The morning journal-courier., 1908-05-05
SUPPORT FRENCH
IN HIS FINDING
Referendum Vote Throws Down
the Local Cigarmakers'
Union by a Large
Majority.
SHOPS OPEN TOMORROW
Loss In Wages During Period Men
Have Been Ont Estimated at
S5O, O,O0O--Benefits Reached
$1,000 Week

The final answer Of the Interna-
tional Cigarmakers union to The pro-
test against shop conditions which
gave rise to first the strike at the
John 1. Kifeather factory in this city,
and later to the general lockout. came
last night when, on the referendum
vote, the claims of the New Haven
union We're thrown down.
This puts an und to the matter so
far as the international union Is con
cerned, ana now the men can either
work In the shops IN New Haven or
find work in some other city. The
international union no longer recog-
nizes any Of the claims and the strike
benefits which have been paid for the
last seven weeks cease at once. The
finding of Arbitrator G. r. French Of
Louisville Is sustained IN every par
ticular hy a tremendous majority OF
the union men OF the country and
Canada, The telegram announcing
this came last night and read:
&. r. French,
New Haven, Conn.
Finding Of arbiters sustained Notify
both sides at once,
G, w. PERKINS,
International President.
The opposing sides will be formally
notified this morning. but both heard
Of the decision last night The cigar
manufacturers association immediate
ly took steps toward opening The fac
tories and they will be all ready for
work Wednesday morning. on that
day the tobacco strippors will go to
work and the following day tha plants
will be In full operation.
The manufacturers We're greatly re-
lioved to hear the decision. As soon
as the returns came into tho interna-
tional office in Chicago 1t was seen
that only one out of every hundred
unions was supporting the local men
here but the manufacturers had to
wait for the formal decision before tho
factories could be opened.
The union men have now lost all
hope of winning out as the ceferen-
dun vote Is the .lnal action They
will therefore go back to work this
week. In the event of any refusing
to go back to work union men viii
be brought here from New York and
the shops filled. There are 100 men
out here and there are at least 1000
lcigarmakers out Of work in New York
and vicinity at the present time.
The strike and Lockout has been a
very expensive affair for everyone
CONFIRMED For the past seven week.
f it has cost the International order
$1,000 week paying benefits II
wages II has cost the men $4,000 foi
the period of seven weeks and thC
4 loss, to the manufacturers has beer
very large If tho union mon, hat
! been willing to work during tho tim,
between Mr. Freneh's report and III,
confirmation of the finding by thu
international union a great part q
this money would have been saved
The trouble started three month";
/ ago when the employees at John F
/ Kilfeathers factory protested over {
new method Of giving ont the file
/ for the cigars and went on strike
i The Kifeather employees received thr
support of the local union and fnall'
\ six weeks ago the Manufacturers as
sociation ordered lockout, Repre-
sentatives of tho international union
ono of whom was g. r. French, CAM
/ here and investigated the ca SO, find
ing the manufacturers In the righ
and ordering the men to go back t
work. The finding was taken befor
a meeting of the local union and Wa
thrown down with only a few dissent
ing votes
i Following the rejection of tho find
ing by the local union, 1t was feferre,
to the international council, a bod
made up Of the vice presidents, an
president Of the international union
Each one of the members GuAainei
the board of arbitration Then tn
finding. the claims on the local union
the individual letters of the member
of the international council, printe,
together were referred to tho loca
unions all over the country, tn
answers we're due last Saturday an
Mr.. French received the result by wir
last night.