Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-01-20
PRINTERS ON A STRIKE
Settlement Effected In T.-R.
Office-.Others Are Out
For Good
AND uNIoNIsM INVOLVED
T.-R. Comedies Raise on compositors
and Agrees to Retain Union Men
Now Employed-Men Withdraw De-
mand For unionized shop-WeekIy
and Job Offices Hiring New Men.

| The hair raising stories of wonderful
| reptiles and pictures of brilliant gowns
| that composed last evenings issue of
| the T.-R. are accounted for by the
| fact that the men employed in the
composing room of this newspa per
came as near to going out on strike
as they probably ever will and not ac-
tua!ly do it. Mutual concessions.
however, brought about settlement,
and 1t is understood that the adjust
ment Is eminently satisfactory. In
several other offices the men are ac-
tually out. pending settlement.
The union printers of this city pre-
scented to the Times Republican in
December, a union contract, asking for.
| It's acceptance. AT the same time con-
tracts were presented to the Reflector,
| and the Herald offices, the Hawkeye
Printing Company and II. b. Miller for
signature. These later offices had
| been working under union contracts for
! n year past. while the T.-R had re-
| fused 10 sign, when the matter was
up a year ago, and had been operating
without contract, altho the men en-
| ployed were mostly union men. and the
scale of wages satisfactory. This year
all the Offices excepting the Hawkeye
Printing Company refused to sign,
| which precipitated n crisis. and Mt
noon yesterday the men voted to strike
at 4 o'clock in all the offices that would
not sign UP. In the meantime the men
remained at work and the T.-R. was
published on time, but with great
deal of interruption in the type-settinS
force.
The entire afternoon in the T.-R.
Office was spent in negotiating with
committee of its men and at $50
D. M the publishers agreed to con-
ceda a raise from ST. per week TO sl3
per week for class of workmen call
| ed .compositors. with certain reser-
vations which would in effect raise but
one man in the T.-R. employ, as an-
| other was already receiving wages
| higher than this. The men had de-
manded 1880. The publishers also
agreed TO retain the union men now In
their employ. without prejudice. and
l.not to reduce wages OF anyone without
thirty days notlCe. III return io' 'tAs.'N
concessio the men withdrew their
demand for unionized shop and work
will continue as before.
Today the men are still out at the
Reflector and Herald offices. and at IA.
b. Millers these proprietors refus-
ing TO sign any contract or raise
wages, the demand for an Increase
on compositors from sl2 to $3.50 af-
fecting them on practically all the
men they employ. They are hiring
other men and their Offices will prob
ably run as non-union Offices and
their old employees will have to seek
other Jobs. After the T.-R. settlement
the men reduced their demands to the
other offices to a s13 scale, but the
proprietors still refuse on the grounds
that their business will not allow of II
and that compositors' work in weekly
or Job offices is not so severe work as
on an afternoon daily. The men insist
also on union contract. for the reas-
on that they have had one In the past
and can not afford to give up what
they have already gained.
With the majority of positions IN
the T.-R. employ there was no de-
mand for an increase in wages. The
foreman and machine operators receive
from SIS to $50 per month. and the
machinist- operator, a mechanical! ex-
pert, $l04 per month.