Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-11

tral body, 80 that these proceeds go II
maintain the strike fund. No member OF
the union is entitled to a benent until
he has been In three months. Under this
provision there are now in Omaha 37s OF
probably 500 men on strike drawing bene.
fits. The entire membership claimed for
the Omaha lodge Is 1900
Mr. Coleman has recently participated
in the closing up Of the teamsters' strikes
in Kansas City and Bloomington, ILL.,,
where, he says the unions won. johnson
Brothers Transfer company Of Omaha hava
a branch establishment in Bloomington
and Mr.. Coleman says were among those
who fnally signed the scale.
As 10 Laundry strike.
As in tho case Of the importation OF
teamsters, so with the laundrymen's strike
conflicting statements are made. F. ].
Kimball. proprietor of the Kimball laun-
dry and president OF the Laundrymen's
club, makes this statement regarding the
situation:
The laundry owners and proprietors Of
Omaha, South Omaha and Council Blufts
have a special organization called the Tri-
City Laundrymen's club. which was formed
several months ago. The owners OF all
the steam laundries in the three cities are
represented in the club. A meeting was
held at the Millard hotel this afternoon, at
which all Of the steam laundries of Omahn
were represented, to receive a committee
from the Laundry Workers union.
THE committee composed of FIVE drivers
and headed by President William Wardlow
of the union came to us at o'clock after
a three-hour session OF the union and
verbally presented their demands, The
laundry workers themselves had no griev-
nnces. They admitted that so far as their
wages and hours and conditions were con-
cerned they had no complaint to make.
But the committee demanded that the
laundries refuse to do the work of all
hotels and restaurants which have been
declared TO be unfair, These so-called un-
fair houses comprise nearly every hotel
and eating house in Omaha, among the
hotels the Barker and the Dellone being
excepted. The committeeman informed us
that they had been asked by the Walters
union not to handle the laundry from the
unfair houses. but that this committee had
requested the laundry workers not to
strike,
Refuse to Turn Away work.
THE laundry proprietors replied to the
laundry workers that they could not see
their way clear to decline to do any work
that is offered to them and that they re-
served the right to do any work that they
see at to do,
"Thereupon the laundry workers de-
clared that they would not do unfair work.
Unfair work, here defined, means about
half the business done in some of the
larger laundries. Its refusal means that
many workers would have no work to per-
form and that their support would be cut
on until the walters strike Is settled.
ITO this ultimatum the laundry propri-
Ia
business until such time as they will be
able to conduct their own business I'm their
own way. 1t was agreed that all work at
present in the various establishments will
be turned out Monday morning. After that
no work will be received by any of the
eighteen or twenty steam laundries Of the
city. The workers will have no employ
ment after about 10 o'clock.
says IL IL Forced Lockout.
I'VE consider the situation a forced lock-
out. The laundry proprietors are firmly
bound by an agreement to act together.
No laundry will start unless they all start
and we will never start a plant until we
are allowed to conduct our own business.
We are determined to stand for our rights
and to have them IL we continue business
In Omaha,
While the laundries are shut down the
washing of the city will have to go undone
or be performed in a restricted way by
washerwomen and the half dozen Chinese
shops. There are a few small laundriee
operated by white persons in the city and
handful Of agencies that send shipments
to other cities, But there are not enough
plants within reaching distance Of Omaha
&c do the ordinary washing OF the city from
day 20 day. No Omaha work will be re-
Neiyad hy ha -
South Omaha or Council Bluffs according
TO an understanding with these proprietors
80 far as Lincoln. Fremont. Schuyler
and other small cities are concerned, the
plants are now being run just about to
their capacity and a very little more would
be their limit, The unfair work cannot
be shipped to other large cities because
the unions are existent there also and
will not wash the stuff as has been proven
in the Chicago strike, when carloads OF
linen sent to st. Louis were returned un.
washed.
Girls and Women in IL,
ut is estimated that there are 500 lnun.
dry workers in Omaha, This includes the
drivers. Four-hfths OF the total numbe,
are girls and women and about 100 on,y
are men. They organized into a union
between three and four months ago and
have membership of 225 as understand
30 far no scale has been presented, nor
any agreement requested. AS far as we
know the employees have been entirely sat.
isfed with their lot. We look upon this
demand as uncalled for and unjust, and
as / have said. We are resolved not to sub.
init. believing that II VIC did so we would
surrender our rights as American citizens
We think this ramiflcation of unlonism Il
based on a very slender thread How
can we, in all justice. be asked to turr
away the laundry from hotels that rur
bills Of $500 and more every month and ar,
the big factors of our incomes?
so far as the hotels and restaurant,
are concerned, they are generally equipped
with about a fun two days supply OF
linen Tonight every hotel in town ha.
many packages OF soiled clothing of trav
cling men who have been out on the road
all week and waited until their Sunda,
rest In Omaha to have their laundry worl
done here, 1t won't be done, however, to
morrow, and returned at night as usual
There are many complications that vii
result from this shutdown, but a similar
condition has prevailed in Chicago for tive
weeks and the Chicagoans are still living
Statement for Laundry workers.
The employees side Is given by william
]. Wardlow, president of the Laundry
Workers association In this manner: