Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-01-19
SCAVENGER MEN
STRIKE; DEMAND
A TEN-HOUR DAY
Drivers Quit Work and About
$50 of MarrOne Employees
Are Affected.
POLICE CALLED TO
ADAMS ST. STABLE
Trouble Blamed to Strikers.
big Bill" Edwards Handling
conpany's interests.

Sixty drivers in the employ Of
Joseph Marrone, who has the contract
for collecting the city garbage, went
on strike today. The men declare
they have been oyerworked. They
are asking a ten-hour day with extra
pay for overtime.
The strikers say they may bring
out the entire force OF drivers in the
employ of Marrone. About 400 men
are now affected. 1t was decided to
send committee to Marrone to ask
for conference regarding their de-
mands. Some of the drivers says
they have been working seventeen
hours per day. This is denied by the
Marrone firm.
All of the strikers are attached to
the Adams street stables, in the
Tenth ward. They went to work as
usual this morning. They took out
their wagons, but, by previous agree
ment, returned within fifteen min
utes. They then announced their de-
termination to quit.
Marrone went to the Adams street
stables today He addressed the
strikers, but the latter. on the advice
out.
MarrOne Defies Strikers.
The contractor declared he would
not give in TO the demands of the
strikers no matter what the conse-
quences might be.
"Ill get out on a wagon and help
do the work myself before I'll give
in to their present demands" decared
the contractor. IF necessary, I'll
spend 1000 in settling this strike"
Marrone during his visit to the
Tenth ward stables became involved
in a heated argument with Albert
Mallett, president of the Teamsters
Union, Local Ats, and Clyde Cowell
business agent of the same local. The
striking drivers are not connected
with this labor organization. Most
of its members are drivers for ex-
press companies.
Marrone informed the strikers that
he was anxious to have them resume
work. but announced that he would
not consider their demands until they
had been presented to him in written
form.
The two labor leaders advised the
strikers not TO comply with the wishes
! of the contractor. --s-s-s--------s
There is no time like the present
for getting a real hearing, declared
Cowell.
This remark caused Marrone to
make some tart retort, and an argu-
ment that followed came near ending
in a fistic encounter. Marrone and
the labor leaders were led apart by
their individual friends, and serious
trouble was averted for the time.
The first indication of the strike
spreading to, other stables besides the
Adams street plant came this after
noon when a driver in the stable To-
Gated at Speedway avenue and Mont
rose terrace. brought in his wagon.
The contractor has another stable in
the Silver Lake section of Belleville.
big Bill'' Edwards, former street
commissioner of New York. has COM
plete charge here of the Marrone in
terests. He is confident he will soon
be able to settle the strike amieably.
He won considerable notoriety year
ago for breaking up garbage strike
which confronted Manhattan.
Some of the discontented Marrone
drivers were blamed for an outbreak
near the Adams street stables this
forenoon. The police We're rushed to
the scene and quelled the disorder. One
striker was arrested.
To prevent possible further trouble
Captain Stucky, of the mounted po-
lice, was placed in command of
twelve mounted men. The mounted
squad was reinforced by twelve pa
trolmen, gathered from the various
precincts. Other men are being held
in reserve in case of an emergency.
The striker arrested is Miano Prug-
liano, of $50 Tyler street, who was
taken into custody near the Adams
street stables of the contractor An
other driver, August Bier of 1853 West
Kinney street, made the complain
against the striker. charging that
Prugliano held him up and tried to
prevent him from unloading garbage
at the Adams street dumps.
Acting Judge Rooney held the
striker in $500 bail for the grand jury
when the case was heard in the Third
Precinct Court today. The only testi-
mony at the hearing tended to show
that the horse Bier was driving was
the real victim. Prugliano is alleged
to have struck the horse on the nose
with a heavy shovel when the driver
refused to halt.
Mr.. Edwards. talking of the strike
said:
"The whole affair was started
through the efforts of a saloonkeepeI
near our Adams street stables. The
strike in a way affects between 300
and 400 men. but 1 expect them all to
be back at work tomorrow.
II want to say that We had no in
timation of the trouble until this
morning We pay our men minimum
wage of $10.5o a week. The trouble
from what I understand of the situa-
tion, and my information is only sec
ond-hand, came from the men having
to work a little later than usual dur
ing the past few days, when we had
such cold weather.
81 understand that the saloonkeepei
near our Adams street stables sent a
wagon around the streets and asked
the men to attend a meeting Sunday
afternoon. A second meeting was held
last night in a hall on Chestnut and
Tyler streets"
''Mr Marrone has received no word
from the strikers as to their griev-
ances. He is willing to meet any COM
mittee from the men. We have always
treated the men fair and are willing
to go out of our way to help them
The men formerly quit work as early
as 1880 in the afternoon. Because OF
the cold weather they have had to
work in some instances as late as
o'clock at night.
Most of our wagons went out as
usual lnlS Hoiinhs anu TetutHou oiils
when the drivers were threatened with
bodily harm.
I'VE have hired extra trucks and
will go on with our work. Further
more, we hired fifty men from the
Municipal Employment Bureau this
morning. They are now ON the job
However, we expect the men will re-
turn to work after they receive let
ter sent personally to the home OF
every man today telling them that
Mr.. Marrone' only wants fair play and
that he is willing to meet them and
hear their frieVanceS."