Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1901-11-21


Prompt in Getting here -Stateme nt
about the Situation made by Col. Me-
Dermotf.
This morning there was a nothing
doing answer to all inquiries of the
striking men at the Morgantown
Glass Works. They said that they
were waiting until their vice presi
dent arrived before they did any
thing. He has been expected for
several days but did not arrive last
night even. He was again expected
to arrive at noon to day.
When he comes the ground will
be gone over carefully and the mat
ter will be decided finally. The
management OF the plant states that
it has asked the men to say what
they are going to do 50 that some ae-
ton may be taken at once.
1t they return to work well and
good and they can come back. How
ever the men discharged will not be
reinstated IF the men do not want
to come back on these terms the
plant will be closed and $4,000
month will be lost to Morgantown
workers.
The management hasn't very
much to say but the following has
been given out by them:
Jos. FL. McDermott, Vice President
of the Morgantown Glass Works made
the following statement when asked
for the company's side of the strike
trouble now going on at the Morgan
town Glass Works:
We are having strike but not a
regular strike in proper way as laid
down by the rules Of the union. They
simply walked out Tuesday morning
and left the pots full of glass without
notice to us. | noticed a statement
in the papers stating that the COM
pany had violated some rules OF the
union by discharging men for making
bad ware. In contradiction TO that
whole statement [ want to say, lst
that the union made factory rule,
to which we agreed, forbidding the
company and compelling the men TO
inspect and break up all the bad ware
they made and which was TO be set
aside for them. The company COM
piled with their part OF the rule, and
the men did not. They were dis
charged for not breaking up the ware,
that's all there was to it. Two men
were discharged Tuesday instead Of
three as stated.
Regarding any f1nes that are put on
the men for not complying with the
union rules, the union decides them
all and collects the money the COM
pany having nothing to do with it.
The only thing the company can do is
discharge d man for cause.
The strike is not a question Of
wages. One of the men told Mr.
Bannister when he was discharged
that he, the man discharged, would
take the entire factory out on strike
and shut the plant down, he did SO,
and now we intend to have something
to say ourselves. If the time has
come when one or two men can shut
down factory that pays out $4,000
each week, or 81, 600 every two weeks
in wages, AMI do it without cause,
and against ruling made by them
selves, going out and leaving 81 900
worth of glass In pots, which is loss
to the factory, when 1t is an unwrit-
ten law or custom among the glass
manufacturers and glass workers, that
a union or lot of men shall not walk
out of factory until what glass is
made shall be worked out. then |
want to either get away from the
union, or get out OF the glass business.
Union labor is all right up TO GER
tain line, but when they cross that
ami try to take away the power and
rights that must belong TO the en-
ployer, then say they are all wrong
The owners of the Morgantown Glass
Works are men who are always willing
to pay the best wages, give the men
fair treatment and are. always ready
to listen and adjust any grevience in
a manner fair to all parties. But
they are also men who expect that
same treatment and fairness from the
men. We thought, and think yet,
that very large per cent of the union
duti OUIiCi lhDOt Cui piO5 SN vas VAaS 'S'5
best in the glass business.
The trouble is always caused by
some wandering glass workers who
would rather not work, and if they
get out OF a job they go on to some
other factory and start trouble. We
have no complaint against the men as
a whole. but we do object to being
dictated to by irresponsible people who
simply tramp about the country, and
under the protection of belonging TO
union, not only take out the deserv.
ing laboring man, but shut down your
factory and make every day 10 your
town look like Sunday, by keeping
thousands Of dollars monthly out Of
the community. We will certainly
have to have more positive under
standing with the Union before we
run our factory under the Union rules
again.
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