The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1912-03-01

f. A. Durr, proprietor of the French
laundry, saw fit to break into print i'll
the daily papers in statement to the
public giving his side of the controversy
between his concern and organized
labor. Mr.. Durr's plaintive lament is a
very touching piece of literature and if
it exactly stated the case Mr.. Durr could
very acceptably fill the role of prse-
cuted and bounded man, the victim of
union conspiracy.
The meat of Mr.. Durr's statement is
as follows
That two months ago he was informed
that his engineer must join the union
or he would be placed unfair. That he
advised his engineer to join and offered
to pay half of the initiation. That his
engineer put in his application, paid his
fees, and was given an oral examination
by the engineers. That out of twelve
or fifteen questions the applicant mae
curately answered two, whereupon he
was Immediately rejected. That two or
three weeks later a committee from the
Trades Council visited him and in
formed him that he must discharge the
engineer within one week or be placed
unfair" That the man in question
had been employed by that company as
an engineer almost continuously for the
past seven years and had given salts
faction and that to discharge him would
be unreasonable and unjust.
There are always two sides to story.
The following statements the journal
obtained from members of the engineers
union, men with twenty five years ex-
perience at their trade, men who have
held and are holding as responsible po-
sitions as there are in the city:
'It was way back in August of last
year that we first tried to get Durr's
engineer in the union We sent a COM
mittee of our men several times to see
him but he did not want to Join be-
cause he claimed he was getting more
than the scale as it was. Finally we
placed the French laundry unfair and
took the matter up with the Trades
Council. This was the Goth of October.
1t was placed in the hands of the strikes
Council and that committee went to see
Mr.. Durr and the engineer. The com
mittee got very little satisfaction and
made an unfavorable report to the coun-
ell. The council believed in going ahead
slowly and instructed its secretary to
notify Mr. Durr that the council would
like to see him. The night of November
Mr.. Durr appeared before the Trades
Council and promised that if we would
wait until he got moved in his new
building he would guarantee to have a
union engineer on the job Action was
postponed by the council on this prom
Use and we agreed to take the matter
back to our union again. On November
II we told the council we would give
Mr.. Durr thirty days to put in union
engineer.
"A month later we found it necessary
to go to the Trades Council again as
the engineer was still out and the coun
ell committee again visited the laundry
The committee was assured that the
engineer would join.
"On December we received the APP
plication of Mr.. Chandler. Mr.. Chand
Ter told us that Mr. Durr was dissatis
fled with the old man and hereafter he
would run the engine. This was oul
first intimation that Mr.. Chandler was
an engineer employed by the French
Laundry Co. He was not the man We
had had the trouble with last year We
are informed that Mr.. Chandler's ex-
perienee with any engine job in the
French laundry was limited up to that
time with the small engine that runs
the washer. We told Mr.. Chandler that
we were glad to have him in the union
and We appointed committee to give
him an examination, which was given
him on January 10, This committee wa.
composed of engineers of many years
experience. They conducted their eX
animation orally. We give an oral ex
animation because we know there art
many men who can talk about practca
points about engines and boilers that
they could not explain in writing an.