The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-09-24
The Strike Order Effective,


Between 10 o'clock last night and 2
o'clock this morning fourteen of the sew
enteen mills belonging to the Northwest
ern Consolidated, the Washburn- Crosby
and the. Pillsbury Washburn companies
shut" down because their employees went
on strike and between 1000 and 1900
members Of the International Union of
Flour and Cereal Mill Employees are out
of work, with the definite assurance from
the mill owners that they will never get
employment in the big Minneapolis mills
again. The strikers were In session to-day
at Union Temple, Washington avenue S.
The three mills which continued to run
during the night are the Washburn- Cros-
by IA ID" and "E' mills. A small
group Of men in each of these mills re-
fused to strike and grinding was kept
up in a small way all day.
The seventeen mills thus indefinitely
closed or about to be closed manufacture
practically all the flour which comes from
Minneapolis and have a daily capacity Of
$4,000 barrels and of late have had an
average daily output of $500 Among
them is the big Pillsbury "a" mill. having
a daily capacity of $4,000 barrels.
The Consolidated Standard mill was the
first to close. At 10 o'clock the flour in
the bins had been packed and the mill
shut down, by direction of the manage
ment. At midnight only the "E'' mill Of
81
and this last, mill closed at i o'clock this
morning, after the wheat had been run
out. The Pillsbury- Washburns mills aclosed
during the early hours Of the morning and
the Washburn- Crosby mills sometime
after 2 o'clock H.
During the afternoon, following the re-
fusal of the mill owners to consent to an
| arbitration, President Finley Of the
| International union, A. e. Wellington,
| secretary of the union, and Thomas Cur
ran, president Of the branch union of the
| flour leaders, went into the milling dis
trict and gave orders to strike at mid
night, and their orders were followed as
closely as the condition of the wheat bins
would allow.
! Strikers Out Of Jobs.
The attitude of the mill owners is in
Dictated by the notice at the five Wash
burn Crosby mills. 1t reads:
| ''All employees of this mill leaving their
positions are discharged and are no long
er in the employ of this company. All
wages will be paid as soon as the pay roll
lean be made up The other milling COM
panies will pursue the same policy.
During the noon hour the millers had a
meeting in the office of the Pillsbury-
Washburn company, but at the conclu-
sion Of the meeting had no statement tc
make. other than that they were going tc
advertise for men to take the place of the
strikers, which they promptly did,
! Four Mills UndIsturbed.
| Four individual, local flour mills are lef
undisturbed by the situation. The Catar
act. Christian, Phoenix and National will
!, continue to run with the flour loader
q working on the ten hour. basis, and hav,
received definite assurances that unless
they wish to participate in the struggl
they will not be interfered with by tn
strikers.
While few pickets were left about thu
affected mills this morning most Of thu
strikers assembled in and about Uniol
Temple on Washington avenue S and thos,
who could get inside the hall listened t.
speeches from the prominent members o
the union and those who lined the curl
held impromptu debates. The variety o
opinions and suggestions offered gave tn
hearer no opportunity to arrive at a con
, cusion as to what the real sentiment o
the striking body was.
Busy Season Interrupted.
The Northwestern Miller of this week
in anticipating the strike says:
"a shutdown at this time will prove
:; most serious matter to both sides. TIL