The record-union., 1899-07-11
TROUBLE AMONG BARRIERS.
BurLER's SHOP IS TO BE BOY
/ COTTED.
He Patronixes .Laundryman Who
Will Not Force His Men to
Join q Union.

l. = .tf f5
Frank Butler, proprietor of the
lGolden Eagle Hotel barber shop, is
having trouble with the BARRIERS
Union, and present indications are,e ac-
cording to his statement to Record
Union" reporter, that his card will be
taken down and that he will be sub
jected to boycott.
The trouble arose over a demand of
| the BARRIERS Union that Butler cease
to act as agent for Mason's laundry,
| on the ground that the latter would
| not compel his help to become mem
bers of a union. Butler says he inves-
/ tigated, found the statement to be
| untrue, and SO informed the union
committee, and for that reason he de-
i cided to stand by Mason.
He was notified yesterday afternoon
that his union card would last nig41t
be taken down from his shop and that
boycott would be instituted, but told
the committee to go ahead. The card
was still up when the shop closed last
evening.
Mr.. Butler made the following state
ment yesterday to our evening con-
temporary:
L
ploy union men, and display the union
card. I have the washing of my shop
done at Mason's laundry, and he has a
| branch office in my shop, as he had in
other shops up to the time the BARRIERS
Union took proceedings against him.
One night at a meeting of the BARRIERS
Union an order was made directing
that all of the branch offices of Ma
sons laundry in the barber shops be
closed and his signs removed. asked
to be heard on the subject, but was de-
MED the opportunity. If Mason was
in the wrong I would fight him; if he
was in the right, would refuse to
do so.
II learned that the grievance which
existed against Mason was based on
his refusal to compel his workmen to
join the union I called on Mason and
asked him if he was opposed to union
ism. He said he was not I asked him
if he had any objection to his men
joining the union. He said he had
not. I asked him if he would discharge
his men, or any of them, if they, or
any of them, Joined the union. He
said he would not 1 asked him if he
would, in any. way, seek to influence
his men against becoming members Of
the union, and he said he would not.
l learned that the whole warfare
against him rested on his refusal to
compel his men to join the union
against their will, or discharge them in
the event of their refusal, and substi-
tute union men. I learned that the
reason why MasOn's men did not care
to join the union was that they were
receiving better wages than union
men; that they worked shorter hours,
and that, unlike the union men, they
received pay for overtime.
/ II therefore concluded that no good
grievance existed against Mason. II
I he had threatened his men with dis
charge because they belonged to the
union, would have Joined in the fight
against him. If he had refused to
employ union men, I would have
thrown his sign out of my shop and
had my washing done elsewhere. But
1 considered that this was free coun-
try, and that no proprietor had the
right to dictate to his men what they
should do outside of their hours of Ia
Dor. If they, as American citizens,
preferred to remain outside the union,
I did not see that it was the duty of
Mason to- make them join it. l be-
lieve that it would have been proper
for the union to have gone among his
men, reasoned with them about the
benefits of organized labor, and in
.duced them to join the union, and then
believe it would have BEEN right for
them to have walked out if Mason did
not respect their demands. But did
not see that it was the business of
Mason to compel his men to do all this;
1 considered it the lookout of his men
themselves.
.I expressed myself in this line to
the men who came to me, and di-
rected me to take Mason's sign out of
my shop. told them that 1 would go
to Mason with them, and that if he
said he was against the union, or was
opposed to his men joining it, or
would intimidate them in any way. or
discharge any of them for Joining,
would help boycott him. They de-
clined to go with me to him. This
morning Mason called on me and asked
me if I would accompany him to the
President of the BARRIERS Union, so
that he might state his position as he
had stated it to me. I told him that
inasmuch as the President of the Bar
bers' Union had declined to go with
me to him l would not go with Ma
son.
IL have been informed by Henry Ru-
bernstein and Joe Surrett, proprietors of
barber. shops and members of the Elk
ecutive Committee, that / will be boy
cotted unless 1 enter the fight against
Mason Il have been told that men
win watch my shop and report the
names of customers who enter it.
II have told them to go on.- I be-
lieve that this is free country, and
believe in justice. I believe that 1t
would not be justice for me to boycott
| Mason and I shall not do it. If l am
to be crowded out of business because
! will not do what my sense of jus
tice tells me is wrong, the sooner I am
compelled to seek other employment
the better.
THE SUPERVISORS.