Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-05-02
STRIKE ALONG LAKE FRONT
Employees of Lumber Concerns
Demand Shorter Working Day.
Want Same Pay for Nine Hours That
They Receive Now for Ten Hours
$50 Men Said to Ne Ont in
Various Yards.

ana hardly piece Of lumber was moved
as the result OF strike In four of the
largest lumber concerns in the city. The
strike affects the Shepard & Morse I,um.
Der company. the j. r. Booth company.
the Robinson Edwards lumber companv
and the Baldwin Refrigerator COMPANY
NO men were working in the yards of any
of the companies, while the work in the
mills at Booths, Shepard g. Morse and
the Baldwin company was practically nj
n standstill According to the statements
or the union leaders $50 men have struck
ana reported at headquarters. The de-
mands call for nine hours day with
the present wages paid for ten hours
work.
In al OF the four cases committee IT
the employees called on the officials Of the
companies and presented the requests but
were refused and then the men walked out
AT Morgan Brothers the demands were
granted and the Horatio Hickok COM
lpahy asked time to consider the matter
ana the men stayed with them. During
yesterday and last evening the strikers
were orderly. and for the most part
stayed ABOUT their homes and at the head
quarters IN Carpenters hall In the Nc
Ausan block
|
strikers marched two by two from the
mills to the hall where thew we're adj
dressed by j. +. Potts national organizer
OF the United brotherhood Of Carpenters
ana Jolners. who is engineering the strike
He urged the men to keep out OF saloons
ana to behave well and spoke along the
line of sticking together. Other meet,nys
AT which several Of the mon spoke, were
held during the afternoon and cvonjnp
of the $50 who struck only about 20 are
members Of the union and only ,hou, 1-5
| are eligible to becom, members 7, is
| questioned whether the union will assie.
Ithose who are not members az there is a
RUE that striker must have heen in
good standing at least six months before
ne can receive any benefits Mr. Potts
STATED yesterday. however, that no
tnousht all might be helped. The married
union men Will receive seven dollars NOR
week while the unmarried men will pot
ilVe' ~ Is thought that the local organizn-
uons VIII also render some assistance
| no one or the lumber dealers vestord,v
| couid say anything in regard to the nrob-
| abIe hfrect of the strike Usually tbis 10
| busy time Of year but no barres az
| lumber have Yet arrived and things ara
quiet Most of them admitted that tho
strike caused temporary Inconvenience
IN the matter OF shipping and in one cas-.
n part OF the office help was used in got
ting off car which was badly needed
FOR the most part. however, they thougb,
the trouble would be over in = d,,. AZ
two and they anticipated no serious 20.
suits. As a reason for not granting the
demands all urged the argument nc o,oso
iC hn
any magnitude which has taken place in
the lumber district in wears oItboug,,
the Shepard Morse Lumber companv
and one or two other concerns have AZ
times experienced difficulties Of q var,.
Gus nature. The strikers are apparentIv
determined and say that there is no like
lihood of their giving in
At the mill Of the Robinson I,dw,rd,
Lumber company the men did not go TO
work but assembled in the ward and q
committee or the strikers waited on the
superintendent, This was the first init
nation that the officials had received ~
the strike and demands were refused
As result "a men from the yard left. bu,
| the mill operatives remained. with the
ehceptioh OF one or two who were en-
ployed at times about the ward. and ,he
mn was running at full capacity yes
terday, according to the officials Tho
teamsters also stayed as a rule. along
with the bosses.
Al the NH OF the Horatio Hickok COM
pahy' where there are nearly 200 men.
'he employees did not 20 out. as they did
In many of the other mills, but a com
ml'tee called on the superintendent about
ten O'CLOCK and asked that the working
day be shortened from 10 hours to nine
win no reduction In wages. The Off
Gals asked time TO consider the matter
and this was granted so that the men
continued at work without the loss of a
man. 1t has been the custom OF this
mil. for the past three or four years to
close Saturday at l2:l5 O'Clock The
time thus lost was partly made up by
the men and two hours per week were
given by the concern. The ARRANGEMENT
was effective during three months in the
summer.
Morgan Bros. at once granted the de-
mands of the strikers and the nine hour
day was given them so that no trouble was
experienced. This mill employs about 30
men and is one OF the few which AS a
rule works full time during the winter
There was no strike at the mill OF W 4
ID. g. Crane. and the officials of the com
pany report that so far as they know
no men had left them. The conditions
there. as to hours. as near as can be as
certained are identical with the other
mills along the lake front.
A peculiar situation exists in the J. r
Booth mill. where the machinery is an
running, but the strikers claim that only
one man Is holding down his iob As ,r
the other mills committee presented
the claims Of the men and were told AT
tho office that they could not he conceded
They then promptly walked out This
mil supplies power to the Baldwin Re-
frigcrator company and Morgan Broth
ers. and probably on this account will OF
necessity he kept running
superintendent Gale of the Shepard a
Morse Lumber company declined to dis
cusS 10 any length the situation hut said
that the men were receiving a wage for
ordinary labor Of $50 per day. while OF
course there were boys who did not re-
ceive that amount He said that no cou,d
not see where tho company could afford
to pay the lo-hour wage for nine hours
work. According to the statement made
al union headquarters 90 men walked
out after the demands had been refused
IL was thought that r. including some
or the old men. were stu at work. Ac-
cording TO the reports of Mr.. Potts, the
same concern Is paying sl2 per week In
Boston for Transfers and Sl3 and Sl4 per
week for tally men. lie therefore scoffed
AT the idea that "A nine-hour day could
not he granted In this city. Mr.. Gale met