Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1915-07-21

Bridgeport Conn. July 20.-The
strike call issued for the machinists
working in the plants of the Reming-
ton Arms and Ammunition company
and four sub-contractors brought out,
according to the estimates OF the labor
leaders, in the neighborhood Of IT'S
men today. The manufacturers, through
the president Of the Bridgeport Manu-
tacturers' association, said that exact
ly % men had walked out
A Misunderstanding.
The labor men admitted tonight that
not a man had left work in the main
plant of the Remington company at
noon today. They said the failure of
the men to quit work was due to a
Misunderstanding, but that they would
| not go to work tomorrow morning.
They added that the night force on
machinists at the Remington plant had
failed to go to work tonight
Piekets Are at Work.
Pickets were at work tonight and
| they were said to have been response
i bic for the strike of the night force.
also be responsible for none of the day
force going to work tomorrow.
Another Effort for Settlement.
Thomas ]. Savage. member Of the
| executive board of the International
Association of Machinists, was respon-
/
men were on the night force that quit
and that about 100 men in the shops of
| the sub-contractors had walked out.
/ He also was responsible for the state
| ment that a conference was in progress
| in New York tonight which might lead
to settlement OF the difficulties. He
1 refused 20 give any details OF the con-
ference in The absence 70 J. J. Kepp-
/ Ter. international vice president of the
machinists, who left Bridgeport tonight
4 IxrrfHt fv-41 -
1 tending a conference to settle a labor
| difficulty in the pulp mills of northern
| New York. He said he would return
to Bridgeport late tonight or tomor-
row.
Mr.. Savage also said that he had
| received information that Frank Jen-
/ nings and ]. p. Conlon. vice presi-
dents Of the machinists. were at pres
ent engaged in determining which fac
| tories in this country were making
goods for consumption by the Reming-
| ton company, with the view Of calling
/ the machinists in those shops out on
strike and thereby cutting OF the sup
ply.
Plans to Call Out More Maehinists.
| Plans for calling out many more ma
chinists were made tonight by the
| labor leaders Mr.. Savage said:
There will be no misunderstanding
at the Remington plant tomorrow. We
/ will have pickets there and none of the
| men will go to work In addition to
that. a strike call has been issued for
the old plant Of the Remington com
pany-the Union Metallic Cartridge
4 company-and the machinists to at
/ least the number of 200 will walk out
/ there at noOn- In a few days the
| whole plant will be closed down. In
i addition to that. we will call out the
shop of a large sub-contractor, en-
| ploying about 200 OF our men That
j shop Will also walk out at noon"
| Conflicting Reports.
Shortly after noon today it was said
| that the walkout had been accomplish
ed in all of the shops where 1t had been
scheduled This was quickly followed
/ by the news that not a man had left
1 the Remington plant. Rumor had II
| that Major w. S. Penfield, works man
ager Of the Remington company, had
offered the m9n an eight hour day with
a dollar a day added to their wages If
they would remain at work. The men
| were said to have accepted the offer.
This the labor leaders deny. They say
no such offer was accepted.
Several Stories of Happenings.
| Late in the afternoon the labor lead
ers, accompanied by number of men
/ who had walked out of tse sub-con-
tracing plants, went to the front OF the
Remington company and waited there
until the machinists came from the
i
| along the road in front of the place
and as each man came out he was
talked to by a picket. Some OF the
machinists said they had held a meet
ing and agreed to stay at work 9th
ers said that foreman had come into
the room and told them that they
would be granted the eigh bhour day
with ten hour pay. There were several
stories of what happened IN the plant
at noontime-
Some of the men who came out
stated emphatically that they had not
the slightest intention OF striking. They
declared that they were perfectly sat
ished with the conditions and that they
intended to go back TO WORK tomorrow
When one machinist made that state
ment to a group OF newspaper report
ers a picket interrupted and said:
One Man Who Will Not Quit
Tell them that II you go to work
tomorrow you will be fined 800 and
If you do not pay IL You VIII be driven
out Of town"
someone knocks me in the head with
a brick" replied the machinist to the
picket, who walked away.
Policemen interfered at that point
and dispersed the reporters and the
machinists-
Road Was Crowded.
A hah hour later the road was
lcrowded with machinists, pickets and
curious persons who had gone to the
plant to see what would happen"
Two dozen dirt wagons made their
appearance at that roint and they
were driven two abreast UP and down
the road The crowd was forced well
toward the sides. the little gathering