Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1910-01-13
PART Owe
THE MAKING OF
STRII1E-BREAFER

with the. 1nclplGHC ". r. StIIh0: VI
1923 the professional strike
breaker came into existence. OF
course, there were other strikes be-
fore like the general strike in 1901
and a few will count also like the
AFFAIR in Homestead, near Pittsburg,
where several were killed; the militia
and the national troops being called
to protect the property of the steel
mills, and the Lehigh Valley Rail-
road Co., where the machinists, boiler
makers and blacksmiths struck, and
after~a short period were DEBATED by
the Company. Also chain of indus
trial warfare through the country
here and there, strikes by various
groups of employees, metal trades,
store. clerks, general railroad en-
ployes, etc, but as stated, the U. F.
was the beginning and the starting
school of strike breaking, not only
for machinists, boiler makers or
blacksnriths but also as a training
school for the strikes that followed
in all industries, and as teamsters,
butchers, street car employees, paper
mill workers and nearly every trade
that had an organization behind it.
Today you will find strike breakers
playing detectives in coal mines,
special officers in railroad yards, or
guards for different plants. affected by
labor trouble. Next week, pos
.sibly, you will find them operating a
street car in San Francisco or Louis
Vile, Ky. A few weeks later you
will find them driving a team through
the streets of Chicago, and success
sively taking part in all the labor
torubles, with one intent-to break
the particular union involved in that
strike, but never from principle or
any knowledge of what they are do
ing or the misery they leave behind
nem, or the unjust. condition left for
taose who were forced to accept the
contract Of the victorious employers.
Also iii a strike, one of the most i'm
oortant feature is for the apprentices,
elpers and laborers who want to ad-
vance to skilled mechanics positions,
better conditions and more pay; for
ITEM the strike is a .God-send. as it
enables them to speedily finish or
quickly sIearn'' a respective trade.
The strike breakers are of two
classes, some called "Fincks" and the
'Scab." A ''Finck'' is one who goes
to- all stFikes, takes part in all the
labor. troubles, and who is impartial
to trades A ''Scab''. is pne who goes
against his fellow workmen and his
particular trade, refusing to go out
with the rest when a strike is or
dered, or coming back before any
agreement is reached.
Tho Why Of Strikes.
Now, let us see how, strike is
commenced. There are several rea-
sons, one of them, the mis-manage-
nent of the company or plant to, be
Effected. Second, the incompetency of
the officials, who cannot make the
plant or shops pay more dividends to
heir greedy STOCKHOLDERS. A strike
hen is welcome, a necessity to get
hem out of the trouble they are in.
The first thing they will do is to try
o impose the "open shop policy; not
hat they care to break the union,
out they seek that merely as an ex-
use. Also. they try to enforce new
system called the piece work. sys-
EN-, or worse yet the '.bonus sys-
en- For instance, take the U. P.
2ailroad Co., they have tried to in
rodoce the "piece-work" system,
tanning that man will make more
money. Alsa that he would have his
Jwn time, be more Independent in
he production ofYthe work he is at.
Incidentally, the nan will turn out
n average of SO per cent more work
han at the usual hourly rate. To
outsider, business man, a stock
folder not familiar with conditions
md methods of getting dividends in
my way lawful or unlawful to them,
hese. things look all very good for
he Company to give their, men a
nance, also more dividends, but to
he man affected by that change, ex-
oerience has shown him something
Iifferent' For instance, the Baldwin
locomotive Works of Philadelphia
pay $1.00 for turning out in an en-
CINE lathe an, S. P. bell weighing
bout $50 pounds, consequently when
l man, skilled mechanic, turned out
six of those bells in day he made
What i sconsidered in that city a
drst-class pay. If he wasn't any rela-
ion to the contractor who employed
aim, after a certain period he was in
sormed that the Company can't af-
sord to pay SO much, but if he wants
o take rs cents for the same work,
ne is quite welcome to stay there,
otherwise he could get his tools and
tipe," and the next man asking for
JOB, got it at rs cents a piece. i, The
new mechanic had to- keep up the
speed of the man preceding him, he
~ fIYI.I1 ont mo p1o11n% of