Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-05-15
BURR HOPES THAT
men Will REMAIN
Commandant at Rock Island Arsenal
Confident Mechanics win Hesi-
tate Before Striking.
SHOULD CONSIDER HOME TIES
Officer Points to Advantages of Work
ingmen Engaged by Government
and Those Elsewhere.

colonel george W. Burr, command
ant at Rock Island arsenal, in a
statement issued today relative to the
impending strike of machinists, tool
makers and turret lathe operators,
demonstrated the faith he had in en-
ployes of the government plant by
stating that he believed they would
be influenced by home ties and inter
ests before they would consider a
walkout
No retracuon has been made by the
union men of the Ultimatum offered
TO Colonel Burr Saturday, in which
the committee of the union announc-
ed strike 10 become effective at 10
O'clock tomorrow morning
Officials of the union say that 700
men will be involved in the strike.
Referring TO the ultimatum present.
ed to him Saturday by the machinlsts'
union at the Rock Island arsenal to
the effect that the members of that
union would strike at 10 o'clock to-
morrow unless certain conditions were
fulfilled, Colonel Burr today issued
the following statement:
Having sincerely at heart the in
plOyes, especially those who are
threatening to strike without any JUS
tifable reason therefor. restatement
Of the subject in controversy and of
the decision in regard thereto made
by the secretary of war in COnjunC-
ton with the secretary of labor may
clarity the atmosphere and prevent
some employe from taking an ill-con-
sidered step affecting his livelihood.
The ordnance department pays tts
employees the wages paid for similar
work by private concerns in the Vi
entity The machinists' union asked
for an increase of wages, to be based
largely on the wages paid machinists
in Chicago The arsenal management
claimed substantially that the wages
of the arsenal machinlstS should be
the same as those of similar mechan-
les in private establishments in the
quad-cities. A disagreement thus
arose. The secretary of war asked the
department of labor to investigate and
report facts The department of la
Dor had a skilled investigator make
the investigation in the Quad-clties and
in Chicago, and, upon his report, the
secretary of war, with the assistance
of the secretary of labor, decided that
for wage adjustment purposes for
machinistS and tool makers at Rock
Island arsenal the wages OF similar
employees of private establishments in
the quad-cities only should be consid-
cred and that Chicago should be ex-
Cluded. II is because of dissatisfac-
ton with this decision that the union
machinists are threatening to strike.
Some Increases Assured.
The investigation has disclosed
that certain increases of pay are prop
er and these will be made. Absolute
ly no reductions OF pay are contem-
plated. The machinists are threaten
ing TO strike without waiting to find
out what the increase of pay viii
amount to.
That the public generally may I'M
derstand exactly the conditions un-
der which machinlsts work at the
Rock Island arsenal and the method
CT application OF the rule OF paying the
prevailing wage OF the vicinity at the
arsenal, an example is given. Mos
OF the private shops Of the tri-cities
work 10 hours day. The arsena
works eight hours per day. A ma
chinist working in one OF these 10
hour shops for 81 day would also re
ceiVe 81 per day Tor an eight-hour day
at the arsenal The machinist work
ing in the private shop in one years
time would work 500 days (0f 10 hour.
EACH, which at 81 per day would give
him l,224 per year. That machinist
II working at the arsenal, would bt
paid for 5l3 days at 81 per day, Oh
S1,252, yet he would work anly 2S41s
days OF eight hours each, or 2,27t
hours, because he is given 15 working
days leave with pay, pay for sever
legal holidays and for Is Saturday
afternoons in the summer time, or {
total OF 2812 days on which he does
no work. To sum up, the employee in
the private shop ii the vicinity would
receive $l,224 per year, the arsenaI
employe Sl,252. For this pay the EN-,
ploye III the private shop would work
1850 hours, while for the greater pay
the arsenal employee would work only
2,276 hours. The employee in the out.
side shop would receive 40 cents pei
hour worked, while the arsenal EN-
ploye would receive SO cents per houl
worked, OF 3712 per cent per houl
more than the similar workman il
the private shop. Another way o
stating this is that, due to the govern
nent's liberality In leaves and holi
days, The arsenal employe works OF
the average three and half days o
eight hours each, or Is hours, and ther
has one full days rest, while the EN-
ploye in the outside shop works sly
days Of 10 hours each, or GO hours
before he has his one day of rest. Ii
other words, the arsenal employee
while getting more pay, gets one full
day OF rest for IS hours of work while
the outside employe gets one full day
OF rest after so hours work. The
manufacturing establishments of the
tri-cltles are known the country over
for their just and equitable treatment
of their employees. Comparatively the
arsenal employees conditions and pay
are much superior, yet the above are
the conditions and the pay with which
the machinists' union is dissatisfied
and is threatening a strike.
Believe Men Misinf0rmed.
Il do not believe that the employees
of this arsenal will permit themselves