Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-06-07
BIG FIRMS WOULD
END LABOR STRIKE
Willing to Confer with Men In
dividuaIly, but Not with
Organization.
CONTINUED from First Page,


the present scale of wages for laborers.
1t was said such an additional sum
could be used to reimburse the con-
tractors, who would have to pay more
for their labor than they anticipated
when the contracts were madef
Mayor Haussling held a short confer
ence with the members of the city's
legal department and then informed the
three visitors that such an appropriation
could not be made, as the Common Coun-
ell has no authority In the matter. He
declared that the contracts were made
after the citizens had been assessed for
the amount and that further assessment
could not be placed upon them simply
because the laborers doing the work had
become dissatisfied with-their wages.
The three visitors left the mayors office,
however, feeling sure the city's chief
executive would do all In his power to
relieve the situation and put a stop at
once to the unnecessary use of revolyers
by the police.
Deplorlng the bloodshed and violence
of the laborers' strike, twenty-one lead
ing contractors today sent a letter to
Mayor Haussling IN which they expressed
their willingness to take up individually
with their men all questions of wages
and hours.
They repeated their refusal to arbitrate
or have any dealings with the union.
They also insist that the conditions pre-.
vailing at the time the men stopped work
should prevail until the present contracts
are finished.
After that, they say, they will take up
the disputed matters and ARRIVE at n
satisfactory adjustment"
The Public Service is not numbered
among the large employers who signed
the letter. The contractors whose names
are affixed to 1t are Newark Paving
Company, Van Keuren & Son. Jersey
Paving Company. Standard Bitulithic
ompany James A. Christie, John
Dorer, Mcmahon Construction Company,
D'Amato & %Stefanelli, O'Gara & Nc
CURE, Inc, Charles Ippolito, Maher &c
McNicholas, ]. F. Stanley & Co., The
Osborn & Marsellis Co., A. & N. Sems
CO., Philip and Peter Jannarone, Frank
Allison, Robert Doriety, Alexander j.
Milmoe, Bamberger & Chapman, William
Ballard, Claus Miller Freeman Co.
The letter follows:
Jacob Haussling, City Hall, Newark.
Dear Sir-In response to your request
to the contractors who have been az
fected by the strike of the laborers
formerly in their employ. asking that
the existing differences between the con-
tractors and their employees should be
submitted to arbitration, we most re-
spectfully submit to you the following
statement of facts and conditions:
You will probably recall that on or
about May 6. without notice and without
any requests or demands made upon the
work. While this condition prevailed
almost universally among the c%ontrac-
tors, there were, during the following
days, q large number OF laborers who
leaders and their followers visited the
places where work was progressing and
compelled those who We're working to
leave the work, and from that time I'M
til n week ago practically all the work
in the city and county was stopped.
Say They Fear Violence.
Since that time there have returned
to work perhaps six or seven hundred
of the laborers. but all these men have
been subjected to violence. and 1t is
only through subterfuge that they are
successful in getting to the Jobs on
which they are working.
1t Is reported to us eve ry day by q
ma Of the workmen that they woull
be willing and glad to return to their
Jobs II they were not prevented tnroush
threats of violence to themselves and 10
their families.
1t Is hardly necessary for us to call
TO your attention the numerous oc-
casions on which large bodies OF the
strikers have appeared at. the various
Jobs now under course of competitor
and taken the men away from them,
taking them to their headquarters and
compelling them to join them as
strikers. in many cases. Keeping them
az prisoners in the headquafters until
they agreed to abide by the orders or
the leaders. THESE pc
tween the strikers and those work
ing has, as you know, resuitea IN
~bloodshed. and many of the ofhcers
have been seriously injured. This
state of affairs has induced better
class of the men to leave Newark anu
seek employment at very
much reduced pay.
Conditions of Arbitration.
We would also call your attention to
the fact that the leaders OF these Strlk-
ers are not laborers themselves, pnt
| sa~loon-keepers, BARRIERS, or engageo II.
other walks of life, and would appear
to be engaged in this situation for their
own pecuniary gain.
All the above indicates a condition OF
lawlessness and disregard. of the rights
of others which, 1t would seem TO us,
cannot berthe subject of arbitration, ana
cconseouently we cannot, under any cir
cumstances, arbitrate with these men as
now formed and led by such leaders as
they now have.
we are, however, perfectly willing and
would gladly invite our men to present
Ito as, individually, any grievance or
complaint which they may have against
us. but we desire It to be distinctly un
grievances must be presented by the
men themselves to their individual en-
ployers.
How Pay Is Arranged.
We feel justified In insisting that as far
as 1t relates to the contracts now IN
force that the conditions prevailing az
the time the men quit the Jobs should
continue until these contracts are mn
ished and completed.
After such contracts have bean COM
pleted We will take up with the men tns
question of wages, hours of labor ana
employment, and arrive at a satisiac-
tory adjustment of all matters IN us
pute between us. and our men we eau
then make our bids for future wofk con,
form to the new conditions. whicn VIII
prevail as to the cost of labor.
There seems to have arisen an erro-
neous idea as to the prices we are
paying our men. and Tor, your lniornias
our men received were from SLIGO TO W
per day, according to their efficiency
and the length of time In our employ.
We are compelled to accept all kinds
OF men, and 1t ls a matter of consider
able time before these men acquire
sufficient knowledge in the work TO
warrant an increase In their wages, put
very few of them at the start receive
less thar SLIGO h day.
Facts Distorted"
We are all residents and taxpayers
of this city n county, and are Jealous
of the good name both OF the city and
county. and are DESTROYS of cooperating
with you In stopping violence n law
~lessness. but We cannot submit to he
dictation n supervision of those men
who now control these laborers. We
know that conditions have been mis-
represented TO the men and facts dis