The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1915-11-12

Scheme Provides Machinery For Ad
iusting Grievances ard For Safety
and Sanitary Conditions - Demands
For Union Recognition and Advanced
Wages Denied.
Here is the plan proposed to the Colo
RADIO miners by John D. Rockefeller,
Jr., and accepted by them in formal
vote. 1t will therefore govern the
terms of employment in the mining
camps of the Colorado Fuel and Iron
company for the next three years, says
the editor OF the Survey
Before summarizing its chief points,
one underlying factor should be
brought out. This plan is direct action
by the younger Rockefeller-a plan
proposed by him in person on the
ground for which he as chief owner
shoulders personal responsibility. This
move is in itself clarifying. 1t aban-
dons that water tight division Of pow
| ers between stockholders, directors
and managers which he tenaciously
maintained throughout the long strike
and the subsequent federal investiga-
tion and introduces a new relationship
the effect of which it is difficult to fore
cast in advance.
The Rockefeller plan provides ma
chinery for adjusting grievances and
| for looking after safety and sanitary
conditions. Il guarantees the continu-
| ance of the present scale of wages un-
| less wages are raised IN competitive
| fields, in which case q proportional in
| crease will be made. The eight hour
| day is to be maintained. Employees
are to have the right to hold meetings.
to trade wherever they please and to
have check Weighmen at the scales.
The agreement guarantees the right of
| every employee to belong to a union or
to refrain as he may desire. 1t states
that both parties TO the agreement are
to obey the laws
| The agreement therefore includes
! three Of the seven demands presented
at the beginning Of the strike of 1913
IA and a part of a fourth. The de-
mands for union recognition, an ad-
vance in wages and pay for dead
work are by the terms of this agree
ment denied The demand for the
abolition of the guard system is not
covered In any way
If the terms of this plan are carried
out in good faith the condition of the
Colorado miners will have been con
siderably improved The right to hold
meetings unhampered by the presence
/ of officers or foremen is a right essen
tial to any freedom of speech or action.
and one that the miners have not al
ways enjoyed Labor leaders have
pointed ont however, that this plan
makes provision for local meetings
only. There are to be joint meetings
of committeeman from the different
camps, but at these meetings an equal
number of company representatives
are to be present
Furthermore. it is not more demo
cratic than unionism," as Mr. Rockefel-
Ter is reported to have characterized
it. There is something reminiscent OF
the old regime in the evidence that
copies of the plan, accompanied by a
printed statement that it had been
adopted by representatives of the min
ers in a conference with the officers,
were given out before the conference
had assembled.
! The agreement offers no adequate
protection to the representatives Of the
men who serve on committees. Appeal
to the president of the company and
| finally to the state Industrial commits
sion offers n precarious relief to an ac-
tive committeeman who may have Of
Tended a foreman. For it must be re-
membered that it is not a new set OF
company officers who are to admins
ter this plan. They are the very ones
who were there during the strike and
! before.
1t was the closed camps and private
highways and camp marshals in com
pany pay that before the strike engen-
| dered fear in the hearts Of miners who
wanted to speak freely their views, go
and come as they pleased join unions
and listen to union representatives.
! Committees are not likely. under this
new plan, to be more independent so
long as the camps and highways re-
main closed and the officer of the law
still owes his allegiance to the com
pany. AS before, the power Of control
lies with the company. The committees
and the whole elaborate machinery ex-
ist on sufferance only.
One other noteworthy thing is the
fact that the 1000 or 5000 steel works
employees of the Colorado Fuel and
Iron company at Pueblo are not includ-
ed in the plan. They are still without
representation of any kind Can it be
that it Is because they have not yet
gone on strike?