The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-01-22
Strikes Here and Elsewhere.

strikes Here ana ELSEWHERE.
No sooner had our puny Fall River
strike, involving only $4,000 opera
tives, been settled than one breaks
out among the coal mines of Ger
many, involving 100000 men. The
union is not particularly strong at the
German mines, and the government
itself owns many acres of coal lands
in the Rhenish-Westphalia district,
but the tendency of the present strike
is to drive the operatives into the
unions. They are fighting a coal conf
bine which shuts down mines arbi-
trarily. They also want a nine-hour
day, six-hour shifts in times of OPP
pressive heat, the regulation of weigh
ing the miners output, a minimum
wage of SIPS for cutters and S715
cents for helpers, and extra pay for
overtime. Despite the fact that the
union is not very strong at the mines,
all the operatives are acting together,
SO deep and grievous are the troubles
that beset them. The trust now de-
clares it will not deal with the oper-
atiyes' convention, but stands ready
to deal with the operators indiyid-
ually.
The operatives are supported as q
rule by the socialists, but thus far the
strike has not assumed distinct po-
litieal form. Thus far it is not known
what the Kaiser will do, beyond the
fact that troops have been dispatched
to the mines to maintain order. No
disorder has, however, shown ITSELF
The strike at st. Petersburg is on
the other hand undoubtedly political
in its nature, being a part of the gem
eral unrest and discomfort, prevailing
among the masses in Russia touching
the bureaucrats ant the war in the
far east. 1t was begun by the oper-
atives in the Putiloff ironworks, and
1t has spread until it has stopped
nearly every industrial establishment
in the capital city, including the news
papers. The Putiloff strikers present
demands, IS follows.
/. The dismissal of the foreman who is
objected to by the union, and the rein
statement of the men who were dismissed
for belonging to the union.
2. Eight hours work per day.
3. The valuation of work to be made
by a joint committee of workmen and
foremen.
A. The appointment of joint permanent
committee on arbitration.
8. minimum wage of so cents per day
for unskilled male labor.
6. Overtime work not to be obligatory,
and to be paid for at double rate.
7. The men not to bear the cost of con-
demned work when not responsible for 1t.
s. A minimum wage of 80 cents per day
for unslSilled female labor, and the estab-
| lishment of a creche for children.
| 8. Improved medical attendance.
TO- Improved sanitary conditions in the
workshops especially in the smthies.
H. Immunity from punishment for strik-
ers.
T. The average rate of ray during the
| strike.
Heretofore the operatives in north
ern Russia have not been well organ
ized but they seem to have acquired
both organization and a leader. The
latter is Father Gopin. The socialists
are no doubt behind the movement
and unless it is speedily settled turbu
lent times will be experienced in the
dead of winter in the streets of Mos
COW and st. Petersburg and other
cities of the land.
The outside world will watch the
Russian strike because of it's weight
in the pending political troubles that
confront the Gar and the autocratic
bureaucratic system of government
| That system is rotten and inefficient
and it seems to be lettering to its
fall. The operatives of st. Petersburg
may hasten the event.