The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-12
A BAD LOOK
Situation in
Marlboro
is VERY CRITICAL.
Both Sides Determined
The Manufacturers Side.

Marlboro, Nov. l1,-With winter COM
| ing on, her manufacturers and their
employees at odds, the stability of
her single industry threatened and
want staring her in the face, the condi-
ton of the city Of Marlboro is critical,
indeed The strike, for no one here
doubts that there win be strike has
not yet been ordered, but it's coming
is simply a question Of time. The con
ditions are such that even the most
| conservative have given up hope, and
are looking for the worst, and all agree
that when the strike does come, it will
be the worst that this city has ever
experienced, if not the worst that has
ever resulted in this section of the
country.
Each day sees the lines between the
ranks of the employers and the en-
| ployees more sharply defined, and I'M
less miracle is worked either on or
before Nov. 20, the date fixed upon in
the announcements of the manufactur-
ers, the contest will be at fever heat,
| the shops will be closed, and MARI
| bOro's industry and enterprise will re-
| ceive knockout blow.
| Few changes in the situation have
developed today, but much quiet work
was put in preparatory for the strug-
gle which Is to come. This evening a
meeting of the boot and shoe workers
council was held in Powderly Hall, and
a special meeting Of Union %, sole fast
eners, was also held. Tomorrow af
ternoon at $3.50 o'clock a meeting of
Union s, bottom fnishers, will be
held in PoWderly Hall. A meeting of
Union 4, heelers, will be held at the
same time and in the same place. To-
morrow night at o'clock a meeting of
| Union 10, treers, dressers and packers,
will be held in the hall, and on sun
day afternoon a meeting of Union 8,
shoe stitchers, will be held at the hall
at 3 O'clock. This is the largest union
in the city, numbering about 900 work
men, and tIair meeting is sure to be
an interesting one.
All of these meetings are open only
/ to meinbers, and muck secrecy at
taches to the meetings of the joint
council before whom the deliberations
and acts of the several unions finally
come, and by whom the movements of
organized labor in the city are directed.
The council is composed of 25 delegates
from the various unions, but for OBJ
| ViouS reasons the names of the men
who make it up are never made public
and very little is given out bearing up
| on the actions of this executive body.
! AS John H. Murray, the leading
agent of the Boot and Shoe Workers
| Union, said in speaking with a Spy
man this afternoon 1.-The shoe workers
of the city are determined to see this
affair through to the bitter end They
expect resistance and are preparing
for the hardest kind of a fight. Pres
| ident Tobin, of the state organization
and General Secretary Easton, when
| in town yesterday, approved of the
stand taken by the officials of the To-
cal organizations and promised them
| what support is needed.
/ The national association of boot and
shoe workers has also approved of it,
and it is very probable that if no set
| Element is reached before that time,
| the matter will come before the meet
| ing of the FedeNA ion of Labor, to be
held in Kansas City, Mo-, on Decem-
| Der II.
The ACCESSIBILITY of hiring the city
| hall and holding mass meeting is be-
| ing discussed, and it is probable that
| it will be done some time next week. 1t
| is understood that the new paper
which is to appear tomorrow will bear
the union label and will be published
| in the interest of the local shoe work
ers.
The office Of the Middlesex factory
was open today to receive the names
1 of all who cared to go to work I'M
| der the new conditions laid down by
| the company. These are contained IN
| the following agreement, which appli-
! cants for work are requested to sign:
Having agreed to labor in the Mid
| dleseX factory at
! prices and terms, and with full knowl-
edge of conditions existing in factory,
/ 1 hereby further agree that l will not
| until Nov 10, 1899, either by myself
or by joining with others, take any
| action, secretly or otherwise, with the
! intent to interfere with the continuous
running of the factory; and that will
not recognize any authority which
| makes requests or gives orders con-
trary to the letter and spirit of tais
/ agreement"
! BY the labor men it is claimed that
very few union men have signed such
agreements, and that those who cid,
did so not thoroughly understanding
what they were doing, and that these
men will not go to work under any
such agreement.
Rice & Hutchins. the proprietors of
the shop, have declared that they will
never open the shop under any other
] conditions than those set forth in the
contract The outcome is being anx-
/ iOuSly awaited. 1t is expected JnaC the
Getting avenue factory will be opened
next Monday to receive the names of
applicants under a similar contract ar
rangement, and there is a possibility
! that the MddleseX factory may start
up with a small force, although the
| chances are about even.
| In ALL there are about 3400 shoe OPP
! eratives in Marlboro. and that number
probably includes 1000 married men
| with families From this. some idea of
the seriousness of the approaching
/ strike can be gained.
j. H. Murray, the leading agent of the
local shoe workers, in conversation with
a Spy man, today, said I'VE could have
gone into this fight long ago, but we
| held back and have given the manufac-
! turers every opportunity. When we
| asked for a raise here a while ago and
it was refused, the business men of the
city objected to a strike and we al
| lowed the matter to rest. Then when
| Howe asked for a 10 per cent reduction
we compromised with him on 5. Then
when the time limit expired and we
served notice on him. he said he would
close his factory and to avoid trouble
we finally granted an extension of time.
Now these manufacturers turn around
and try to break up our organization.
know Of seventy-tive young people in