New-York tribune., 1916-07-25
Agents Insist That Whole
Cause of Trouble Is
Forming of a Union.
INSURANCE OFFICIALS
BLAME EMPLOYEES
Company Heads Say That Only
Six Hundred Men Out of Six
Thousand Are Out.

After an unsuccessful effort to treat
with the officers of the Prudential In
surance Company of America yester-
day, disaffected agents declared gen
eral strike at a mass meeting in Bryant
Hail. Harry Lumpkin, president Of the
Insurance Mems international Pro-
tcctive Association, characterized the
action of the company as rank incom-
potency and mismanagement."
Union officials said yesterday that
the strike was in effect lockout; that
when the Prudential company dis
charged between fifty and sixty men
for union activity it automatically
locked out all members of the union.
The strikers insist that the reason for
the whole difficulty is that the agents
formed union to protect themselves,
and the company has made that a rea-
son for discharging the leaders.
According to Mr.. Lumpkin, the union
has membership Of 5000 in the
United States The idea of the union
is about seven weeks old, and the first
national convention was held last Sat
urday and Sunday, in Philadelphia. II
was decided at that time to send com
mittee to Edward D. Duaie!d. general
solicitor of the Prudential, TO ask that
the officials delay action for week, and
confer with the committee. Harry
Lumpkin, president of the union,
Andrew Tnnes and Herman Billitier,
members of the executive board, tried
to see Mr.. Dufield yesterday. They
were told that the company did not
wish to treat with them.
Company Makes a Denial.
Officers of the company said last
night that there was no truth IN the
statements of the executive committee
in charge Of the strike. They added
emphatically that the strike would not
injure the policy holders of the com
pany. as had been charged.
I'VE arc going to protect our policy
holders" said fne of the officers, "and
arrangements Have already been made
to take care Of the situation. II is un-
true that the agents Of this company
have had their earnings cut down. We
know that some of the disaffected men
are making about SAP a week this year,
when they made S25 a week last year.
The industrial agents of New York
City and vicinity are making an aver
age of more than S25 4 week.
"The fifty or sixty men who were dis
charged were sent away for cause. For
several weeks these men have been at
tacking the company, dcnounclng It
publicly and grossly misstating facts.
They have vilifed it in the press of
the country and have tried to spread
disaffection. Naturally, that ends their
connection with the company. They
were not discharged for union activity,
for some OF the men who have at
tended these meetings are still in our
employ, and some of them will remain
viii Protect New Men.
Edward d. DufField has arranged to
protect the new men who will take
over the work Of the strikers. It was
stated at the Prudential Building, in
Newark, yesterday that the number Of
strikers is known TO be small, and that
instead of the 5000 members claimed
there are barely 500.
The oihcers or the insurance Men s
International Protective Association
are Harry Lumpkin, of New York, pres
;dent; Andrew Tnnes, of Philadelphia,
first vice president; Harry Shapiro, Of
Philadelphia, second vice-presldent, and
Isaac Spinnerhorn, Of Philadelphia,
treasurer.
Peter J. Lang, a member of the ex-
ecutive board, denied yesterday that
the association was connected in any
way with the |. W. W, and added that
they did not want TO be connected with
the American Federation OF Labor,
which had rated insurance agents as
non-producers.