Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-05-14
REPLY TO Mr.. GEBELEIN.
Committee From the Citizens Asso
citation, Submits Answer on
Saturday.

On Friday last, Chas. Gebeleiu, of st
Louis, representative of the Amalga
mated Woodworkers' Internationa
association came to the city to confer
with the manufacturers with referenc,
to demands made upon them by the
local union. MIR. Gebelein met will
the reference committee of the Citizens
association on Friday evening, and t.
his requests the following answer wa.
submitted On Saturday. The document
speaks for itself and is as follows
WAUsAU, Wis. May IL, 1907.
Mr.. CHAS. GEBELEIN.
Representative of the Amalgamated
Woodworker's International Union
of America. of st. Louis, Mo.
BEAR SIR -
After our conference in regard to the
demand made by the Box Makers Unior
of this city and at your request, we sub
nit the following report
This committee is constituted for the
purpose of adjusting any difference, in
Justice, or misunderstanding between
the manufacturers and their employees
ia case any should arise. Your request
was that we state our position in regard
to several sections in the demand sub
nitted to the box companies a few days
since.
la regard to section one, the only
question involved is that of open Oh
closed shop. To that article the several
Box companies responded that they
stood for the open shop unreservedly
and stated their reason for so doing in
their letter, which need not be repeated
at this time. The manufacturers OF
this city are firmly in favor of the open
shop and retaining the right to hire any
good man regardless of whether he be
longs to church or union.
In regard to section two which refers
to the scale of wages, this committee
communicated by long distance te!a
business in this surrounding territory
We asked them to give the number OF
men employed in each class, together
with the rate of wages paid each man
These figures we have tabulated so that
we have before us the average rate OF
wages paid to each class of men em.
ployed in these several factories. We
then obtained from the factories of this
city the same information and com
puted the average wages in each factory
in this city and then averaged the wages
paid by each of them to each class
Each factory in Wausau now pays prac-
tically the same wages for the same
class OF labor and more than the aver
age of the ten factories outside. With
one exception, to be commented on
hereafter, we find that the box com
panies OF Wausau are paying four per
celt. and upwards more than is being
paid by other factories. And the aver
age paid to box makers in this city over
similar wages in other factories, is from
four to twelve per cent. In one instance
in this city one class of employees re-
ceiyes one cent per day less than aver
age for the same class in the factories
mentioned. In our conference it was
admitted by all present that there was
no real difference in wages between
those demanded and those now paid.
The committee had no definite informa-
ton as to wages paid in other cities,
and incurred the expense to procure
thsE information as to wages paid by
the factories which are their direct COM
petitors. From these figures it is ap-
parent as matter of justice that no
real or substantial complaint can be
made against the scale of wages paid in
this city.
In regard to section three, relating to
apprentices, we are informed that it has
no application in this city. There is no
such thing as apprentices employed in
the box factories of this city. There is
no class of laborers known as appren-
tices employed. AS this business is con-
Quoted here, such practice as they
demand, is impracticable as we'll as inn
possible.
In regard to section four, we find that
in this city there is very little over work
and then only in one or two classes of
employees. This is done for the pur-
pose of providing sufficient material to
keep the balance of the factory in oper-
alton for the following days with full
crew.
is regular pay day twice in each
month and that there never has been
any disposition to compel the employees
Labor Day against their wish. In clos
ing this section you provide that this
agreement shall be in force for one
year. To sign this agreement with
only this clause would bind the box fac
tories without binding a single member
of the union for one hour. Each en-
ployee would have the right to quit at
any time he deemed for his best interest,"
regardless of the wishes of his empoyer
or the interest of the manufacturer
Such contract would be without either
equity or consideration.
1t was not disputed at the conference
that in the main the relations between
the employers and their men in the past
had been as nearly ideal, in this city, as
it was possible to obtain. You will re-
member that the committee asked each
representative from the employees of
each factory to make known any griev-
ance and they were assured by the com
mittee that the committee would do
their best to remedy the same. In
response to this offer, no specific griev-
ance was submitted. When we consid-
er that the relations between the
manufacturers of this city and their
men in the past have been friendly, that
no grievances exist at this time which
demand action, and when it appears
from the inquiries that the box factories
in this city average from four to twelve
per cent. more wages than are paid for
the same class of labor in other cities,
this committee is of the opinion that
under all circumstances there does not
seem to be any cause for requiring the
box companies To Ell ter into any con-
tract whatever with the Box Makers
Union No. 2SS.
Yours truly,
G. S. CURTIS. =
w. c. LANDOS
w. H. MYLREA.
Reference Committee of Citizens