The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-07-26
UNION WoRkMEN EMPLOYED EY
PAcklNGHoUsEs WILL JOIN
STRIKING BUTCHERS.
msM .
TRANSFERS ALONE TO WORK
WHILE ANXIOUS TO GO OUT THEY
ARE TRYING TO EFFECT SET.
ELEMENT OF STRIKE.

~S
hight to a finish to enforce the de-
mands of the striking butchers, a
sympathetic strike of all the union
workmen employed in the meat pack
ing industry throughout the country,
with the exception OF the teamsters,
will be declared today.
Instead of joining in the sympa-
thetic strike today, the teamsters will
make another effort to bring about an
adjustment of the controversy by ar
bitration. This decision was reached
late last night at a meeting of the
joint council of teamsters' unions
throughout Chicago, who met to con-
slider the Endorsement of a decision
reached Sunday afternoon by the
clearinghouse Transfers union to quit
work with the other allied unions.
The decision Of the ~stockyards team
sters was almost unanimous in favor
of striking, but as it is necessary, &C
cording to the rules Of the teamsters'
union, for the joint council to sane
ton any strike movement, all the
union teamsters in the employment
of the packers will remain at work
during the struggle or until the joint
council gives their permission to a
strike, should their efforts to settle
the matter by Cancellation today prove
futile.
The situation makes the teamsters
the most important body Of men in the
whole controversy. With these men
on strike the union forces expect to
prevent any nonunion men who take
their places from leaving the yards,
and scenes similar to those during the
Caravan days. of the 1902 strike will
undoubtedly be the result if the strike
is prolonged.
No Conferences Held.
No conferences were held Sunday
either by the packers or the labor
leaders, or Jointly, in an effort to reach
an adjustment of the controversy.
Both sides rested Sunday, apparently
waiting for today's developments.
Whether or not the packers would
make any concessions to the demands
Of the labor leaders in order to pre-
vent a general walkout of the trades
at the stockyards would not be dis
cussed by any of the clearinghouse
representatives, but from the prepara-
tons going on at the different plants
during the day it was plainly evident
that the packers intended to fight for
tAOAl AAuOpClluCuCC. All Tic ldUOI
leaders declared that they would
considering further negotiations and
that the packers would have to make
q request for the resumption of peace
negotiations, al the unions had no in
t%ention, at the present time, of doing
so.
Preparations for the struggle which
is expected to reach a climax today
were being made at the different
packing plants all Sunday and far in
to the night. Dozens Of representa-
tives of the packinghouses were scat
tered all over the country in search Of
men to fill the place of the strikers.
Four train loads of new employees were
taken to the yards before darkness
set in, to join the nonunion men al
ready established inside the plants.
Packers Erect s%tockades.
Clerks we're being initiated into new
duties and employees who had been
promoted from trades were returned
to their former work to take the places
Of the regular workers who are ex-
pected to quit work today. Stock
AIDES have been erected at all the diff
ferent plants to protect men whose
work exposes them to danger from
violence.
All through the stockyards there
were not only evidences of prepara-
tions for a long and bitter struggle,
but superintendent of the packing
establishments, policemen and union
leaders gave expression to anticipa-
ton of troublous times to come. Chief
Of Police O'Neill, who spent Sunday
making plans for today, said:
mo one knows what will happen.
The opinofn is here for one of the
greatest labor contests in the country
and apparently there Is no hope for
averting it. The police will be able
to handle the situation, however,
without outside assistance, no matter
what happens"
Settlement of the strike may be in
sisted upon by Mayor Carter H. Har-
rison, If developments show that the
public interest absolutely demands it.
In the meantime arbitration through
the good offices of the mayor is a
remedy open to the opposing sides on
request from either.
PECULIAR COMPLAINT MADE.
AllArAd That Montuninn Man aroLa