The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-08-13
DEMAND A RAISE.
Typographical Union Asks for
- Increase in Scale.
Would Have Minimum Wage I'm
Job Offices Advanced.
CONTRACT OUT MONDAY
Employers Would Establish
Partial Piece Work System.
Union Demands the Adoption
OF Single Basis.

NEGOTIATIONS are pending between the
Topeka Typographical union and The
fob printing Office proprietors of the
CITY for a revision of the existing con
tract between the union and the EN-
ployers. The present contract expires
on Monday, and unless the differences
are settled within a short time there is
danger of a strike or lockout which
would tie up all the job printing offices
of the city.
There are three principal points OF
controversy between the union and the
Job offices. The first is for an increase
In the minimum scale of wages Tor nno-
type operators in book and. JOB OfIlces
of 81 a week on day work, and $1-5O a
week on night work The present mini
mum scale is S17 a week for day work
and $3.50 for night work.
The second difficulty is the demand Of
the union for straight eight-hour day.
This demand is likely to be waived now,
In view of the action of the Information
al Typographical union, which is IN
session at St. Louis. The 1nternatlonal
fixed january l. 1906, as the date upon
which the efght-hour day should be de-
Haanded by all union printers OF the
country.
The third demand. which is one of
the most important of those under con-
sideration originated with the job OF
fice proprietors. They want the right
to establish the piece work system
whenever they desire, at rate OF 80
cents per 1000 ems. This is the rate TOR
piece work paid in Kansas CITY, Al
present the contract does not prONlue
for piece work 1t is all time wages
As a general proposition, the union Is
opposed to the piece work system, ana
would prefer to renew the contract on
that basis. The employers, however, in
sist that they must have the option OF
paying the piece work scale 1t is the
optional part which tfte union especlal-
~ opposes. If the employers can run
their offices half on the time scale ana
half on the piece scale, the printers
say that great injustice will be done
One job printer well posted on the SIT
uation said today;
If we allow each job Office to have a
double scale. the result will be this; all
the fat copy will go on the time hook,
and all the straight stuff on the piece
hook. The man who works on the piece
scale will not get any of the tat copy
and consequently the employers Will et-
feet a considerable saving in their eX-
penses-
I'VE don't entirely oppose piece work.
There are men working in the state
printing office now at time wages OF
about $3.50 a day who could earn 81 or
So by working on a piece basis, provid-
ed they were given the run of the. copy.
But with a double scale. they would
not get any fat copy, and probably
could not make their present wages
The union will not permit the intro
duction of the double scale. 1t must be
either one or the other. We can fix
up a scale which is satisfactory to us
if the employers insist upon the piece
work plan"
As a matter of fact. the job office
operators are already getting consider
ably above the scale. in most cases.
Some get as high as $23 or S24 a week.
What the employers object to is the
idea of being compelled to pay more
than the present scale. They insist
that while they are willing to pay an
efficient operator more than the scale
price, they should not be compelled to
increase the wages on inefficient opera
tors
Each year the job shops and the I'M
ion officers sign a new contract for the
year. If the present contract expires on
Monday without any new agreement
ing made. the present contract will coll
tinue in force until a new one is adopt
ed The officers of the Topeka Typo
graphical union are Chas. sutherland,
president, and Chas. Hovatter, vice
president.
The Typographical union is strong in
Topeka. There are only a few nom
union Job offices, and all the newspaper
offices are unionized. The Topographic
cal union insists that its present de-
mands are very moderate in view of
what might be ASKED. Some of the
largest job printing establishments in
the state are located al Topeka, and they
are. all union shops. sr