United labor bulletin., 1910-11-03


tions are fair and equitable, and in no
particular in excess of wages paid in
other skilled departments of Denver
newspapers, and in the case of some de-
partments, the proposed contract pro-
vides for longer hours and less wages.
We find that contracts were secured with
the union newspapers mentioned without
duress or coercion, but instead by the u.s.
ual course of business negotiation, and
the newspapers mentioned have publicly
declared these contracts to be fair, and
even advantageous to them.
Reverting to the counter-proposition
submitted by the publishers, we find, to
all intents and purposes, an open shop"
proposition, embodying conditions which
could not possibly be accepted with hon
or by any labor organization.
1t demands, first of all, that the fore
man shall be in supreme control of the
pressroom, and that they may employ in
that capacity a non-union man if they SO
desire. The placing of a non-union man
in supreme control of body of union
men, and at the same time abrogating of
all laws, local and national, designed for
the protection of the members of the
union, is a condition that does not admit
of discussion. The most rabid anti-un-
ionist could not demand more
Reverting to the wage scale of the
we find it to be the
same as that against which the men re-
belled; that it is lower than the wages
paid skilled labor by these publishers in
other departments; that it is much lower
than the wages now paid in pressrooms
of the union newspapers in Denver, and
that, in addition, while the contract al
legged by the publishers to exist between
themselves and Web Pressmen's Union
No. % only ran until January 1, 1911, the
publishers in their ultimatum demand an
extension of this Objectionable scale
reaching to September, 1911; that their
demands for the enforcement of certain
working conditions embodied in the St
Louis contracts would mean reduction
in the number of men employed in the
Denver pressrooms, thereby increasing
the disadvantages suffered by Web Press
mems Union No. %, and giving the mem
bers of the Denver Newspaper Publish
ers' Association still greater advantage
over their business competitors, the
union newspapers.
Summing up the respective proposals,
your committee finds:
First-That while Web Pressmen's
Union No. % have offered recessions
from their original demands. the Denver
Newspaper Publishers Association have
replied with a proposition more harsh
and unfair in its conditions than those
against which the pressmen rebelled.
Second-That while the publishers ap-
peared before the first meeting of the Al
lied Trades and professed to have no de-
sire to inaugurate open shop" conditions
in their respective establishments, and to
be willing to treat with the pressmen on
fair and equitable conditions, your COM
mittee finds that these protestations are
belied by the attitude of the publishers
as set forth by them over the signatures
of their officers in the counter-proposi-
ton embodied in this report
Your committee, therefore, recon-
mends that each of the allied printing
crafts of Denver extend to Denver Web
Pressmen's Union No. % all support,
moral or otherwise, in their contention
for fair and equitable conditions in the
pressrooms of the News, the Republican
and the Post; further, that a copy of this
report be furnished each allied craft to
the end that they may consider it at
length. and after due deliberation, shape
their course in conformity to the best in
terests of all allied crafts
E. S. CLOSE.
Denver Typographical
Union No. 40.
S. KANTROWITZ,
Mailers' Union No. S.
JULIAN c. CUTLER,
Photo-Engravers'
Union No. is.
THOS. AUTER,
Stereotypers' Union
No. Is.
Committee.
Following the reading of this report a
resolution was drafted and read setting
forth the conditions as they exist and
asking the officers of the different print
ing trades unions to endeavor to have the
executive officers of the different inter-
national printing trades unions to come
to Denver at once and take charge of the
situation.
This resolution was telegraphed to the
Joint Conference Board, now in session
at Buffalo, n. Y, where the executive
council of the International Printing
Pressmen's and Assistants union is also
in conference.
The ten different printing trades un-
ions in Denver have held meetings and
each has asked their international oftic-
ers to come to Denver without delay and
take charge of the situation.
All men are working except the press
men on the three papers mentioned,
waiting for the situation to take on def
mite form. 1t is believed that by the first
of the week the machinery of the inter-
national unions will be set in motion to
accomplish the adjustment of the differ
ences in the printing trades in Denver.
The publishers have taken alarm and
have notified the police department that
If anything should happen to their plants
that Messrs- Snyder and Pidcock would
be held responsible for what had oc-