The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-05-29
CITY DISPUTES
WITH FOUNDRY
OVER CURRENT
Bavis Asserts Reliance Firm
Ordered Employees to Pat
rOnize Private Electric
Plant or Lose Jobs.
MAKES DENIAL

The Reliance Foundry company
which last March was refused renew.
al of the city's casting contract
amounting to about $4,000 a year, be-
cause it turned down Mayor Robbins
suggestion of arbitrating it's differ.
ences with the striking union mold
ers, first retaliated by terminating its
patronage Of the municipal electric
plant and signing a contract with the
Light, Heat and Power company
1t has now ordered all of it's en-
ployes, city officials assert, to quit
using municipal current in their homes
and to patronize the Light, Heat and
Power company. City officials declare
that they have been informed that the
Reliance management told its en-
ployes that if they did not respect this
order they would be discharged.
Means Jobs Loss.
"One of the Reliance employees noti-
fed the municipal plant that he in
tended to patronize the Light, Heat
and Power company" President Bavis
OF the board said today. "As usual, a
solicitor was sent to the home of this
man to find out the cause of his ac-
ton. The wife of this man promptly
informed our solicitor that he would
lose his job at the foundry If he didn't
quit patronizing the city plant"
There is not word of truth in the
charge that we have ordered our en-
ployes to quit patronizing the city
electric plant" said James E. Jones,
vice president Of the Reliance CON-
pany, today. Whoever is responsible
for that statement must be pretty
small potatoes. The city seems to be
taking an awful lot of interest in our
business. An agent of the Light, Heat
and Power company recently received
permission to call upon the men in the
foundry. and he did get some Of them
to take over the electric service OF
that company, but no effort was made
to influence our employees in this re-
spect. l am proprietor Of the Advance
company and you might call attention
to the fact that that company still pa
tronizes the city plant
Casting Contract Expires.
Last December, as a result of fric-
tion between the Reliance manage
ment and the union molders, a walk
out was called and the men have been
out on strike ever since. The com.
pany's contract with the city for cast
ings used in sewer work expired April
l, and shortly before that time bids for
a new contract we're submitted by the
Reliance and the Robinson foundries,
both being practically the same.
Mayor Robbins informed the Reli-
ance management that the city would
not feel disposed to consider it's bid if
it were true that the company had
been unfair in it's dealings with its
union molders, as had been charged,
cation of all difficulties, stating that
no contract would be awarded pend
ing the completion of the arbitration
boards work. He proposed to submit
a list of twelve names to the Reliance
management and the molders' union,
each party to the controversy to select
one arbitrator from the list and these
two men to select third member of
the board
Objects to Proposals.
The union accepted this proposal.
and at first the company also agreed
to it, Mr.. Bavis states. Later the
company objected to the list submitted
because it contained the name of a
member of the Typographical union,
and refused the arbitration plan. The
company then suggested that Mayor
Robbins and President Bavis make an
investigation to determine existing
conditions" at the foundry. Mr.. Bavis
refused because the scope of the pro-
posed investigation did not include an
inquiry into conditions existing at the
time the strike was called. Mayor
Robbins and John McMinn of the
board of works complied with the COM
panys suggestion and, Mr.. Bavis says,
all the men working at the foundry
were summoned before them and each
man testified that he was perfectly sat
isfied with the treatment he was re-
ceiving from the company.
The board, however, refused to re-
new the contract with the Reliance
company, awarding it to the Robinson
company. The company then entered
into a contract with the Light, Heat
and Power company for electric ser
vice.
Under the terms of the contract be-
tween the city and the Reliance com:
pany, which expired the first of April,
the company was to keep on hand a
reasonable supply of castings" Mr..
Bavis said today "A few days ago
we discovered that the company had
on hands enough castings to last the
city for a year. I regard this as a
bit OF very sharp practice"