The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1910-07-22
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pressed his unwillingness to treat with
organized labor He stated his willing
ness to meet his employees as indi-
viduals but not as members of labor
organization.
1t was pointed out that just as the
Stone-Webster people employed men to
represent them and their interests, so
did the electrical workers. Mention
was made of the fact that the Electri-
cal workers and the Pacific Telephone
&Telegraph Co. had a written agree
ment covering four states which was
found to be the most eminently salts
factory way of preserving peace in the
industrial field and settled status of
affairs. 1t was urged upon Mr. Stur-
tevant that he at least enter into a
conference over the proposed agreement
and that they sit down and argue the
thing out. This he declined to do but
when told Mr.. Furth had told them to
see the local managers and had given
them permission to come back again to
him. Mr.. Sturtevant finally told the
committee that if they met with success
with the managers in other cities he
would be glad to take the matter up
again at a later date.
Again the union officials left Everett
to interview managers in other cities
They were met with uniform courtesy
but absolute refusal to sign agreement
with the union organization. They
went back to Mr. Furth only to be told
that the Everett Railway, Light 4
Water Co. was an autonomous corpora
ton, dealing with its employees and car
rying on its business without interior
ence from the "higher-ups." If Mr..
Furth had only made that perfectly
clear in the first place, states the com
mittee, different line of action might
have been followed) SO, with the pa
thence of Job, back came the officials
to Everett. They endeavored to make
an appointment with Mr.. Sturtevant
over the telephone, but were informed
that he had nothing to discuss with
them. Not to be denied hearing, how
ever, the committee laid in wait for him
the following morning. Mr. Sturte
want declared he had nothing to dis
cuss with the organization. He re-iter-
ated his willingness to meet his en-
ployes as individuals-not otherwise.
He resented also the fact that the local
had seen fit to bring a man from Cali
fornia into the controversy which was
purely local
With magnificent self-restraint the
boys concluded that if it was Mr.. Sulli
vans presence and personality that
was objected to they would remove that
stumbling block in the way of a con
ference and last Monday morning sent
a committee, composed OF the EN-
ployes OF the company to meet the sn-
perintendent. Mr.. Sturtevant met them.
with courtesy, il !, true, but still ada
mant. First and foremost, he stated,
seemed to De- the wage controversy. He
declared positively that the company
could not agree to a raise in wages from
$685. to S4.2O per day. Asked if he
had any basis of agreement to suggest.
he replied none.
The electrical workers want it under
stood that the agreement drawn up was
tentative and formed the basis for argu-
ment and possibly mutual concession.
They wanted a chance to discuss the
terms of the agreement ana take up
with the company one by one the points
at issue.
During the interview Mr.. Sturtevant
expressed the regret that the company
seemed to be unable to get close to its
outside employees the linemen. He
statd that they seemed difficult to app
proach. If the men saw fit To quit it
was regrettable, but their own affair.
The electrical workers. through
thorough trial of the trade agreement
with other companies, say they have
found it the most satisfactory way OF
dealing with employers. They claim IT
hsrmonizes difficulties, does away with