The sun., 1905-12-16
READY FOR PRINTERS STRIKE.
TYPOTHET.E TELL or THEIR
-, "OPEN SHOP" PLANS.
Say They Cannot and VIII Not Grant an
Eight Hour Day-TeIi Of Restrictions
on Free employment Schools for
M New Men Find Many Ant Pupils.

on free OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Tor
N New Men Find Many Apt Pupils
The TypothetR Of the City Of New York
made public yesterday their side OF the
labor troubles with Typographical Union
No. 0, which are expected to result in a
great printers strike in this city on Jan
uary /. Strikes are also expected in other
large cities on the same date. The Typo
thete Of this city are backed by the United
Typothete of America and the printers
are backed by the International Typo
graphical Union. The fight is TO be for the
"open shop" in the printing trade,
The printers are demanding an eight
hour day. The employers say this can
not and will not be granted" In antici-
patton Of the strike the magazine pub
fishers have already printed their publ
cations ahead, most Of them as far as April.
The Typothetse also have established a
school for printers at 407 Broome street,
where nearly 100 men and women are
being taught how to run printing machines.
The employers say that in the six weeks
the school has been in operation they have
proved that they can turn out finished
operators in from one to two months.
The present contract with the printers
union expires on January 1. At present
Typothete say that a wrong impression
has been given to the public by the printers
In their assertion that an eight hour day
Is, the rule for organized labor In indoor
work. A statement signed and given out
yesterday by William Green. president
of the TypothetP, says that "as matter
Of fact. with very few exceptions, the hours
in indoor trades are either ten or nine
per day"
The Typothete complain that for years
Il, Il Il
after another, increasing wages, de-
creasing hours and suffering new shop
restrictions, until they can yield no more.
As an example of the restrictions under
which the employers now suffer they make
this statement
The employer cannot put lis own son 10
work AT the machinery in his own composing
room until that son. after four years pro-
baton, swears allegiance to the union. sub
scribinR TO an oath that puts his duty tothe
union above his duty to family, Church or
State The employer cannot hire or dis
charge his own men. An employer is not
allowed any representation in his own COM
posing room-oannot operat" the keyboard
OF a machine that he has paid for or set his
own type. The affairs of the composing
room are run by union foreman assisted
by a chairman elected by the men. the chair
mans duty being TO see that the foreman
shall not for one moment forget any of the
numerous restrictions which the union has
placed on the running of the shop.
The TypothetR assert that these restric-
tions have not only decreased the output
but have made the production OF the shops
30 expensive that they are unable to meet
competition and make profit, They say
that even with nine hour day -the shrewd-
est management is necessary TO show
any profits whatsoever They add;
Upon all contracts OF importance we meet
with competition from points where the nine
hour and ten hour day prevails where the
union is not in control and the printer is able
to get the best results from his men unre-
strioted. The reduction from nine to eight
hours would mean a prohbitiye increase in
labor cost ithe principal item in printing
and the decentralization Of the printing busi-
ness in New York In 1903, with a ten hour
workday the minimum scale was Sis per
week Since then the workday has been
reduced to nine hours and wages have been
three times increased, 80 that the present
price for ffty-four hour week is a minimum
Of s2l an increase in cost per hour of 80 per
cent. With this increase in wages there has
been a steady decrease in hourly production.
The Typotheta declare that the present
attitude Of the printers lis contrary to the
best interests of unionism as a whole as
1t is ruinous to our industry" The state
ment continues
With the best labor market, with the best
equipped printing Offices in the lnited States.
with the largest amount OF capital invested
in any one city IN the country. with the high
est priced labor east Of the Miss sssIppi with
facilities for handling any kind Of printing
specialties New York should and will when
we have Won this strike, give its customers
the best service with competitive prices and
its men the best wages and the best shop
conditions in the world.
The Hypothete saythat there will be no
lockout on January and that every union
man willing u work under open shop con-
ditions and nine hours n day will get en-
ployment land the fullest protection against
the slightest Interference"
1t is declared that the Typothet@ are
prepared to put competent non-union
machine operators in various shops through
the schools which have been in operation
in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago,
Kansas City, Omaha and elsewhere. and
that there has been no difficulty in obtain
ing men and women who are desirous of
going into that field of work.
At the BroonR street school yesterday
the reporters saw these pupils at work.
The beginners were running dummy key
boards for the linotype and Lanston ma
chimes and were working on all sorts of
copy.
room is run in the shop and the strings are
measured up and errors corrected pre-
cisely as in a regular shop. Some of the
sons of employers were busy Yesterday
learning the printers trade. Wages are
paid to all of the employees and the man
ager declared that it was an ideal place for
women workers, A great many women
stenographers and typewriters are EN-
ployed,
One man was a dry goods salesman and
had never done anything but measure
cloth before he came to the school to learn.
In twenty eight DAYS he was sent to Job
as q finished workman and his employer
reports that he does better work than most
men OF several years experience. The
manager said that those learning the trade
would all have permanent employment
after January /.
All the large printing houses are in the
fight against the union Tho independent
printers, Buttericli's, Little and Trow, are
making their own fight ndependently Of
the TypothetR, but it was said Yesterday
that they were in full symnathv and prac-
tical cooperation with the Typothete. These
notices have been prepared to be posted in
all the shops where the strike is expected:
Every compostor or o,h"r printer en-
ployed In this Office 10 proceed la any point
agreed upon is employed on the distinct un-
derstandlng that he is engaged TO take posi-
ton in an Office whore n strike is now on and
is TO replace others who are on strike, The