Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-03-25
THREATEN
STRIKE IN JERSEY


tant profits from the sweat and biooo
of the workers and give us something
better than a starvation wage!
Julius Forstmann. president of the
Forstmann & Huffman mills, both OF
which are closed: Ernest Pfennlns'
superintendent of the New Jersey
Mills. superintendent George c. Roeh-
Zig, of the Botany Worsted Mill; Chris
tian Bahnsen. general manager of the
Gera Min, all said that they would
prefer to close their mills for months
rather than make any concession to
the employees.
Girl Striker Is Fined.
Miss Annie Sabo. one of the strikers
wa fined on a charge of carrying a red
dag, after she had marched out OF the
Phoenix mill, Passaic.
Frank Pless Domo. secretary and or
ganizer of the Industrial Workers, Lo-
cal No. 2S, of Passaic, said;
s'Thev arrested our sister Annie on a
funny charge. When she marched out
of the Phoenix mill with the others
she wore a red bandanna kerchief over
her head. like all the Hungarian girls
She took off the kerchief and sticking
il on a pole waved it about her head
A policeman arrested her as a disor-
DERBY person. and was about 70 hand
cuff her when she took his arm ana
said: Come, L will go wherever you
want ME to- They took her to Cliff
ton lookup and 1 paid the fine-s6.1O'
"'There are 5000 members of the In
dustrial Workers on strike in Passaic
and vicinity" said Domo. 1.-THE shop
o,-@.at4n1 - 11aI, mill will mako ttS
own demands. We do not bother our
selves with what the demands are. We
do not demand recognition of the union.
The average weekly earnings of the
men and women in the Passaie mills
have been terribly low"
According to the strikers the average
pay of weaver when working full time
is IS a week. Some have made as low
as s1.35 a week, when the worker gets
a poor loom or work that is hard to
perform without making mistakes,
which incur fines. The mill owners
say the demands of the workers are
exorbitant, running as high as an in
crease of rs per e The strikers say
their demands would average only 20
per cent. increase. The weavers de-
mand abolition of the bonus system
and a straight payment of W cents
a yard for weaving, which would let
them make about So a day They want
the fine system abolished also.
The Botany worsted mills, in Pas
sale, n of the largest firms in the
country, has a system of rewarding its
employees and insuring their loyalty.
If a workman has spent five years in
the mills he is given a Christmas
present of s25 each year; if he has
worked ten years he gets $50; fifteen
years. SIS, and twenty years, 500.
"Agitators have peer trying for two
weeks to organize III weavers," said
Superintendent George c. Roehlig to-
day. 1--WE have always treated our
employees fairly, For that reason they
refused to join, but terrible methods
have been used to intimidate them.
Their lives have been threatened. We
are paying better wages than most mills
and give every wage-earner who has
worked in our factory from five to
years a permium at Christmas
ranging from SO to 800. In twenty
two years. even during the hardest
times, we never laid off anv hands.
Scores of men past so years of age have
easier jobs without a reduction in
SHOULD the weavers strike. he con-
tinued. tive will get along as. hest we
Failing to fill their nlaces within
ten days we will close the mills for
if need be. We have never
dealt with unions and never will"