New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-05-19
STANDARD OIL WORKERS
MOVE FOR SHORTER DAY
Brotherhood of Stationary Fire.
men and A. F. of l.. Start Fight
on "Inhuman" Conditions.
MANY 24.H0UR SHIFTS
Men Employed in Furnaces and
Stills Are Afraid of Their
Jobs, Labor Leaders Say
Campaign Planned.

Labor conditions in the Standard OIL
Comranys plants throughout tn coun-
~, are 10 be tho subject Of a campaign
for improvement. following the disclosure
that employee in the stills and furnace
rooms have been worked 100 twonty-four-
hour shifts This campaign viii take the
form Of demand FOR AN cight-hour day
for hremen stillmen and helpers and will
be made hy representatives ~ the Inter
national Brotherhood ~ Stationary Fire
men. assisted hy the American Federation
~ Labor.
As a result ~ the investigation made
by delegates Of the two organizations as
told exclusively IN The Tribune two weeks
ago. conference II representatives. OF
the local unions of hromcn TN Sew York
New jersey and Pennsylvania WAS held
Yesterday ~ the headquarters ~ the &c
centric tiromen. No. 2ll East 45th street
representative II the American Fed
Grafton of Labor was present. and after
q scUssion. which lasted all day and which
branded the hours Of employment as in
iolerable" and ''inhuman.' resolutions
were passed calling for countrywide
movement 20 combat tho evils 80 con-
s.dcration was given q movement To strike
as an alternative IN case of failure ~ the
company 10 grant the eight hour day
For the present tho campaign viii take
the form of the employment, Of rcprcson,
atives Of the two organizations In the
company's plants. Those IN and about
New York are the Grecnpoint. New York,
Bayonne. Bayway. New Jersey and Point
Breeze. PHILADELPHIA. factories. Others
are in Whiting. Ind. Baton Rouge. La.
and Point Richmcnd. Cal Efforts to hold
mass meetings IN foreign languages and
To circulate literature urging the men to
organize for an eicht-hour day viii h.
made The number of men who will he
affected by the move is estimated in New
York and New Jersey alone at 1000.
Tire denial Of officials ~ the Standard
oil Company that they are working their
fremen on inhuman shifts" Timothy
Healy. president OF the international
Brotherhood said YESTERDAY as false.
along with the statement that the mon are
satisfied with their lot rs told In The
Tribune. they work on ten-hour day and
fourteen hour night shifts. and in some
cases twenty-fo four hours at stretch at
the hardest kind ~ work
while the men may say for publca-
ton that they are content. they admit
privately that they have not demanded
better conditions only because the com
pany has discharged any number Of men
for attempting 10 organic. They are
afraid for their Jobs"
THE statement made two weeks ago
by ~. l.. PRATT. Of the Pratt OIL Works.
affiliated with the Standard OIL Company.
that the company does not work its men
on twenty-f four hour shifts was not true.
declared Samuel Glasgow. of Philadelphia.
Yesterday Tho men In the Point Breeze
plant. I'm Philadelphia, worked for twenty
four hours when they shifted from the
dav 10 the night shift up TO a week ago
In addition 10 the repres entatiNes OF III"
fremen IN New York and Philadelphia
there were present at the conference dele
gates from Trenton. Paterson, Newark.
Elizabeth. Jersey city. BROOKLYN and
Yonkers. Another conference. at which
representatives from Boston and other
roints within n radius OF POO miles or
New York will be present, will he called
within two weeks