Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-05-09
HALLOWELL STRIKE.
The Men As Determined As Ever to
Stick for Their Rights,
While the Company Is Equally Decided In
Maintaining Their Position.
Special to the krssrBrc JorRsAt.l

city hall SATURDAY afternoon. Nearly all
the striking employees of the Haiiowell
Granite Works were present. 4 general
discussion of the whole situation was in
dulged in. Speeches were made by MANY
Of the members and the men left the hail
with clear understanding of the matter
and with improved courage. 4 JuURN.L
reporter had u long talk today with one of
the leading members of the union and
learned from him that the men realize
plainly that this struggle is not one between
the local unions and the local company but
death-lock between the manufacturers and
the whole principle of uuionism.
The claims of the company in relation TO
the cutters being out without justification
are contrary to the facts IN the matter" the
striker said. I'VE struck ON account of il
manifest breach of contract, the facts of
which have been given in full TO the ,loNR-
SAL, but as to their not having received any
official notice. their attitude is again CON
trary To the fact. In the cutters bill of
prices which went into effect last year you
will find mention of Il local committee on
the part of the cutters. In working on
piece work, the way We have
been doing, lots of little
matters come up between the men and the
COMPANY which need adjustment. The
local committee of the union has the right
to treat with the company about these little
tlisagreements and To settle them Now
last week when the quarrymen went out
and the plug or spudge hole question came
up the company put the quarry bosses TO
work drilling, These men do not belong
To the union, because when a member of
the union becomes foreman or boss he
loses his membership. Besides, the bosses
were doing the work of strikers and that
made them scabs so the paving cutters of
course had to stop working with them. The
local committee is made up of five members,
two of them quarry cutters and the three
others from those who work at the sheds
down town. SO when the trouble at the
members of the local committee
once went to Superintendent Hunt and
President Bodwell. What was said at that
meeting there is some controversy about
but the fact is evident that the company
would neither take off the non-union drill
ers nor pay the cutters for doing their own
drilling, as has been the rule previous TO
lilt iTbublt. 30 tflt tpNi utfi-
GERS that the men would have to strike
Wasn't that official! The committee had
4 right to do what they did
The cutters at the quarry went out and
the men downtown joined them, under the
rules. Since then committee from the
Central Union, Messrs. CLARK of Friendship
and Reynolds of Frceport, have been here
and have reported to headquarters that our
strike is justified. SO we will get strike
pay and support from the Central Union.
We are not going back to work either until
the matter is adjusted.
II have noticed that the Manufacturers
Association claims that the reason they
want the dates changed is because now they
want they cant figure with certainty on
their contracts because the men are liable
to demand and receive an increase of pay,
Now that's poppy-cock. We hand in our
bill during January and SO does the com
pany, both must have been received by the
other side by February LIST. Doesn't that
give them time to figure in the prices
on their contracts? If it wouldn't then
let tho bills be sent in during December or
even in November. We want 10 do the
fair thing and the company say they do.
We have always been able to settle up any
troubles before this To mutual satisfaction,
and We could now, if they wanted to.
We're beginning to think that what they
want to do is TO smash the unions to pieces
and then cut down our pay. They haven't
been making any too niuth money lately.
md they think its time To make some out
of MS. But | guess they won't do it this
summer.
soon afterwards the reporter was talking
To y gentlcpan v ho il good authority from
the standpoint of the manufacturers. He
was speaking about the date question and
was trying to defcnl the action of the com
panies in publishing their utlmatum on
the matter. Before long he too spoke of
the fact that the bills were banded in dur
ing January for consideration. II learned
Yesterday he said that unions claim that
there is no real need that the bills OF prices
should begin sooner, because they come
M for settlement in January. | have
heard that they are willing to change the
time for submitting the bills from February
lst TO December lst. LET'S see how
that would work. 1t is very rarely that
the company and the men submit the same
bill of prices. The general thing is ,ha,
the men will want an increase, as they do
this year, and the company generally
want either the same bill as
the one about to expire, or
even reduction. Now the only thing that
brings about settlement is strike OF
lockout or the threat of one, about May
Ist. So the settlement is actually not made
until the latter time. Suppose the time
for submitting the bills was put back, how
would that help matters? The only fair
thing is to have the matter settled before
the contracts are made out; then the com
pany runs no risk of either bidding too high
or of getting caught by an increase in their
pay accounts.
The public doesn't really understand
what q bill of prices is. It is not contract
between employers and unions guaranteeing
employment to y given number of men for
a wear. 1t is simply an agreement as to
what pay the employer is to give whatever
number of men he chooses to employ
Neither are the men obliged to stay with
the companies. This gives the Concord
Granite manufacturers the right to conform
to the lockout resolution recently passed
and yet not break faith with the men.
There's one thing about that same reso-
luton that isn't fully understood. Even if
the local union should agree to the change
of dates, the company couldn't take the
men back and wouldn't he able to DO so I'M
til every manufacturer had effected set
tlemeut with his men. or suppose the Hal
lowell men should stick out the longest,
then not quarry or yard would start up
until the local strikers had submitted.
The companies really haven't been
making any money for several years and
they see that they must econonize in all
departments, Every year the men have
had an increase in pay or an improvement
in hours or rating. This IL likely 20 as
long as the union exists. The manufac-
turers know this" he continued, ''and they
are going to smash the union or at least TO
try to do 50. II they don't they will have
to go out of business"
The fact is daily becoming more and
more evident that the fight il liable To last
many months and that Haliowell may ex-
poet 10 pass through the ,iullest time hi her
business annals. Some interesting ,leyel-
opements may be looked for in few days.
/
Burnham Lumber Mills.
Especial to the kEssEBnc JoCRsAI.
BrRSBAM, May Fletcher and Gilmore,