Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1897-11-11
STITCHERS STRIKE.
LITTLE DIFFICULTY AT THE
COLE SHOE FACTORY.
WORK AT THE FACTORY RETARDED
COLE q co.'s BRIEF STATEMENT
OF THE SITUATION.

! owing to a cut in the scale of prices in
the stitching room Of b. E. Cole & Co.'s
shoe factory about twenty girls en-
/ ployed in the room went out last Thurs
day, necessitating the partial shutting
down of the factory. Several OF the girls
have since gone back to work, and the
places OF others have been filled by new
hands. The cutting room, which was
shut down Friday, opened Tuesday morn
ing.
No further trouble is anticipated, and
it Is thought that the factory will soon
| be turning out seventy five cases daily.
representative OF THE AMERICAN in
terviewed Superintendent Waterman with
| regard to the trouble. He said The cut in
wages was necessary to meet the demand
OF the market for n cheaper shoe. Some
months ago he had told the employees OF
| the stitching room that the cut was pro-
posed, and at that time they seemed per-
| fectly satisfied to accept a cut, providing
they were given all they could do. He told
them the cut would not be made until
| there was plenty OF work.
| The factory has been running in dia-
tory way for the past two years. Last
| winter the average output was thirty-L
| cases day, and during the past summer
it has been only about twenty-five cases.
| The factory now has orders enough to
keep 1t running full time for two months
and with promise of plenty more. Mon
| day OF last week the factory opened up to
| seventy five cases a day, which it was in
| tended to increase soon to one hundred
| cases.
| Thursday Supt. Waterman posted the
| new scale OF prices in the stitchlng-room
and the trouble commenced. The girls
said the cut was unreasonable, and that
on the class OF work they We're doing it
was less than was being paid in other
| factories.
Supt. Waterman says the new scale is as
| high and in many higher
than is being paid in other factories
for the same class OF work. In fact on
some work, as has been found since the
| present trouble, the Old scale was one
third higher than is being paid in Brock
| ton. For instance on top stitching the
factory has been paying cents; the new
rate is 2R cents; in Brockton the same
work is done for cents. On most work
| the superintendent admits the prices are
lower than Brockton prices, as it is ex-
peeted-that Is what brings factories
down to Maine-but tie cut rate is as
hig Ii as is being paid in her Maine fac
tories.
| With longer runs on one class of work,
Supt. Waterman believes the girls will be
able 10 make as much in II given time as
by the ord scale. Besides this there will
be more work. He says there is no doubt
that the factory will have a good winter 8
work, and the weekly pay roll should be
from =, 900 to 81 200
The proprietors OF the factory endorse
the action OF Supt. Waterman. In a let
ter Messrs. Cole & Co. briefly and point
eddy state their position as follows:
I'VE have established line of trade for the
coming season which will enable to keep
the help steadily employed. but it has been pos
sible to do only by figuring the cost of our
| goods on the basis of running the factory full
at the new schedule of prices Tor labor, and then
Offering them to the trade at prices which can
show us but a very narrow margin under the
most favorable circumstances.
| ITO run the factory at less than Its full
capacity or to increase the cost of labor beyond
| what others are paying, means doing the bust
ness at loss and although we have operated
the factory at large loss for several seasons
| past, will under no circumstances continue
to do Ii we increase our prices now we
cannot get the additional orders necessary to
keep the factory full during the season, and the
only alternative left US is to manufacture cnr
| goods where we shall not meet "A COMBINATION to
eNtort from us prices higher than those paid by
other manufacturers of similar goods
The question of continuing to operate
| this factory seems now to rest entirely with the
| help
Supt. Waterman anticipates no further
trouble. 1t has ~ far been confined to
the stitching room. The work now III
hand has not reached the lasting room
" here a new scale of prices wilt go into
effect, but Supt. Waterman believes there
| will be no trouble there when the real
situation is understood.