The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-09-23
Minneapolis
MAKE PROPOSAL
TO ARBITRATE
If Not Accepted by 3 O'Clock
Flour Mill Employees viii
Strike at Midnight.

The flour leaders demand for increase
OF wages, which threatens to involve
twenty-four mills, still eonfronts the en-
ployers.
Last night a meeting of the Interna-
uonal Flour and Cereal Mill Employees was
heid, and discussion of the situation con-
unued till after midnight The course
decided on was to propose arbitration, the
employers to name two, arbitrator, the
employees two, and the four so chosen to
name fifth. The employers will be given
TIL 3 o'clock today to accept this PROPOSE
ton, and If they refuse the men will strike
at midnight. This will take out 2, 900 mill
men, and VIII soon throw out of employ
ment about 10000 connected with the mill
The probabilities are that the millers
ing business.
Will refuse to arbitrate. They have seemed
TO court the contest, and apparently want
the strike to go on. 1t is suspected that
the millers figure that the consequent rise
IN the price of flour would compensate
them for the shutdown. The mills have
large stocks on hand rl
Inc millerS have issued "a long state
ment TO the public in Justification of their
refusal TO grant the demands of the load
ers 1t Is asserted that the men employed
IN the Minneapolis mills have been hunt
iDg trouble for some time, and organizers
obnoxious to the proprietors because of
their continued interference
The millers have tried to meet the
men in a coneiliatory spirit. Every de-
have, since August 1, 1901, received 40
cents day more than the price paid for
the same labor in other trades.
The Minneapolis millerS refuse to en-
terrain the proposition submitted by the
flour leaders for an eight-hour day, on
the basis of rs cents an hour. on the
ground that this class OF labor Is not com
mandfng over 16 cents ans hour in other
trades, and that in country mills the rate
is still lower.
These flour leaders. who. up to August
1, 1901, had been receiving $1.75 a day
for a ten-hour day. were, at that time,
advanced to 81 per day for a ten-hour
day, that Is, 20 cents an hour, and this is
the pay they are now receiving: Further
more their work is steady and continues
the year around, rain or shine"
The question is asked, Why should the
flour manufacturers of Minneapolis, al
ready severely handicapped by discrimi
mating freight rates, and a lower schedule
of wages at competitive points, be
further, burdened simply to satisfy the
fetch of an eight-hour day?"
1t is cited that the attempt to enforce
the eight-hour rule has been failure in
New York and st. Louis. and that in other
large milling centers the entire milling
hours for the trick men, and ten. hours
for the day men. 1t is asserted that the
handling of -four packages in the Min
neapolis flour mills is not susceptible of
an eight-hour shift without an entire
change in the method of doing business.
The millers give the methods of or
ganized labor this shot walking dele
gates enter our mills without permission
during working hours, talk with our men
and induce them to quarrel with the fore
man. If the foreman attempts to assert
his authority and corrects his men, or
discharges one or more of the crew for
disobedience, We are waited on by a COM
mittee, or notified by telephone that we
must take the discharged men back i'm
mediately or the mills will not be per-
mitted to rum. f04
In reply President Finley, of the In
ternational Union of Flour and Cereal
Mill Employees, denies that any walking
delegates are employed, and says that the
only case in which a mill was asked to
take back discharged employees was an
instance in which a foreman admitted
that he was wrong. AS to the leaders, de-
mand, he asks:
rs 1t reasonable to expect that the men
who do the hardest work will continue
to work two hours longer than the men
who have much easier work?