Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-03-19
WANT NO UNION MEN.
Armstrong, Bro. & Co. Lock Out Over
a Thousand of Their Employees
DISpUTING OVER APPRENTICES.
President Weihe Settles Peculiar Dispute
at Joliet.
MISCELLANEOUS INDUSTRIAL NOTES

Nearly thousand corkwork ers, employed
BY Armstrong Brother & Co., have been
locked out. AS each employe of the shop
left work last night, he was given a copy of
circular, the essential points of which are
as follows:
To Our Employees:
During the month of January the firm of
Armstrong Brother Co. held several confer
ences with a committee of the Corkworkers
Assembly 1858, X. of L., to determine the scale
and conditions Of work during the ensuing
year. One point at issue related to the length
of time that the agreement should be
in force. The committee insisted that they
would sign no agreement for a period later
than May !, 1891. while the firm fatly refused to
sign for less than one year. Several other ques-
tions at issue were discussed, and upon the
strength of promise that the conclusions
agreed to should be reduced to writing and
signed the factory was started on January ~.
On March 2, six weeks after the verbal agree
ment was entered into, paper was presented,
containing the following clause: ut is also
agreed upon that the apprenticeship system
which has been established, shall be strictly ad-
hered to-"
An Old System Referred To.
This referred to a system that had by mutual
consent been abolished and had not been in
force at the close OF the year 1890. The COM
mittee gave the firm to understand that 1t
should remain abolished. Several other un-
successful attempts were made to have con-
ference. and 1t became apparent to the nrm
that an attempt was being made to hold on and
postpone the signing of any article until after
May ]. as was their original intention.
On March 16 we notified our employees that
unless the agreement was signed on Wednes-
day the factory would close down. In the
meantime we discovered the dishonesty OF the
"sandpaper room," and 3S, having confessed
their remaining in the employ OF the firm would
be to relinQuish one weeks wages and the
promise to deal honestly in the future. On tne
morning of the 18th the employees in question
left the shop in body and are now discharged.
In the afternoon of the same day the firm re-
ceived a communication signed by the EN-
poyes' officials saying that unless the dis
charged employees are renstated all negotla-
tions on the scale would cease and.the matters
treated upon the first of the year would be null
and void.
The firm Of Armstrong, Brother & Co. was
founded in 1880, and in all the years that have
intervened up to the time of the formation OF
there % had d always % existed the most pleasant
and harmonious relations. Many who nave
been on our pay roll for 10 or 10 years Will bear
testimony to this. The firm offered no opposi.
tion to the organic alton of the employees, but
rather fostered and encouraged 1t.
We have tried the experiment of union
factory and it has proved a decided failure. 1t
has destroyed the pleasant relations that were
of many years. standing and resulted only in
misunderstanding and discord. In the future
the factory will be 'non-union;' no labor or
ganization among the employees will be recog-
nized or treated with We will deal with tnd1-
viduals. The factory will be started on Mon
day, March 23 and employment will be given to
such of our hands as see fit TO go to WORK in
accordance with the plan outlined above. The
positions of those who do not elect to accept
these terms will be filed by new hands as
speedily as they can be obtained.
No changes will be made in wages or work
ing hours. ARMSTRONG, BROTHER Co.
The whole difficulty hinges upon the ap-
premiership question, the men claiming that
the firm had agreed to the clause which was in
force last year. and the firm disputing this
claim. This clause. which appears in the agree
1T is also agreed that all inexperienced per-
sons who may be employed in the punching de-
partment shall be entered as apprentices, and
shall be required to serve an apprenticeship Oh
two years"
AS proof that the firm had agreed to the ap-
premiership rule for 1891 the men hold a letter
dated January 80 in which the firm makes the
proposition "that working hours and wages
shall remain the same as in 1890" and that with
but few exceptions "the terms of the agree-
ment for 1890 should be continued for the term
of the present agreement" The men claim
that as the firm did not specify the apprentice
out of the agreement they were willing to let
II stand.
workingmen Greatly Excited.
This is one of the most threatening fights
ever made against an organization in Pitts
burg, and the workmen we're greatly excited
last night. A statement is beng prepared to
be presented to the firm to-day. John Miller,
ex-Master Workman of the local Assembly was
seen. He was surprised TO learn of the action
of tile firm, but laughed at the idea of the shop
being started up again as q non union factory.
"They can't do 1t, that Is all. worked for the
firm over ten years and / can truthfully say
that the relations between the employers and
employees were never as friendly as since
the men have been organized, but the firm is
now aiming its blows at our organization. Mr..
Charles d. Armstrong offered to make US
present of as much money as we had in our
treasury if we would leave the K. OF l., but we
refused"
The Salesmens Assembly met last night and
passed resolutions pledging their moral and
financial support to the corkworkers.