Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-03-13
WELL STRIKE.
Is the Cry from Fall Rivers
$4,000 Operatives.
A Practically Unanimous Decision
Made at Last Nights Meetings.
Seventy Mills Will Be Tied Up Next
Monday Morning.

Fall River, Mass, March INJECT
|ings Of the unions composed entirely
OF textile operatives, tonight, resulted
in each instance in a vote to strike,
next Monday morning, unless the Tex
tile Council shall order otherwise in all
the mills in which a 10 per cent. adj
vance of wages is refused. The manu-
facturers have offered a per cent. ad-
vance, to go into effect, April l. NJ. c.
D. Borden has granted a 10 per cent.
increase to employees of his mills. A
strike such as seems impending would
throw $4,000 people out of employment
and close about 20 mills.
The action taken. tonight. by the OPP
eratives of this city was rather dis
counted in view OF the fact that they
had all along presented a solid front
and the leaders among them have de-
clared dozen times a day that a
strike would certainly come If the 10
per cent. advance in wages requested
of the manufacturers was not granted.
In accordance with the recommended
ton of the Textile Council made last
Saturday night, the secretaries of the
unions affiliated with the Textile Coun-
Gil. today. issued call for special gen.
eral mass meetings to be held. tonight.
In order to avoid the necessity Of all
the members coming to the center Of
the city, arrangements were made TO
have the meetings in all parts of the
city and in this way the operatives
could attend meeting in their own
section.
The Weavers Progressive Associa-
ton, which has not been affiliated with
the Textile Council since last fall, held
six meetings, one in the center of the
city and the others in the outskirts.
The operatives crowded into their halls
with the cries of well strike of fire.
quent occurrence, and were Joined by
hundreds of operatives of the various
mills of the city. 1t was nard work
to find a dissenter from that opinion.
The matter had been left to the men,
bers to decide and their decision was
made before they came to the meet
ings, tonight.
The carders held three meetings, and
the slashers, loom fiXers and spinners
one each. The sentiment at all the
meetings was the same, and directly
after the vote of each meeting the OPP
eratives went to their homes in conf
dence that the other meetings would
favor a strike. At the conclusion of
the various meetings, messengers were
sent to labor headquarters, where the
secretaries of the Unions and a crowd
OF mill hands awaited the verdict. The
meetings were very short, none lasting
more than half an hour, and before II
o'clock the strike was ordered.
The weavers voted to strike by a
vote of 1878 to SO, which vote was later
made unanimous. The matter Of a
standard length of cut for print cloths
was brought up at the several weavers'
meetings and many of the members de- +!
sired the matter to be adjusted to-
gether with the wage question. 1t was
finally decided. however, that the bet
ter way was the one presented by the |
manufacturers, of waiting till the wage
question was out of the way and then
take up the matter of standard cut.
The carders in their three meetings
voted to strike by vote of 1913 to "a,
the spinners by vote of 228 to IS, the
slasher tenders 1913 to a.. while the
loom fixers declared themselves in
favor of strike by vote Of 234 to so.
In each instance the vote was SUISSE
quently made unanimous. The total
vote was 2121 in favor of a strike and
456 against it.
Secretary Whitehead OF the weavers
was seen after the meeting and stated
that he did not desire to discuss the
vote. that the matter had been left en-
tirely with the members of the unions |
and they had decided as they thought |
best. He was asked if the union which |
he represented had the support of the |
United Textile Workers of America, |
and he answered that he didn't need It, |
He believed last fall, as he does now.
that the market conditions warrant an
advance of 10 per cent. and that his |
people would demand it regardless OF |
whatever action was taken by the |
other unions. The Weavers Union. he
said, was in a good financial condition
and is able to stand a long struggle.
1t was also voted by the weavers. to-
night that no funds should be taken
from the treasury until the strike had
been in progress for three weeks. The
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