The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-03-02
MEN QUIT JOBS
Billiard Denies Transfers Were
Fired Because of Union.
They Wanted More Money and
Shorter Hours.
PROMISED A SUMMER RAISE
Mutual Ice Company Manager
Explains Labor Trouble.
Force Higher Prices.
PROMISED A SUMMER RAISE.

1T was simply a case where we
could not agree on hours and wages
asserted Robert Billiard, manager of
the Mutual Ice company this morning,
when questioned in regard to a re-
ported teamster strike at the Mutual
plant. The men quit of their own ac-
cord"
According to a story credited to one
of the transfers, ten men got fired
for joining the teamsters' union"
Billiard 1latly denied this statement.
1t was said 1 fired all union men, :"
declared Billiard. "One of the best
men 1 have on the job right now is a
member of the transfers union l
expect to keep this man. 1t would
indicate that the trouble was not
union movement but was simply
within of the men,.
t5uiard said that the Mutual Ice
company employed between so ana
100 men all of the time, and he de-
clared that the quitting of the ten
men would not interfere with the reg
ular deliveries of ice to the people. Bill
lard is of the opinion that the So
called strike of the ten men started
some time ago when one man partook
too freely of the Kansas brand OF
fire water, and got the idea that ne
should quit. In statement issued
this morning Billiard goes into the MS
tory the strike" as he sees it.
Drunken Man Started 1t.
1T all started some time ago when
one of the men had been drinking
some kind of vile stuff and as a re-
suit got rather wild" is BILLIARDS. story
of the affair. THE man said that ne
was going to quit, but l induced MIN
to stay. He told me that he was going
to turn in his tongs and l sent him
home to sober up. When ne cdi!e
hack to work this man began TO crltl-
cize the management OF the company any
and to find fault with the company
methods of doing business He got 10
talking among the other men, anu
some of them joined the union last
sunday. l heard in advance that
trouble was brewing among some OF
the men, and was expecting 10
called on by a delegation:
~ knew that the delegation was
going to demand higher wages ana
shorter hours" declared Billiard, anu
1 knew that the hours they were 90
ing to ue mand were too snort Ior the
proper conduct of the ice business "a
th.. summer. What the men wanted
was. in addition to the shorter hours
ope and one-half time for overtime on
week DAYS and double pay on Sundays:
l frankly told the boys that coulo
nor NEE those demands
ITyInG TO hcSD DOMH
In explaining his stand in this mat
te Billiard said that his ice company
is making every effort to keep the
price of ice from advancing but that
if his help is allowed to dictate what
wages he shall pay and how often
they are to get raise it Will become
necessary to advance the price and
tn. consumers will have to pay He
said no I,lans have been made for ad-
varcing prices this summer and that
no1e are contemplated, but that plac-
in: his plant under teamsters' union
dictation or any other outside dicta-
ton w ould certainly force the com
pany to take some action.
Billiard stated that the Mutual Ice
COMPANY voluntarily increased the
pay of the men three times last sum-
mer." ard stated that he told the men
their pay would be increased again
this coming summer.
IT promised them that just as soon
as the weather opened up the rate of
pay would be increased. the same as
last year-and I also told them that
was not going to have either them
or the teamsters' union dictate what
wages I should pay" Billiard said.
Men Talked 1t Over.
The men called on me about 4
o'clock in the afternoon" said Bill
lard. II listened to them and then
told them to go out and talk it over.
ABOUT o CLOCK the men came back
into the office. One of them said. L
have decided to keep my card
You mean you are going to quit?'
1 asked him.
The man answered yes
II then asked him if he wanted his
time and he said yes to that, so I
had the bookkeeper make out his
check.
Il questioned one or two of the
other men Singly, with the same re-
if that was what they wanted. They
all said yes
"All of the men got their checks
because they asked for them" declared
Billiard, land not because they were
discharged. Two of the men who quit
were non-union men"
Card of Thanks.