Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-01
SHORTER DAY, BETTER PAY
MORE EMPLOYEES MAY FOLLOW
THEM-DEMAND UNION
RECOGNITION.
STARTED OVER A MONTH AGO.
Move Was Not Made Public Until the
Last Moment-In Foundry
and Smelter.
Special to the Inter Mountain.

Special to the Inter Mountain
Anaconda. March 1.-The union ma
chinists in Anaconda who have been en-
ployed at the various works of the Ana
conda Copper Mining company went out
on strike this morning. At the foundry
department 45 men laid down their tools
and walked out at 8:45 O'Clock Almost
simultaneously the union machinists at
lhe upper and lower smelters, II lin num-
Der, quit work, and before the 6 O'Clock
whistle blows tonight lit is probable that
al the men employed as machinists at
the new works who belong to the ma
ohinists' union, will act in sympathy
with their brothers and refuse to work
longer.
The s'.rdke inaagurated this morning is
the result of the refusal of the Anaconda
company to grant new scale of wages
which was demanded a little over a
mcnth ago by the local lodge Of the In
ernat.onal Association of Machinists.
The difficulty first arose in the foundry
departme n,s, over which Superintendent
John s. Hickey has charge. The order
made demand upon him for an advance
OF cents an hear. They We're receiving
pay TO the amount of 40 cents an hour
for 10 hours work, but they wanted 45
cents an hour for a day constituting
nine hours; also one and One-tlalf time
for overtime, and the recognition of the
union.
When the demands were made, 80 days
ago, Mr.. Hickey advised the commit tee
Which waited upon him that he must
have 80 days time in which to reply
After ealing a special meeting of the
union, his request was granted. The
time limit expired East night, and Mr..
Hickey Informed the committee that the
demands of the union We're refused, and
that the old wage scale would remain
in force. e
With this answer from the suparin-
tendent, the commi5tee of the union,
consis'..Eg of F.. E. Daring, James Shep-
herd and w. H. Young, retired. and last
night the union maoi1inis;ss held an en-
thusfastic meeting, listened to the re-
port of the committee, and by unani-
nous vote decided to send the following
note TO Mr. Hickey Which was present
ed to t.,ai, gentleman this morning. 1t
read as fo..ows:
Anaconda, Mont. February %
You are hereby notified that at spe-
cial meeting of Mountain View Lodge
Nc. 20, International Association Of
Ma hini,;s, 1T was by motion decided
tha, car rss4uss. must be granted or
your nlachinisi.s Will at once strike
The document bore no signature, but
hal the impress OF the seal of the lodge
On the foundry pay rolls yesterday there
were 34Z men. After she walk-out this
morning there remained 297. Out of 90
men in the machins,s' department 45
quit work, those who remained on duty
being apprentices, helpers, etc. All men
in the other departments stayed at their
posts. The boiler makers, moulders,
blacksmiths, also belonging to unions
of their own, showed no inclination to
act in sympathy with the machinists,
but what final action they will take re-
mains to be seen.
President OConnor of the Mechanics
union visited the men at the new works
this morning, and special meeting of
the union is being held this afternoon.
but none Of the machinists seemed in
clined to say what was going on.
At the general offices of the Anaconda
company. it is said that the strike Of
machinists at the smelters will not in
terfere with operations there.
At the foundry, all departments will
be kept running as long as there is any
work, and only when necessity requires
will any be laid off. But the plant can
not run long without machinists, and
unless other men are brought in tie
foundry may be forced to close down,
in which condition it might remain for
several months.
Some of the striking mdchinists
declare that labor unions of Butte are
in sympathy with them. 1t is said that
they expect the machinists employed
at all the Amalgamated properties to
go out there tonight. and If no con-
cess ons are made to their dem .ndN
the result will be the calling OF
general strike OF all organized lahor
affiliated in any capacity with the Anal
gamated company.
So far the machinists in the employ
of the Butte, Anaconda & acific railroad
have not been called out, but the senti-
ment of the striking machinists is that
unless their demands are recognized in
some way or other the men in the rail-
road employ will be called out too.
One thing can be said for the machin-
lists who walked out this morning-they
are conducting themselves like gentle
men, and large number visited mer-
chants where they had been running
bills and paid them up in full. Some of
the merchants, it is claimed. are ready
to intercede in their behalf and use
their influence with the heads of the
Amalgamated company to get the de-
mands of the men granted. or at least
agree on a compromise.