Denver labor bulletin., 1916-03-04
700 Men Are LiabletO Fine
$40 to $50 Per Day
State Commission Unable to Per-
suade Aliens to Return and
Governor Threatens to
Call State Militia.

Seven hundred employees Of the Amer
lean Smelling and Refining company
plant at Leadville, a GuggenLeim p op-
cry, quit work last Saturday, ana have
remained out in spite OF threats by Gov
ernor Carson, pleadings of the Indus
tIiI Commi- son and persuasion If the
Austrian consGl. 1he men are VI OF. an
ized, and quit work when their demand
for a 50-cent per day raise in wages
vas refused by the smel.er man. ge-
ment. They are practically all ei liens
OF Austria and Hungary, AID unable to
understand OF speak the LnglIsn In
guage.
Under the new Colorado indust-al
law each man who quit work is liable
To a fine OF flom $40 to $50 for cry
day he remains out pend NJ an inves-
tigation by the Industrial Commits ion.
They did not give the thirty days no
tice as required by Law.
A similar strike Of 500 emp'oyes OF
this same eompany's plant took place
Saturday at Pueblo, making the same
demands, but they were P.eyailed upon
TO r, turn to work Monday, pending an
invest gation OF their gIie. aLces by the
commission.
No Strike, Says Leader.
However, the men at LsdNi lie con-
tend they are not on strike. We Just
became dissatisfied with our pay aud
working conditions and quit" sail one
OF their leaders thru an Inurp.,,er.
The men are said to be making NJ
fight to retain their jobs or KEEP ct es
| fr~n ,sei.g TO work Many haze AVN
wages due and lett the disuict- For
four days the thr,e members OF he In
dustrial Commission and tie seSr-tary,
Ia. h., 70 aaINf1fa NIL
with the men TO obey the law AMI re-
turn to work, but with exception OF
very few the men have refused to Listen
to such advice.
Consul Pleads in Van
Fritz Ritter Won lis lher-An~ern, vice
consul OF Aus>rIa Hungary Ii Denle.,
went TO Leaaville and explained tn la ~
TO the striktrs, but to NJ av-iL come
OF the state officials seemed 20 Sc. a
war ghost" in the troubles, as much
OF the product OF the sme.teIs is used
in manufacturing munitions .or the
allies. However, lie creGcnce l. glen
this view OF the situation.
The strikers demand an increase of SO
cents day for every empioye OF tie
! smelter and the resembling OF an ocler
" hich greatly added to the amount of
work done by the men on the c. arge
floor. these men have been lecei nis
$40 for an ei.ht-Lour shift an ch
was compelled to wheel seven y-two
charges OF 500 pounds each dbl, { e
shift Friday the foreman motif ed the
men that hereafter they would IS.e to
wheel eighty charges every Il ht Lo@rs
| fer the same money they h. b en-
wheeling nty-two charges
GE4y,ysrd Shift Qnt wclk
-,
"gravoyaud' shit r,Por,ed Tor wor.l md
l,snod OF the new condition. t-e men
refused to go ON duty.
Later the men held meeting and de
ciued to 90 OH strgke if every ,m 40 e
of the sm~lter was not given an advance
OF 50 etnts 4 day
The men also decided TO demIEd Il e
d!sm. ssal OF Frank Waltz, veal y
Austrian and p-tsidtnt Of tie tart
Naitz Mercantile company OF Lea-vIe,
who acts As employ yment agent o. ths
smelter ! he men ueelaIe t. at they = re
forced TO seek EN- plOyment aI h
smelter thru Naitz, Nho ,h. rges them
an excessive fee, and also tLat t.ey are
compelled by the smelter M nA.,, uent
10 sign an agreement whereby N.itE
has the right to Iee,ivo and Il II for
their pay checks. which he ca,Los de
duc,mg liberal amo. mt for doing so.
The men also insist on having the
right to trade wherever they pc in
stead of at the uarl-Na tz ST. lie. Whtrs.
they allege, eNoIbttant p ic a, asked
fer everything they wish to b, V. n
they do not trade at this store. the men
assert. fault is soon found W th cir
work and they are d smiss,d. NSilE il
known as the King OF the Lawns
Austrians."
In the m antime the smClter orks
have been practically at a 4 dsti |.
Governor Gets H,t UP.
Thursday morLing Chairman f. f
McLaugi lin OF the State ndu tri
Commission issued manifest to h,
M n,statiug that if they d not return
to work they would be arrested sent
to Jail. At the same time Governor
Carlson stated he would send thr IN li,ia
TO L,adNi le ii II cessary 10 enforce the
order OF the commi.si II. The or
was ,Neeedirgly wre'hv, ard de- la =:
These for, ign stri' i'm sme'''r men
rrr guilty al n hraxen and insel mt de-
fiance OF the s'ate law. Their i noraneo
Continued on page g.