The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1903-04-04
BIC STRIKE AT
THE CLYDE
MAchINIsTs GO OUT FOR THE
NlNE-HOuR DAY.
National Iron Works Agrees to Shor'
ton Work Day Without 4
Strike.

The machinsts at the Clyde Iron
works went on strike at 10 o'clock
Wednesday morning for the nine hour
day.
In February last the union presented
each of the shops at the head Of the
lakes with a scale to take effect April
1st Several conferences were held and
finally every shop in the city signed
the scale, except the Clyde Iron works.
The National Iron Company was the
first to sign, and on Wednesday morn
ing its employees started out on the
nine hour day. 1t is, indeed, crafty
ing to know that such strong men as
H. r. Armstrong and Walter Everett
were the first men in the city to re-
cognize the shorter work-day for ma
chinists. Our own experience has been
that nothing is to be lost by the shor-
ter work day. It will require but a
short time to prove that men will do
even more work in nine hours than
they did in ten.
government report states that
when government employees worked
the ten hour day so many errors were
made during the last two hours of the
day that it required two hours time in
the morning to correct them.
Since the eight hour hay has been
in force this has been changed, and
now the government gets more work
in eight hours, and more accurate too,
then it did formerly in ten. For this
reason we believe that the National
Iron works will never regret it's action
nj th0 ,,ir
day without strike.
The Clyde Iron Works is an entirely
different proposition. At no time has
1t ever showed any disposition to take
the matter up in earnest. It is true
that it has met with committees from
the union, but it was largely in the
form of a "jolly.'' It wished to run an
open shop. and to make no discrimina-
ton against union men. This was
agreed to by the union. It was willing
to discuss with the men the matter of
an increase in wages, but not a reduc-
ton in hours. The machinists' de-
mands represent in hours OF labor a
ten per cent increase in wages. In
other words they are getting $500 per
DAY Tor ten hours. and now they want
$500 for nine hours. Had they made
the demand for a ten per cent increase
IN wages another tune would have been
sung by the company. There is no
doubt but that this could easily be
agreed upon. but on the nine hour day
never. It is said that the Marshall
Well Hardware company owns the
controlling interest in the Clyde Iron
Works, and 1t is the policy of that COM
pany to show, as it says, no partialitv
with it's employees. It might paw them
different wages, but it would be suici-
dal for them to make difference in
the working hours. This excuse was
offered to the committee that waited
upon the Clyde. It was also offered
by Mr.. Marshall when the timers
asked for the shorter work dav two
years ago.
From a business standpoint in one
sense OF the word no one can really
olame the Clyde people. It does not
care 10 grant less hours to the ma
chln1sts, because 1t KNOWS full we'll
that it will not be long before the
moulders, the blacksmiths, pattern
makers and other shop men will ali
want the same thing.
On the other hand let us look at the
proposition from the machinists' point
OF view, They see tradesmen Of less
skill In other crafts working less hours
and receiving more wages. They the
their fellow tradesmen in other shops
working the nine hour day, and they
can see no good reason why they also
cannot enjoy the same privilege.
The National Iron company having
granted the nine hour day. it would
not be fair to them to have union men
work IN another shop in the same To-
.caity on the ten hour basis. < II the
machinist's union remained at til.
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