The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-03-02
MANUFACTURERS ASK
NATIONAL ARBITRATION
Unions Met To-day and Ap-
pointed Dispute Commit
tees, Following the Sus-
pension Vote Of Saturday
Night.

Dceduse ui the lallllre 0f negotiations
for new labor agreement, to take the
place Of the old one which expired Sat
urday night at midnight, the entire gran.
ite industry Of Barre and Washington
county was tied up to-day; 4.5O0 work,
men began vacation" and two hundred
plants are idle. How long the conditions
will last il probematical.
Heretofore, with the single exception
OF the disastrous Suspension Of the sum.
mer of 1892, the parties to the labor
agreement have been able to patch up
their differences in short order when the
real crisis came The '92 trouble
lasted from the first Of May to early fall,
and the blighting effects were felt for q
long time. Since then, no suspension
has continued longer than week, and
there have been very few occasions when
it became necessary to resort to sus-
pension.
This present situation Affects both the
quarrying and the manufacturing ends Of
the industry, as the agreements in both
branches expired at the same time.
Three months ago Barre branch, G G.
/. A., and the allied unions presented
formal notice of their desire for d change
Of terms Of settlement. and-the manu-
facturers did the same; while at the
quarries, the owners put in their notice
Of q desire for change. Since that
time negotiations have been conducted
at weekly intervals, until last week
when more frequent efforts were made
to reach a settlement ere March !. The
elimination came Saturday night, when
the unions refused the propositions ad
vanced them and voted suspension Of
work
The say-so Of the granite cutters
union in Barre. numbering Ito mem
bers, goes with the other unions, and
when that union voted unanimously Sat
urday evening against agreement on the
basis proposed. the others followed suit.
The granite cutters, meeting was held
in the opera house, and the tool sharp
eners and the polishers met with them.
There never was larger meeting than
that. The capacity Of the house was
not nearly capable Of holding the crowd.
Every seat was full, the aisles were
jamned, the rear Of the hall was a mass
Of men and even the stairway held its
quota Of those who couldn't get In. Be
sides, many went away. About l,000
were in attendance.
The work was Of short order. however,
consisting in a refusal TO consider the
offer made by the manufacturers and
followed by the suspension of work vote.
At the same time the quarry workers
were in session at Miles hall, Granite
Vile. and the Jumpers, boxers and der
rickn1en in Nichols hall, this city. They
also refused to accept the proposition,
and with the steam engineers make the
movement unanimous among all the
unions.
The granite cutters, who had been
getting 3T1h cents an hour average BIZ
weekly pay and Saturday half holidays
during June, July. August and Septen
her. originally asked for 40 cents an
hour minimum, weekly pay and SatuT
dav half holidays the year around, while
ehe manufacturers made a proposition
for practically the old agreement. The
difference in the quarry propositions was
mainly over length Of agreement, the
men wanting yearly agreement While
the owners asked for one to run three
wear. There was. however, one other
contention as to overtime pay. and it
now constitutes the chief point at Issue.
The Men Affected.
Representatives were present at Sat
nrday nights meetings from other com
munities and telephone communication
With those unrepresented was held, SO
shat not a union hammer is being lifted
fo.dav IN Montpelier. Northdeld, VIII
l;arsfown. Waterbury, East Barre, as
well as Barre: while the suspension order
also takes in Morrisville and South Rye
The last official roster Of granite cut
tnre h the unions affected showed a
|sotal Of a724 divided as follows:
|psrre ..........-. .-..-..... 1,tso
.s-..-. ..'5.',''
|Northsleld lalso polishersl -'..-.- Ilsl
|W1lliamstovn --...-.-. .-...'.'''- es
South Rvegate -..'.-,.'.'.'. %
#rasf Barre ..s--.-.--.-- .--.-s.s's- =
WATERBURY galI unions) --..-..... e
kforrissille .-..s.--ss..t-- .-....
Then there are the allied unions /
,srrs fool sharpcners numbered ioe' pol
.kers ~. Jumpers. boxers aud derrick
- nnuroximalelv the same, steani en-
seeers go quarry workers l,oeo- ia
4 - ,.sAse eone naInilies there s about the /
ss.s nsnnorlion Of workers n these a'-