The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-03-04
STRIKERS FIRM
Their Wages Paid Them
By Mil Wood Work
ers' Union.
CONFIDENT OF SUCCESS
One Of the Leaders Tells
Why They Have Taken
a Stand.

The locked-out employees of the Barnes
Manufacturing Company are indignant
over the story circulated to the effect
that some OF them were willing to accept
the increase in the time schedule and re-
turn to work. They believe that the OBJ
jeet of those who put this story into cir
cnlation was to influence any of the men
who might be dubious about the outcome
of the strike
If any doubt existed as to the determi-
nation of the mill workers to fight to the
last ditch it was dispelled at Council Hall,
No IL Hoboken avenue, on Saturday
night when those of the locked out men
who had not obtained other positions
were paid their salaries by the trustees
Of Mill Wood Workers Union No. us.
Without a single exception the men re-
lterated their demtermination to remain
firm and not return to work until the nine
hour schedule was accepted by the mill
owners.
Said one of the leaders: sour success
or failure in this strike means the life or
death of our organization and cannot
but have the effect on the Carpenters
District and the Building Trades Council,
with both of which organizations we are
allied. Thus indirectly it has become the
fight of all organized labor in the building
line. and wust be won.
sour surrender would mean that every
other mill owner would follow the ex-
ample of the Barnes people and a ten
hour day would become general for our
craft. While the eight hour day is in
force with every other industry repre-
scented in the Building Trades Council,
the mill wood workers worked nine
hours uncomplainingly. Now our employ
ers want to saddle another hour on us.
This would necessarily mean a decrease
in the number of men employed at the
Barnes mill.
s"To our minds, it is not so much the
extra hour that the mill owners want.
They would have us try to exclude all
competition in this county by getting the
industries with which we are allied to
refuse to work on any job on which ma
terial from mills outside of the county
is being used. That is the proposition
under which they are willing to return
to the nine hour day, but we cannot ac-
cept it.
'The Barnes people now realize that it
Is impossible to get good men to take the
places of their locked-out employees. The
strike has been in progress now for two
full weeks, and despite the fact that the
firm has advertised extensively they have
thus far been only able to get about four
teen or fifteen men-good, bad and indif-
ferent
MANY of the best of their former en-
ployes have secured positions in other
mills and are prepared to stand by their
less fortunate associates in every way
.4The mill ownerA claim that only one
of the new men has. been injured through
lack of knowledge OF the machinery used.
We have information that no less than
three of the 'scabs' have been hurt as
result of their own inefficency. There is
not a single. man now out who is not fully
confident that the fight will be won, and
it must be Won.''
At Saturday nights meeting of the
District Council of Carpenters of Hudson
County at No. II Hoboken avenue 5000
was voted to assist the mil II rood work
ers. committee was appe ted to pre-
pare statement of the trouGfe to be for
warded to the National organization of
the Brotherhood of Carpenters and join
ers of America, with the object of OBJ
tanning official sanction to carry the
strike into places outside of this county
where the output of the Barnes. mill is
being used.
General President Huber of Yonkers
and General Secretary-Treasurer Mcguire
of Philadelphia of the national organiza-
ton Of carpenters are expected here dur
ing the week when plans for extending
the strike will be perfected.
The strike could be carried by sympa-
thy to other places, but it could not be
made compulsory without the sanction of
the national body.
Up to noon today there was no change
in the situation at the mill. The usual
large force of police was on hand to pro-
tect the fourteen or fifteen "scabs'' who
went to work. None of the strikers put
to picket duty and there was no trouble
of any kind.