The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-06-29
OF INTEREST TO LABOR


Omaha Packing company In what Isl
said to be the first test case under
Judge Alschuler's decision in the res
cent controversy between the packers
and their employees was filed in the.
municipal court at Chicago. Two
points in the decision are taken as ba-
sis for the suit. The first provided
for an increase in wages after Janu-8
airy IA and the second safeguarded
employees against summary discharge
if they had been in the employ of
packing concern over 80 days. Viola
tons of both provisions are asserted
in the suit.
Two thousand workmen in the ship
building department Of the Bethlehem
Steel company at Sparrows Point, Md,
quit work because they have not re-
ceived back pay due them under the
ruling of the shipworkers' wage adj
justment board. An official Of the
company said that the back pay is In
the nature of bonus and that 1t had
not been paid because the auditors
had not completed their work and
could not for several days.
Samuel Gompers, president Of the
American Federation Of Labor, In a
telegram to w. S. Stone, grand chief
of the Brotherhood of Locomotive En-
gineers, congratulated the brotherhood
on its decision at Cleveland to affiliate
with the federation and expressed the,
hope that the action will ''make. for
the unity Of all our people and the tri-
umph of our republic"
Tipless barber shops are promised
for Chicago by local branch of the
Journeyman BARRIERS International
union. The executive board of the
union at meeting was authorized to
create a 100000 corporation to con-
duct the shops under the tlpless plan.
Options have been obtained on nine
shops in the "loop" district In which
the movement will be started.
Toledo street car men voted not to
strike They will accept the offeg Of,
the Toledo Railways Il Light corhpAfy
for wage increase of 6 cents an hour
instead of 10 cents, which they de-
manded. The company will increase
car fares from six tickets for quar-
| ter, with free transfers, to cents
straight, with penny charge for
| transfers.
To properly distribute labor avail
able for farm work is the purpose Of
the new state committee on agricul-
tural labor which is etfecting an or
ganization throughout Pennsylvania to
back up the farmer this summer with
the best labor service that can be re-
cruited.
Every brewery workman in Omaha
struck for higher wages. Since pro-
hibition went into effect the breweries
have manufactured near-beer. The
men ask increases Of 25 to 40 per cent.
The plant managers say they win go
out of business rather than sign the
new scale.
Tacoma (Wash.) Building Laborers'
union has secured new wage scale
which raises rates from 81 to S. a day
and in some instances $3.50. A feature
of the agreement provides that here
after the contractor must furnish tools
for these workers, who formerly
brought their own tools to each job.
A strike of 100 carpenters, In effect
at East Liverpool, Ohio since May Z,
was settled when the contractors
granted the mems demand for an in
crease from $3.50 to SO per day. The
men returned to work.
French Socialist deputies explained
to Albert Thomas, minister Of NUM-
tons, that unrest in war factories re-
suited from rumor American workers
were relieving the French. The minis
| ter proved the rumor unfounded.
The Textile Council notified the
| Cotton Manufacturers association that
a general strike of cotton-mill opera
| tives would be called If an increase
in wages Of 25 per cent was not grant
ed by June 3.
Chief Justice Brown of the Penn
sylvania supreme court has ruled that
q dining car conductor is not brake
man and that railroads must not In
clude him when they are complying
| with the full crew law.
Organized labor in England suggests
a minimum wage Of 80 shillings weekly
as the very lowest statutory base li1e
for the least skilled adult workers and
that the hours of labor wherever prac-
ticable should not exceed 48 weekly.
The Brotherhood of Railway Car
Men secured a 10 per cent wage !n-
crease and an agreement from the
Florida East Coast railroad.
Atlanta (Ga.) city council has raised
wages $40 month for 1,440 municipal
employees who receive $125 month
or less.
Since 1909 the Scottish Miners fed
Grafton has made efforts for better
housing conditions in the mining dis
tricts of Scotland.
| A colliery roadman was fined 40
shillings for unloading and relighting
his safety lamp In Cornsilloch tScOt
lland1 colliery,