The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1903-07-09
crease in wages made some change

citation OF which | am president.
At Il meeting of this co.opera.
tive association, shortly prior to
April 22nd, resolution in the
form Of n petition, addressed to all
of the companies in the Lead Belt
with the exception Of the Doe Run
and Bonne Terre companies, was
drafted.
This petition was shortly after
wards presented to the various
companies. 1t was request for
! eight hour shifts throughout the
mines, and an increase of 20 cents
! per day on all men already work
| ing eight hours. The wages Of
the ten aud twelve hour men were
to remain the same at eight hours.
Not Il single company made
any official recognition Of the pc
| titiou. nor did they signify any
willingness to confer with union
representatives relative to an in.
crease Of wages.
ON May 18th the Commercial
! Company added an increase Of 10
cents per day to the wages of every
man on their pay roll. but did it
with no recognition Of the Union.
\ second request was made on
! the Commercial Company by their
! millmcn for eight. hour shifts and
increased pay on Monday, June
| 22ud. On Friday following Mr..
| Cautwell spoke to the mlllmeu aud
said that he could not comply with
their requests.
"On Thursday morning the men
were locked out from the CONNER
riaI mill, and on Saturday night
AT cooperative meeting II strike
was ordered on that company and
ON the Federal company.
The strike was brought about
10y the lock.outs at the CONNER
riai aud Federal mills. "
Here the strike order was intro
lur"d and was ms follows:
JUNE ~, 1903.
BROTHERS Staten, lIulsey and c.
Boyd.
You are hereby authorized to
call ont aII employees serving the
Commercial Lead Company.
Done by order of the co-opera
tive meeting June -, 1903.
Signed u. II. COLE, Pres.
Il j. HUBBARD, Sec. "
Similar orders were sent by
McsSrs. NOssick, Hort and Thomp-
son to employees at the Federal
Company, and by other committees
to the employees Mt the Commercial
Shaft No. >, and the Derby shaft
of the Federal Company.
These orders were presented to
the Union men at the different
plants about 6 o'clock Sunday
mo rning
The establishment of picket
lines, ii there really are any, has
not been done officially. Any
threatened boycott on merchants
selling supplies to the Commercial
Company is not official,
4 discussion of injuries to the
boilers, should the fires he left nm.
der them, was had at the co opera.
tive meeting and it was thought
best that the firemen should pull
the fires from the furnaces before
leaving their posts of duty.
81 receive the top.price for labor,
s. 40 per day. My necessary liv-
ing expenses consume every cent
of my wages, and ! am unable to
save anything.
Day laborers average from
81 - to $l.90 per day
Il worked for the st. Joe Lead
company in 1894 and received
81 90 per day.
THE cost of living then was
less than one half what it is now.
Our demands are based on the
eie ht. hour law. the good price OF
lead at present, the cost of living,
and the action of the st. Joe and
Doe Run companies in raising
their scale 20 cents per day, be-
lieving that the other companies
can do what these companies have
done -
| TESTIMONY OF J. o. STATEN.