, 1891-08-07
oMAHA.S SMELTER SrRIKE


The strike in the Omaha and Grant
smelter at Omaha is certainly one OF the
most remarkable on record. \ law passed
by the Nebraska Legislature last winter
went into effect on the first of the month.
1t provided that eight hours should CON
stitute a legal days work. As many
employers, including the Union Pacific
railroad, pay their men not by the day but
by the hour the law did not affect them.
The men were given the option of working
eight hours at the prevailing rate per
hour or nine and n half hours at the
regular rate per hour as they had been
doing. They unanimously decided to
work tie longer number OF hours.
AT the smelter, which employed about
600 men, nearly all of whom were paid
by the day, the managers issued a circu
lar stating that all the men would be paid
thereafter by the hour at the same pro.
portiopate scale of wages as prevailed
previous to the law taking effect. Each
employe received one of these circulars
with a request that if it was satisfactory
TO him he should sign and return It. Ac-
cording to the treasurer of the smelling
company this was signed without a word
by every workman in their employ with
the exception OF two or three blast furnace
men. These men claimed that mendoing
similar work IN Kansas City were being
paid 81 a day for eight hours work. The
treasurer replied that they could send n
man to Kansas City at tho company's
expense and if he found che fact to be as
represented the COMPANY would negotiate
with the men.
No trouble was apprcheniel but when
the night shift came on it was s%tampcded
by a party of agitators who were not en-
ploYed about the works at all. The next
day the other workmen were scduccd in a
similar manner and the works were per
force closed down. As this is a dull sea
son aud as the company had no orders
ahead which cannot be filed elsewhere
they viewed the situation with a good
deal of complacency. But now the out
look is assuming a new and unexpected
turn. The main interests OF the smeIter
company are at Denver. Much of the
raw material is received from Colorado
and all that is not could be iu.t as
cheaply treated at Denver as at Omaha.
The question of consolidating both works
at Denver has been heretofore talked OF
by the directors aud this is considered a
good time to carry the plan into effoct.
Money c1n be thus saved on lesser
freight hauls aud a relatively smaller force
could do all the business ifthe works were
concentrated instead of being as now at
two distant points.
The situation which confronts the work
ingmen is not a very pleasant one. They
are out of employ mcnt and there is very
little prospects of them getting to work
again, Times are exceedingly dull 10
Omaha as elsewhere. If the plant is re-
moved to Denver many of them may be
forced to sacrifice their little homes to ret
money to removc their families elsewhere. !
This is all the more unfortunate as the
men are concededly a superior class of
workmen as well as law abidinv citizens.
They have simply been lead on to making
an i'll considered strike, without counting
consequences, considering what they were
doing or giving their employers an oppor-
tunity to be heard. To this step thov
were led by the labor agitators one at
least OF whom we happen to know and
that individual has never been known in
the past twelve years 10 do n stroke Of
work OF any kind. How he subslsts is a
mystery.
The situation in Omaha is peculiarly
unfortunate and we hope the outcome of
it will be more favorable to the men than
now seems possible.