. says it would not cost $40
a week to pay the difference. Well, here are
| the figures on that:
Weekly hands, one-tenth Of their time
to be cut off their wages, $231.50 a
week, one-tenth of, $23.l5 ... $23 Is
Average composition weekly, about
100000 ems-2,OOO thousand-at
Then one-tenth of all the miscellaneous
crew-engineer, pressmen, feeders,
apprentices, DC, say. Is 90
200
Equal to "A $50 80 year. Is there a man.
let alone printer that will say that this or any
other firm can submit to such O strain and live?
Very respectfully,
JUDD 4 DETwEuKR.