The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-04-20
GENERAL LABOR NEWS

| An effort ON the most pretentious
scale yet attempted to organize all the
Pennsylvania railroad shopmen at Al
toona, Pa, into trades unions affiliated
with the American Federation of La
| Dor has been started by arrival of six
organizers. 1t is the purpose to place
the men in groups according to trade.
1t is said that the plan of organization
meets the approval of the government
authorities, and General Organizer
Sause states the men need have no
fear Of opposition by the railroad au-
thorities.
The secretary of labor has stated
that in the next six months we must
furnish approximately 100000 work
ers for agriculture, 100000 for ship
building 100000 to man ships, 100000
for transportation, and 100000 for the
manufacture of munitions. This will
inevitably take many more men from
the stores. The more intensive phase
of the delivery campaign is intended to
help the stores give up these men in
an orderly way.
Nine Southern Pacific Steamship
company ships and thousands of tons
of freight were tied up at New
York when about 1000 longshore-
men struck for the second time
since returning to work on Feb
ruary II. The men demand more
wages and better working conditions.
Leaders say the strike was called be-
cause of inactivity of the adjustment
committee of the shipping board.
The executive committee Of the Cen
trail Labor council Of Buffalo sent q
telegram to Samuel Gompers, presi-
dent, of the American Federation of
Labor, asking him to take steps imme-
diately to end the strike Of shipyard
carpenters on the Atlantic coast. This
/ IS the time, the telegram said when
union men must sacrifice everything
that the war may be won.
4 The success Of the experiment by
!! the Brooklyn Rapid Transit company
of hiring woman conductors is seri-
ously threatened. Three of the first
ten women employed have resigned.
Two resigned because of sickness and
the third said her work interfered with
the care of her five children. Other
women are being trained for the posi-
tons.
Senator Smith of Georgia intro
duced bill providing for the use of
convicts on war work. The plan is
an extension Of the state-use system
in certain states which employ con-
victs on goods used by the state in
stead Of contracting them to private
employers.
The British Amalgamated Society Of
Engineers, according to statement is
sued by the secretary of the society,
has rejected the governments man
power proposals by 93,547 votes. The
figures were: For the government pro-
posal, 27,470; against, 121,017.
six hundred miners employed by the
Jackson Walker Coal and Mining COM
pany, at Pittsburgh, Kan, producing
/. 400 tons of coal daily, were idle be-
cause of a strike Of weighmen and
bookkeepors, union of which has just
been organized.
Charles M. Schwab, who visited Bal
timore to inspect the Penn-Mary plant
of the Bethlehem Steel company, an
nounces that the plant would be ex-
banded and developed until it becomes
the main plant of the Bethlehem Steel
corporation.
All but a few of the 200 miners who
quit work near Springfield, ILL.,, to ad-
minister a rebuke to Mine Manager
Henry Martini for alleged unpatriotic
conduct, returned to their tasks, al
though Martini still holds his job.
One hundred and fifty locals Of the
International Hold Carriers, Building
and Common Laborers' union have
raised wages $3,414,095 during the Pc
riod between October, 1916, and Octo-
Der, 1917.
| From San Francisco comes the re-
port that more woodworking mechan-
les are available in the shipbuilding
industry than can find employment.
Female operatives in the shirt and
collar industry Of Derry, Ireland, will
make q demand for war bonus.
Senator Lewis introduced an amend
ment to the post office bill granting
time and a half pay for mail carriers
and postal clerks for overtime.
Members of the Hast st. Louis fire
department have been granted ten
dollar a month increase in salary fol-
lowing threat to strike.
| st. Louis {Mo) metal polishers have
had wages increased from 40 to so
cents an hour; work week reduced
from 81 to 1914 hours.
The eight-hour day is being estab-
lished in New Bedford (Aiass.) cotton
yarn mills by Stationary Firemen's