Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-08-16

this column articles contributed
! by it's readers. Tho comr:unica.
I tions .hould be typewriter, or :
I in plain hard on one side OF the !
5 paper, and signed.
I. >->>-< >>->->%>~~>~>> +
Editor Courier:
1t is generally understood by your
readers that under the heading "Peo-
pies Pulpit" in your paper any article
dealing in questions of public interest
will be published, providing the writer
signs his name to the same. With this
understanding, was ordered by the
Ottumwa Trades and Labor Assembly,
of which I am secretary, to offer for
publication the real facts which show
the true cause of the strike OF the
telephone girls, that the public may
have full knowledge of the trouble.
The main reason for the organiza-
ton of the union was the low wages
paid (not to speak of certain abuses
to which the operators were subjected
and which the girls did not care to
make public They had tried, re-
peatedly by individual efforts to Sc
cure increases in wages, but had
failed, the management representing
that the company was paying all that
it could afford, or as much as was
being paid elsewhere. To some en-
ployes the management would state
that the request would be given con-
sideration at some other time, but the
increases were very rare and If any
increase was granted at all it was very
insignificant. The operators became
discouraged with failure of individual
effort, and began talking of organized
effort and the natural and inevitable
outcome was the organization of a
union. Every operator Except two,
who were out of the city at the time).
was heartily in favor of the union, and
at the first meeting held for the pur-
pose of organization, every one of
them who was not on duty at the time
gladly signed the application for a
charter, and those not present had
signified their willingness to join the
union.
The day following this meeting the
management learned OF the NOV ement
and Immediately took steps to kill the
organization-the weapon being sort
of individual contract" drawn up by
himself-(a very one-sided document,
the girls who saw it report) binding
the girl who signed it to remain in
tn employ Of the company and not to
join the union, but not binding the
company to anything in particular as
to wages, etc. With this weapon In
hand, the management called the girls
into the private Office one by one and
asked them to sign the contract" To
several the management expressed
surprise that they were dissatisfied
with wages, ETC., and offered slight
increase in order to secure signatures
but these offers were made verbally
and were not written in the contract
and when contract was signed, the
employees signing returned to work
without having any contract of theil
own with the company. A number Of
the girls signed, but the majority re
fused to surrender their liberty in this
manner
When the last conference was held
there was not much argument over
the wage scale, both sides being will
ing to grant concessions, but the man
agement positively refused to sign ar
agreement with clause requiring the
plant to be union shop" that Is
that beginners be given ninety days
to join the union and experienced
operators thirty days. (The latter
would include those employees who
signed the application for a charter
and were enthusiastic unionists unit
they had been influenced by the 'in
dividual contract" to betray their sis
ter union employes). The manage
ment was willing to sign wage scale
with the union, and said he would MOI
use any influence to prevent operators
from joining the union, but at the
same time refused to relinquish the
individual contracts" that he hat
used to disrupt their organization.
At least one Of the girls who signed
contract" received as one induce
ment 81 per month increase in wages
while others received smalle
amounts and the union girls hold tina
the organization Of the union was thu
direct cause of the increase in wages
at this time, whereas if there hat
been no union agitation Or organized
effort wages would have remained a
they were until the management WI,
"liberally inclined"-anl only then Il
small amounts and to- only few
hence the union girls insist that an.
| agreement entera1 into must be OF
nature to insure the stability of thei
union While they are willing for tn
| company to hire any operator they dc
sire, they insist that after sufficien
time has elapsed to prove tn
efficiency of the operator-thirty day
for those Of former experience an