The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-11
Conference of Union Heads
Passes Resolution Pledg-
ing Support of All
Trades
LABOR FEDERATION
HEAD, NOW ON HAND,
ISSUES STATEMENT
Gompers Says Men Are Determined
to Fight for Right to Organize.
Street Car Service Is Badly
Crippled-Some Violence
Is Reported

New York, September 10.--A gen.
eral strike of longshoremen, brewery
workers, machinists, moulders, bar
tenders, printers and stage employees
in sympathy with the unionized car
men who quit their places four days
ago was decided upon at a meeting Of
the heads of their unions tonight, ac-
cording to an announcement by Hugh
Frayne, state organizer of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor.
A resolution was passed calling on
all unionized wage earners in New
York, Yonkers, Mount Vernon, White
Plains and New Rochelle to sanction a
strike "in support of the contention Of
the street railway men of their right
to organize"
The resolution recommended that
the workers in the various trades '1ay
down their tools until the companies
are forced to recognize the carmen's
union"
imately 10000 men and women are en-
rolled in the unions that were represents
ed at the meeting tonight. The delegates.
it was said, discussed the possibility of
collateral street railroads assuming the
attitude of the officials of the Interbor-
orgh Rapid Transit company and the
other lines involved in the strike who
at the present time, Recognize the uni,n
but insist upon intimidating their men (,
ignore it, The delegates were un,.
mously of the opinion. it was asserted.
that the action of the transit manager
was something that affected trade union-
ism as whole"
UNIONS MUST ACT
Before sympathetic strike can be de-
clared. however. it was explained by the
union leaders it will be necessary for
them to call mass meetings of their re.
spective unions and put the proposition to
vote of the members. The delegates
at the meeting tonight, it was said, as
sued William B. Fitzgerald, organizer
of the carmens union, that their menu
bers We're willing to fight to finish.
morally. physically and financially in the
interest of trade unionism"
Officials of the railway company, when
informed OF the action of the union Lead
ers asked whether the building trades
were to be included in the recommends
ton for sympathetic strike. They were
told that no action with respect to these
trades had been taken.
GOMPERS PRESENT
The meeting of the union delegates fol-
lowed conference held earlier in the
evening. at which Samuel Gompers, presI-
dent of the American Federation of La
Dor. and officials of the Central Feder-
ated Unions of New York and BROOKLYN.
as well as the heads of the carmen-s
unions We're present. Undivided moral
and financial support of all trades union
lists in New York were pledged in reso-
luton adopted at this conference to tho
striking carmen.
James Dahm, former president of the
Typographical union in this city, as
serted after he had been informed OF
the action of union delegates at their
meeting, that members of the typograph-
zeal union here have an agreement with
the American Newspaper Publishers assoc
citation that no declaration of strike can
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