The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1901-07-24
What the Strike Is For.

formance. The effort to procure an in
telligent idea of their origin and pur-
pose would leave person small oppor-
tunity to attend to the other affairs of
life.
TIE dispatches of Monday announc-
ed the beginning of the strike, pre-
viously proclaimed, of the amalgsmated
steel workers at Pittsburg, 1t is one
of the largest in the history of labor
disturbances. Other dispatches an
nouuce that the iremen of the station
AIRY engines at the coal mines are &C.
ing out. Their demand is that their
hours of labor for day shall be re.
duced from twelve to eight. The tim
ing of this demand with that of the
steel workers is intentional, and is de-
signed to reinforce the latter.
What is the demand of the steel
workers? A statement of what the
strike is and what it Is not shows that
the demand of the amalgamated asso-
citation of steel workers is not about
wages or hours, or about the recogn-
ton OF the labor unions, or about any
Of he minor matters which have con-
stituted the grounds of previous strikes.
The demand is much larger one, OF
very unusual kind, one which en-
ployers of labor find so Objectionable
thai the continuance of the strike and
the issue become so much matters of
doubt as to be beyond the limits of
prophesy, though very fruitful subjects
OF speculation.
The demand of the striking steel
workers is that the owners of mills
shall compel all their employees who are
not union men to join the union, or, in
the event of refusal of any, to discharge
those refusing. At present certain of
the mills are operated by union men,
and others by non-union employees.
The purpose OF the strikers is to union
ize all mills producing or manufacture
ing steel.
This demand the employers refuse to
obey. If their workmen will not join
the union voluntarily they refuse to
compel them to join, or to discharge
them if they do not join. To point the
issue, the strike was ordered to begin
in non-union shops, to be supported by
the going out of the men in the union
works The strikers justify their ex-
traordinary demand on the ground that,
unless the mills are all operated by
union men, the employers will favor
the non-union mills, doing in them the
most of their work and only partially
employing the union plants, or using
these plants only when the pressure
of orders compels them to have these
mills in operation. The strikers de-
clare, further, that many OF the work
men in the non-union mills desire to
have the mills unionized, while others
do not, and that employers favor the
latter and are unfavorable TO the for
mer.
The character of the demand of the
amalgamated association is illustrated
by stating contrary proposition, on
the part of the employers to their en-
ployes, to wit: Abandon the union,
agree never again while in our employ
TO join this or any similar organization,
or we will discharge you. 1t would
not take the workmen or the general
public long to discern the inherent in
justice of this proposition, but it's char
acter is not essentially different from
that of the demand of these strikers,
that employers shall compel their work
men to join the union, under penalty
OF discharge for those who refuse, and
shall in the future employ only union
men.
The demand of the steel workers is
to be sustained by various means.
Among these is the demand of the
stationary fremen at the coal mines
already referred TO, timed to coincide
with the action of the amalgamated
association, and accompanied by noti-
fcation of strike if the request is not
granted. If the pumping machinery is
not kept in motion, disaster is immi-
nent. The mines will be flooded, the
work of half million of miners neu-
tralized, millions of dollars Of damage
done, the coal supply seriously cur.
tailed. The close relation between
coal mining and steel making gives the
alliance of the stationary iremen its
power, while it is matter of conces-
sion that the demand of the 6remen il
not without strong considerations o.
reason and justice.
There il, further, a claim that treaty
with the National Federation of Labor
exists under whose terms the aid Of
that organization will be invoked, il
need be, to enforce the demand of thu
atooI uorbara rNhiu xuOuId ;puolua O,