New-York tribune., 1910-12-17
TRANSATLANTIC LINES
PREPARING FOR STRIKE
Taklno Measures TO Fight Union
i onnsl,oren,en in Big !le-Up
for Higher Pay.
IuTIMATUM TURNED DOWN
r;o Disturbance After New
years Expected-Labor Men
Say Strike Decision Waits
ON Committees Report.

,,,,shib companies running TO thlS
=, have been quietly preparing for
- time for threatened strike of the
,.,-s,,orenen on the first OF the coming
The Longshoremen delivered an
.,s,i,oatlrn To the companies six weeks
- demanding an extensive increase in
,sv and declaring that unless their de-
,.epde were granted there would be
y,ne,ai strike called on January J.
Tbs ,,,e rl:isers of the big coml1a MES
,t into conference soon after the ulti-.
,.,,,n, WIS delivered. and all agreed
;nat they would not aecede to the de-
nands Since that time they have been
hacking oNei' the iabcr field with view
.o having l1enty of non union men ready
"a work in case the threat of strike
xrnre carried out.
Tho steamship men understand tnat
-, erst atten,pt of the strikers will be
"a tie up the big TRANSATLANTIC lines IN
Manhattan Hoboken Jersey City ana
.1,rooklvn. The walkout will be first on
,he piers or the international Mercanule
Nri7le. which includes the American
the Red Star. the White Star and the
Atlantic Transport lines. all in the chei-
So Improvement section. The Cunard
srd the French lines. also in the Cheisea
announcement. will follow. and then VIII
,,,,,,,. II, o,,5c5 succession La Neloce and
the two other italian lines in Manhattan
fhc North German Lloyd the Hamburg
American. the Wilson. the Phoenix, the
scandinavian American and the Hoi-
1st,l-America lines, in Hoboken; the
IJavd Sabado. in Jersey City, and the
Russian American the Uranium, the
F=l,rc the Sicula-Americana and the
Llovd-italiano lines, in Brooklyn
Willing to Have Struggle Now.
The last longehoremen's strike here
was called in May, 1907. and was marked
hy several weeks of violence and r1oting,
after which the men returned to Work
without any substantial concessions 10
rhs;r demands The steamship COM
NAMES say that if there should be a
.,rile nov. the men would find them
xelyos mrch worse off at the end OF it
fhan they were after the 1907 walkout
This is the winter season, when the
work for longshoremen is light and
much labor is idle and willing 10 lurh
ffs hands To anything
The steamship companies have always
maintained the open shop. and they say
TIA; ;hey would have no trouble In get
ting mon Ia work In addition 10 TINS,
the men have families 10 support. coai
and wood to buy. the generally higher
snsf of living in winter. and they Wouiu
not he able to stand long siege Inc
.nn1u;,nies think that a strike woulo
soon fail for lack Of ability TO support
Itself. and they are willing TO have the
struggle come now and conditions De
settled Tor the spring nd summer Wheh
there will be lots Of work for every one
and a tie-up would fall on the COM
,.an;es with much more force than now.
The first talk of strike came from
the International Longshoremen AS
so,ia;ion. which has its headquarters IN
Detroit The association sent on IN
structions 10 demand an increase OF .
cents an hour. from 80 to ID cents, Tor
regular day of ten hours, and an m
crease from - to 30 cents for overtime
rh4 association wanted 20 cents an hour
nr all work on Sundays. Christmas. La
,or Day and the Fourth of July Inc
.en new get So cents an hour Tor 1apor
n HOLIDAYS Seventy cents an hour
-bcn the men had to work during their
luncheon hour. for which they now get
the regular pav. is another demand.
Stipulated Men TO Handle Loads
concessions were demanded also in the
lads the men must carry. The demands
lcIuded one that three men should be
gpplied To load a truck that was TO
AIRY more than Loo pounds And
Ter, Was another stipulation that two
lel must be supplied for work that
siled for lifting sacks or bundles weigh
more tnan $50 pounds There were
jier rulings about the notice that must
given Ia the men Of the time When
fhey we're 10 go TO work in case ships
were 10 be loaded or unoaded at night
or or Sundays or holidays.
The local union asked for o5 cents an
! hour for ten-hour day, 30 cents an
hour for overtime and the present sched-
uie oi ga cents an hour for Sundays and
Christmas, leaving out Lab Dor Day and
the Fourth Of July. Sixty cents an hour
was asked for work during luncheon
time. No reference was made to the
weight of the load the men should carry.
a in' ifibef 81 me union said Yesterday.
Wc have sent committee from our
Inion 1" see the managers of the steam
ship companies and present our de-
nlands. The committee has not reported
~, but We hear unofficially that our de-
mands have been refused. The COM
lanies received our committee cour-
teously. but that was ALL There was
ac ga ,isfaction TO the demands We
don't expect them To give in. but We viii
not get I positive report until New
Wears After that we viii have 10 talk
II oyer and decide what To do.
when the men returned to work after
n last strike they were told that if
my Rad any requests to make in The
icture The, could always get hearing
be sending committee 10 the com
f..liles Ne have sent a committee this
ehne' and from what we hear il has not
aene amy good.
Nobody can say what NJ mea viii
. There are lots of th;nes 10 be con
sidered- we have our families 10 tale
"fre of But We don't think We are
beng fairly treated by the tonnanios
after what They told US when wc vent
back befor~. aud that mav have Good