Waterbury Democrat., 1902-05-06
LOCKOUT NOW A STRIKE.
Situation at Underwood Typewriter
 Factory in Hartford.

Situation at Underwood Typewriter
 Factory in Hartford
 Hartford, May .6.-The lockout at the Underwood Typewriter Manufacturing Co.'S plant has been turned into a strike. This was decided yesterday ar- ternoon by the executive committee Of Local No no, International Association of Allied Metal Mechanics. The strike is the direct outcome of the arrival here in the afternoon of a representa- tive of the international body. He at once met with the executive committee and the strike was the result of the conference. According to the rules of labor unions the product of the factory is now unfair" While the employees have declared a strike, the officials of the company claim to be satisfied with the situation and declare that at least 4OO of the employees have made applica- tlon to return to work under the old schedule of wages over which the dis pute arose. This schedule provides for nine hours work, the same IS the com. pany has been giving. The men de- nand ten hours pay under tue com pany's rates for nine hours work, and 1t Is the refusal of this demand that
 
 The men in the union dispute the claims of the company in regard to 400 or the 600 employees asking to be re- lnstated. The men also declare that the company made an effort to start up the plant yesterday and failed. Print ed postal cards were sent to some of the men which read as follows: ssPlease report for work May 5 (SieneD I'm derwood Typewriter Manufacturine Co per F. A. Cook" These postaIs were put i'll the mail last Friday. When the tune for going to work yesterday ar. rived the strikers had the factory well plcketed. There were nearly 200 of the strikers around the factory ready to meet any of the men who ,yo1ld re turn 10 work. It is claimed by the strikers that including office heIp stock clerks and toolmakers not in the union. Just Iorty-one persons entcecd the fac tory yesterday and worked. The strikers further claim that several clerks came out and threatened the pickets With arrest if they persisted in irving 10 persuade men not to return 10 work. President Charles Rogers of the union said yesterday that he was ceftaln that no 400 men had asked to De allowed to return to work. One man had gone to the office of the com pany to draw his pay and was ap- pfoached With the proposition of re- turning. The man was shown a pile of what purported to be applications Tor reinstatement. All of these had been written on typewriter. and Mir Rogers says that while the men may work in a typewriter factory none ot them have made money enough to war rant their investing in machines for their own correspondence
 Edward J. Manning. general manager for the company, said yesterday that the stock taking was being continued and no move had been made to start up the plant. He declared that it was true that 400 applications had beer re- ceived from men who wanted to come back to work. He explained the send ing out of the postal cards by saying that the company had not taken any inventory of stock for two years and in order to facilitate the work cards had been sent to certain employees who were familiar with the stock in yari- ous rooms of the factory. Mir Manning would not say just when the plant would start up.
 Last evening the union mon claimed that an effort was being made by the company to get as many of the men in the assembling room as possible to return to work at once so that it could get machines ready for the market. According to the men only twelve of the men in this department had agreed to return to work and it was thought possible that before today some of them would be induced to remain out. As yet there has been no discussion on either side as to a conference oyer the situation. The company claims to be satisfied with the situation and the men say that they are not ready to present any further claims to the company be, yond those submitted when the de- mand for ten hours pay for nine hours work was made