The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-04-04
Laundry Owners Issue State
ment Giving Their Side
of Strike.
CRYSTAL LAUNDRY SIGNS
UP AS "GL0SED SHOP"
Strike Leaders Say They Are
Satisfied With Situation at
the Present Time.

The Crystal laundry, l61E South
Fourth East street, at II o'clock yes
terday morning signed an agreement
for the CLOSED shop with the strik-
ing laundry workers, and thus becomes,
as was announced by the union leaders,
tho only "fair" laundry Of the city.
P-oprietors and managers of tho
nine other laundries OF the city prepared
a statement to their customers and the
public. in which the blame for the
STRIFE is placed upon labor agitators,
and declare that thelr employees had
no cause Tor complaint
International President Grah2mo of
tho Launnry Workers announces that
he is SATISFIED with the situation, and
expects within a few hours to win other
laundries TO recognition OF the union.
These are the developments OF Sun
day and Mondav in the laundry strike.
Tho signing Of the Crystal laundry
with the union workers only ratified
what had been previously announced
and expected. This is one of the small
lounrics of the city. employing sixteen
hands for single shift when operated
at full capacity, but a half crew
worked most OF last night in an effort
to take care of the accumulated bust
ness, and II is stated by Manager
Platt that arrangements may be made
III an early date to put on a tnll force
at nights and To increase the capacity
Of the plant by the addition of extra
mechanical equipment
AS all of the unions have been re.
questcd To patroniZc the Crystal
laundry. some such step viii be ncces'
sary il il is able to care for the
Iolumc of business that now appears
lii sight, il is said,
Laundry Owners Side.
The laundry owners and managers of
the establishments that still decline to
recognize the union yesterday pre-
pared a combined statement of their
attitude. II follows.
!'Uc our customers and the public in
general:
Regarding the labor troubles in the
laundricS. the facts in this case are as
follows
''The trouble has been caused by
labor agitators. The laundry workers
had no grievance The labor commit
tee admitted this when they met with
the laundry owners. This committee
claimed that all they desired for the
present was TO organize the laundry
workers. so as 10 make Il more com
plete labor organization.
''Thc Laundry Workers union called
all Of its members out on this strike,
we did not discharge them. and from
actual count in the Saturday night IS
parade they now have about l7O out
on this strike. There are employed III
the different laundrics of this city
about 700 workers. The places of the
l70 strikers have been almost entirely
filed; and business is going OH as
usual
''Thc laundrles of this city compare
well with the best work shops i'm the
world. and their working conditions as
10 wages sanitation and hours, have
been satisfactory TO our employees.
Investigation Wanted.
Some ignorant or malicious persons
have stated that some Of our employees
are working for $3 per week, and
that the sanitary conditions are bad.
We wish TO emphatically deny these
statements. II this is doubted we in
vite investigation. The wages paid in
the laundries of this city compare well
with the average wages paid anywhere
under like conditions.
The last Utah state legislature
iegalizcd u nine-hour day and fifty
four hours per week. The Salt Lake
laundries, for years past have worked
less thaa fifty-four hours per week.
OHIll INC ldDOI 3SltdlDTo FctCUIlN lHLCT"
fered the laundry workers were fairly
well satisfied with their conditions.
The fact that the places of the 10
strikers are now filled with satisfied
workers goes 10 prove that conditions
are satisfactory to our employees.
.'Wc have been, and always will be,
ready TO treat with our employees on
any grievance that they might have,
but refuse To treat with outside parties
who have 70 interest in our business
affairs.
g We make these statements because
we think the public is entitled to hear
our side vi the case. -
Strike Leader Satisfied
international President Grabame of
the laundry workers, who is here con-
Quoting the strike, said last night that
he had no official statement to make,
other than that he WAS well satisfied
with the situation, and that he was
confident the strikers would bring other
plants to recognize the union.
Financial Secretary W. Nj. kncrr of
the laundry workers said that "a well
attended executive meeting Of the
union was held yesterday afternoon at
Federation Of Labor hall, but that
nothing for publication was decided
uiiJn.
Strikers did little picketing at any
of the nou-nn,On plants. and the day
passed without disorder of my kind