Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1910-09-15
The Anla|ganlatGd
At Marietta, Ohio
MARIETTA.. O.. Sept.

Marietta Lodge II held her first Re-
orgaization meeting at Labor Hall on
the 18th with the old war horse, MOI
Annich, in the chair, and Champion
Charles Jenkins, Of Elwood, Ind, as
secretary.
The hall was crowded with veter-
ans from Elwood, Martins Ferry and
Wheeling and q number of men wishing
to become members of the good old
A. A.. which speaks well for the fu-
ture success of Marietta n. A eom-
mittee was chosen to present the scale
to the new management, as 1t was
claimed BY some of the members that
the cid contract ceased when the mill
went into the hands of the receivers.
And to say that the committee was
welcomed when they performed their
duty would be putting 1t mildly, for
to use the words of our management
it was q pleasant duty for them to
sign the A. A. scale because they are
determined to have none but union
men, as the experience Of trying to
operate tin mill with non-union la
Dor has been bitter one.
There has been considerable capital
made in the Ohio Valley in regard
to conditions as they existed In Mari
eta before anr since such times as
the mill went into the hands of the re-
ceivers. In the first place, it was
claimed by some people who contrasted
the working conditions of this place
that the hills were full of tin workers,
and that they could be got Fat any
price, SO after considerable advertis-
ing at headquarters at Pittsburg, and
most everybody who applied there and
claimed that he was tin worker re-
ceived his bonus and was shipped to
Marietta, and the great majority
proved by their work that they had
never been inside of a tin mill before.
This method proved so disastrous to
the company that the people respon-Y
sible for its operation were called upon
to make good, and their only salvation
was to employ union men, and eafter
working about two weeks the COM
pany went into the. hands Of re-
ceiver, and now comes the rub.
A melting of / the men was called
and a committee picked to devise ways
and means to- collect wages due, but
for some reason or other when any
Qu0SllOA was dSkACA VI ILLS COAAEfAA4N'
it was ALWAYS the same old cry, We
have nothing to give. out" So a
number of the A. A. men got together
and made an Investigation for them
selves, and owing to complications In
the contract they decided at a meet
ling which they would hold whenever
they had any information to give out
to give the case into the hands of the
national officers, and we know th@t
the case is being looked after for the
men who have any. money tied up
from that end Of the line. Then on
Monday a communication was received
( from the w. F. Robertson Steel and
/ Urn Company, of Cincinnati, that If
the men would go to work he would
| lease the mill from the courts and run
/ it steady if the men worktnk there
would stay with hiN. He was also
| wiling to pay a committee of three
their expenses to Cincinnati in order
/ to explain his part of the contract to
them. So the committee went and
| reported back to the meeting Of the
employees of the mill. At an open
meeting where everybody was invited
their report was that the w. F. Rob-
ehtson Steel and Iron Company would
lease the mill from the courts and
operate it with strictly union labor,
and in order to relieve the situation
of the men who had gone in debt
for their board and other necessary
expenses he would pay the men 90
per cent of their earnings each and
every day that they worked. and
that the remainder would be paid on
the regular payday.
l. His proposition must have looked
good, for the men decided almost
unanimously to accept the conditions
which Nh. Robertson would give over
his own signature. ana on the follow
ling Saturday about 10 Of the men
lgot together and after all arrange
ments had been made to restart the
mill they decided that they would not
y