The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-09-01
NON UNION STAGE MANAGER
The Alleged Cause of the Trouble at
the Theatre.
MANAGER NJ. c. BARBER TALKS
And Tells Bis Side of the story The Local
Union of Theatrical Employees is
Dissatisfied with the Hiring
of Non Union Man of
Cleveland.

The employees at the Grand opera
past few days, it is said, a number
of new men and boys have been at
tempting to learn the art of scene shift
ing and scene building. The trouble
originated, it seems, by the management
employing a non-union man as stage
manager. Canton and Massilon stage
employees have formed a union which is
known as Local Union No 81 of the Ma
tional Alliance of Theatrical Stage EN-
ployes. There are 96 members of the
local union and in the Grand opera
house controversy these SO men consti-
tute a solid phalanX with the National
Alliance back of them. The union is
all the more powerful, as it is affiliated
with the American Federation of
Labor. The local boys claim a griev-
ance in as much as the management
of the Grand opera house employed a
non-union man for the position of stage
manager and boycott is being con-
sidered if their alleged wrongs are not
righted. The officers of the union are
Thomas Kaye, Massillon, president;
George Wielandt, Canton, vice-presi-
dent; George Monnett, Canton, secre-
tary The officers with F. P. McDer-
mott E. Carnes, Of Canton, and A.
Gibler, of Massillon, constitute the ex-
ecutive committee which is engineering
the fight against Manager Barber and
his opera house.
MANAGER BARBER TALKS.
Manager Barber was seen at the
Grand by Democrat reporter
He said:
You see the local stage employees
union was formed last February. l
was not notified of the union nor it's
objects until the first of August, which
was about the time 1 was preparing to
open my house for the winter. My
former stage manager I discharged and
appointed William Fickes, union man,
in his place. Fickes, both to me and the
oard of directors, called for the purpose
of giving him a hearing, said that he
would have to run the stage to suit the
union. The board of directors consists
of Messrs w. L. Alexander, w. d. The
obold, Ed. Bockius, Hiram Doll and M.
G. Barber. Fickes, to this board stated
that w could not discharge a man
without consulting the union and made
other statements which we thought
were inconsistent. We then employed
Henry Head, of Cleveland. Mr.. Head
desired to join the union and made
every endeavor to do so but his applica-
tion was not accepted. We pay union
prices and there is no just cause for
complaint from the union. Our stage
force is now complete and the strike will
not interfere with us in any way"
MAY DECLARE BOYCOTT.
The stage hands and their supporters
declare that the union was not wanted
in the Grand opera house. They say
that Fickes was discharged solely be-
cause he was union man and that
the management knew that other the
aters were run with union men without
disadvantage to the house, but in fact
the union was of great assistance to the
management and that better work was
accomplished because the union insisted
on good people. They are tearing down
Autographs today and declare that
Manager Barber has said that the union
must be defeated at all hazards and
they are preparing to fight it to the
bitter end.