The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-09-14
GENERAL LABOR NEWS

Prominent members of the Trades
and Labor council and the board Of
trade in Vancouver, B. c., have form
ed committee as court Of appeal
If possible.
! Vancouver (B. C.) street car men
are to receive minimum of 40 cents
an hour, and maximum of 81 cents an
hour, two years. service to determine
the maximum pay. They receive the
eight-hour day and get time and a
half for overtime.
The right Of workers Of ammunition
plants to organize in trade unions
or groups and to bargain collectively
through chosen representatives is rec
ognized and affirmed In an award made
! public by the national war board in a
controversy between the Smith & Wes-
son company, arms manufacturers,
and their employees at Springfield,
Mass.
For the third time within year the
stead and Mifflin Street Railways COM
pany, Pittsburgh, have been increased.
The latest increase Is three cents per
hour and makes the wages of motor
men and conductors who have been
in the service of the company more
than three months At cents per hour.
Women engaged at mems work at
the south works Of the American Steel
and Wire company are "holding down"
their positions equally as well as the
men did, according to statement by
the superintendent of the plant. They
have released large number Of men
for overseas duty. The women are
painting wooden wheels used for coil
ing rope and wire, splicing rope, build
ing reels in the carpenters shop
and other articles used in the plant.
Issues between the Western Union
Telegraph company and the post office
| department were established when
Postmaster General Burleson an
nounced that he had approved an APP
plication from the company for in
creased salaries for its employees.
'This increase was not discriminatory
In any manner" he said. The COM
pany has announced 10 per cent in
crease for members Of It's Western
Union Employees association, not eff
fective to members Of the Commercial
Telegraphers' union holding similar po-
sitions and doing similar work.
The basic eight-honr day was not es-
tablished in the Bethlehem Steel COM
pany's plant at Bethlehem in the re-
cent finding of the war labor board,
the board announced in correcting the
original statement of its finding. The
eight-hour day previously applied to
machine shops of the plant, but, I'M
der the war departments interpreta-
ton Of the eight-hour law, was not ap-
piled in the boards finding, to all
branches of the plant engaged in the
production Of steel billets, rolled steel,
or other unfinished products for the
open market.
For the first time In the history of
Lancaster, Pa, an organization of
street car men was formed there by
James Maurer, president Of the Penn
sylvania State Federation Of Labor.
Almost hundred men made applica-
ton for membership. The organiza-
ton followed the granting of the third
increase In wages for the men in three
weeks by the Conestoga Traction COM
J pany. The scale Is six cents under
that approved by the war labor board,
and the men will demand an increase
to meet the government scale. At the
same meeting the local boilermakers
were organized.
The workers in the. big Krupp works
in Essen threaten to strike, according
to dispatch from Amsterdam. The
unrest is said to be spreading to the
big industrial centers of Bochum and
Barmen. The dispatch does not state
what reason the workers give as cause
for their threatened strike.
Herbert Bayard Swope, New York
newspaper writer, has been appointed
an associate member Of the war indus
tries board. Chairman Baruch an
nounced that Mr.. Swope, who has stud
led war problems both in this country
and abroad, will sit with the board
and act as assistant to the chairman.
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