The times., 1901-06-16
The Dayton Strike.

Company, in Dayton, Ohio, and which
has now been settled by a complete
surrender of the labor union. Mainly
through the efforts of the company
named to improve the condition of its
employees Dayton had come to be re-
garded as a wageworker's paradise.
The news of a general strike. or rather
a strike and lockout in combination,
filed the whole country with surprise.
Many We're the enquiries as to the
cause, and the answers have served
merely to intensity the surprise.
It appears that the cash register COM
pany has from the first treated its
employees with unusual consideration.
Not content with paying them the high
est wages paid anywhere for the same
kinds of work, the company has pro-
vided them with numerous comforts
and luxuries usually unknown in and
about such establishments. To emu
merate them in detail would require too
much space. They consisted in aiding
the workmen to beautify their homes
providing them with free lunches
baths, a reading room, kindergartens for
ones schools in which were taught sew
ing. cooking. gardening, mechanics, and
various other useful arts. In score
of ways the company endeavored to
brighten the lot and smooth the path
way of, its employees and their depend
ents.
All Of these things were done freely
10
piled any pressure It is obvious that
the aids and gratuities mentioned are
entirely outside the purposes for which
such unions are formed In this case
the most if not ali Of the extras referred
to were granted by the company long
before unionism began to play part
in the operation of the works. The
trouble began with the advent of the
walking delegate" who speedily ere
ated conditions which forced the non
union employees to become union men
and then succeeded in convincing the
unions that they were suffering many
wrongs and grievances that they had
never suspected before. There was no
question Of insufficient pay or too long
hours. On both these points the men
were satisfied. The company had never
wrCnged them in any way, or shown
a disposition to-"but then il might"
Thus argued the walking delegate, and
10 guard against anything Of the kind
a movement began with the object in
view Of forcing the company to recog-
nize the union, with all that such rec
ognition implies.
Among the grievances brought to
light was this: The free baths pro-
vided blythe company were, as neces-
sary adjunct, furnished with free
towels, which had regularly to be
washed. It was discovered that this
work was being distributed among poor
women Of the neighborhood instead Of
being sent to some laundry in which
union labor was employed, and a com
plant was promptly made by the union
committee. Other complaints equally
trivial and absurd were made, and
gradually the relations between the
company and its men became strained.
The final break came when four or
FIVE men were discharged by the COM
pany. some OF them for alleged incom-
ices were no longer needed. The al
legged incompetency is denied by the
union, and it seems that the claim that
some Of the men were not required is
also denied The molders quit work,
and the company at once shut down the
entire plant, claiming that such action
had been rendered necessary by the
strike in the foundry. Later the strike
extended to other plants, and it is said
that in the city Of Dayton nearly ten
thousand men, women, and children
have been idle about a month as a re-
suit Of the trouble which thus sprang
from insignificant beginnings.
Whatever may fairly be said on be-
half Of labor unions in general. it seems
beyond question that in this case the |
union was not only in the wrong, but
that its action was in the highest de- |
gree unwise and unnecessary. With |
no substantial grievance, the union de-
lberately undertook TO dictate to the |
owners the management Of the works,
extending the dictaton into the most
petty and inconsequential details. even |
attempting, as we have seen. to control !
the action Of the company in the mat
ter of washing towels for the free baths. |
II brought up the question squareIy !
whether the owners Of a factory should |
have some voice in its control OF be
subject absolutely to the whims and |
caprices OF those who at any particular
time happen to be in a position 70 in
huence the action Of the union.
Probably no case has ever occurred !
showing more conclusively how easy it
is for the principle Of unionism To be
abused, or tending more strongly to the
injuring Of such organizations in public |
esteem. That the union was in the
wrong IS fairly well proved by the fact
that in the settlement just effected the |
men yielded and returned to work, after |
having sustained a loss in wages |
amounting to one hundred and twenty |
thousand dollars. How they are ever
going to get even on that loss per |
haps some walking delegate can ex-
plain, but it is entirely beyond the ken |
of the public at large.
The PIatt Amendment.
Senator Platt Of Connecticut is getting !
cautious-over-cauti it would seem