Norwich bulletin., 1914-01-08
Union Officers
Opposed Strike
ACCUSED BY THE MINERS OF
SELLING OUT"
AN INOPPORTUNE TIME
For This Reason They Sought to Stave
Off Strike in Copper Distriet-Testi-
mony at Governors Hearing.


Off Strike in Copper Distriet-Testi-
mony at Governors Hearing.
doughton, Mich, Jan. THAT the
strike of copper miners which was call
eo mere July % was opposed by the
ohc1alS OF the Western Federation of
Miners was emphasized to Governor
woodbridge N. Ferris today by repre-
Sentat1veS of the union In further
ance of this idea the governor was
| asked to listen to miners and tram
mers who had worked underground for
years. and half a score of these men
related the conditions under which they
nad labored and the pay they had re-
ceived. Eviction cases were called to
MS attention and he was informed of
the experiences of some Of the men
with sSecial police and other officers.
AS was expected the union men stood
on their proposition to John B. Dens-
more of the department of abor, so
more OF the department Of labor, so
concerned.
The Federaticn's Proposals.
1t was revealed at the hearing that
the federation had proposed that the
hours OF labor and rates of pay posted
| oy the mining companies December l
would be allowed to stand; that the
one man drill grievance was not men
t1oned, and that the question of rec
| ognition was to be obviated by a nom
discrimination clause
In addition the union delegation en-
phas1zed that, since the strike was
called only after a referendum vote
had shown big majority of the rank
and file fnsistent on it, any proposition
Tor settlement must be passed on by
the general membership. Q. N Fill
ton chief Of counsel of the federation,
told the governor that neither he nor
PRESIDENT Charles H, Meyer, nor any
other official of the federation had any
authority to stop the strike. He in
dlcated, however, that the officers of
the union We're willing to recommend
to the men any basis of settlement that
| would carry with it an affirmation Of
some kind of the right of the men to
| Join any society, union, church or other
| organization that suited their fancy.
Union Officials Opposed Strike.
Throughout the hearing the part that
local men had taken in the affair was
kept well to the front. The men de-
ltvered brief autobiographies prac-
| t1cally all witnesses having started to
| labor when less than Is years old and
having been underground from fifteen
to twenty-five years. They had been
| drill boys, trammers, miners and tim
Der men, and their pay had ranged
| from SIS to $40 a month for BOYS and
from $50 to $50 a month as miners. The
! men emphasized that the rich months
were few and contract work had
| brought them generally lower returns
| than the day rates
Dan Sullivan. president of the dis
| trict council of the federation; Carl E.
| Hletala, secretary of that body, and
William Rickard and John Anttala
president and secretary of the Calumet
local, went on record as having been
| opposed to the calling of the strike
Anttala said his position was due to
| the feeling that when the companies
| realized the strength of the union they
| would be willing to confer on the
| grievances and to arrive at a peace
/ full settlement
Accused of "Seliing Out"
| He said the labor market here had
been understocked for several years
previous to the strike and that there
was more reason for increasing wages
| than lowering them.
All four said that when they tried
| to stave off the strike they had been
accused OF selling out to the companies
! Hfetala said that "a lot of fellows"
had so accused him and Anttala said
| that one hundred union members had
! berated him for his attitude
Hietala told the governor that the
| ballot boxes had been open for four
| days for vote on the strike ques-
| tion and that count on July showed
| approximately 1880 votes for the strike
/ and about 126 against the proposition.
| He said the membership OF the various
1 locals was then about nine thousand,
| approximately I 1900 having failed TO
vote because of absence or Indifference.
| Regarded Time lnopportune fer Strike
These figures led the governor to
| inquire about the present strength He
/ was given figures taken from the dis
| trict council records, showing a total
| of 1915 men now in the district. of
whom 7,71o were on the relief rolls;
| Hletsla estimated that some 1000
union men had left the district BE
/ explained the difference between the
1 total membership and the relief roll
! as representing the men who had been
| able TO support themselves without aid
/ from the union and instanced the cases
! of IS men who he said had made their
! first applications for strike benefits
only last week
Then the governor again went into
! the situation in the unicn Before the
| strike was csjled ard asked MIR. Hilton
why the national osEcers of the union
| had opposed the action.
Because they felt that the strike
| would entail great expense ana cpnsid-
! erable s1fSariug and becerge Il vas
try were such that the time was in
! opportuns for Inauguration OF any such
/ industrial disturbance was the reply.
To Nest Mine Managers Today.
The governor told the union men
! that he expected 10 talk with the mine
( managers Tomorrow and asked them TO
give him what they considered the
I crux of the situation.
/ Ask the con1pasiy managers what
/ they viii dc towards that end" sus-
! gested Claude Q. Tarlcr. president of
the Michigan State Federation OF La
/ Dor.
"If the companies have any offer to
/ make YOU surely will near OF it, setd
f, Governor Ferris Also I shall tell you
/ If there is nothing of that sort IN the
air.
p More Policy Players Arrested.
New Haven, Conn. Jan. Two
more arrests were made by the police
I late today for alleged policy Playing.