The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1918-12-21
GENERAL LABOR NEWS

| A cooperative store owned by wage
earners is to be opened in Fond du
Lac, Wis.
Labor at Tacoma (Wash) has
elected one commissioner Oft of five
on the city council.
With membership OF over 800 the
Toronto Policemen's union is now fair
ly well established.
Before the war there were employed
In and around the coal mines of the
United States approximately 100000
men.
member Of organized labor has
been appointed on permanent COM
mission to administer New Bruins
wick's compensation act.
Employees of the Northwestern Tel
ephone company struck at Mnneapo-
lis because the company had not ac-
cepted their demands for increased
wages.
Although the strikers in the Clyde
Eshipyards recently voted by a small
'jority against returning to work.
their executives ordered them tore.
|sume operations.
NO drinks Tor those miners who
habitually absent themselves from the
coal mines is the slogan adopted by
the saloons In eastern Ohio, and it
is said to be bearing results.
An agreement was recently reached
at Cardiff between the South Wales
Colliery Examiners association and the
coal owners whereby the examiners
wages are increased ut most C0llieries
By from 10 to 30 shliingS, bringing the
wage for a siX-day week up to G5 SIS.
The negotiations have lasted since last
November.
Thousands of walters and cooks re-
turning to New York after the aban.
donment Of many war industries com
bined with the desire of Il majority of
the strikers TO return to work and the
substitution Of women for strikers,
have broken the hotel-restaurant en-
ployees strike, says a statement is
sued by the Hotel association of New
York city.
In anticipation of government or
ders for the rehabilitation of $1,000
highly paid workers in the United
States gas defense plant at Long Is
land City, the management announced
that employees would be given an op-
portunity to obtain positions else
where before they are dismissed Men
and women earn from $50 to $50
week, and the company has offered
them assistance in getting placed in
other lines.
Machinists of Newark, N. j.. repre-
senting, 27,S00 men and women, filed
q complaint with the national war la
Dor board against 80 companies. They
asked that the present thesis of pay
be discontinued and that four classfi-
cations, with minimum wage for
each be established. The rates asked
are: Toolmakers, 50 cents an hour;
machinists, Is cents; specialists, So
cents, and helpers, so cents with 10
cents ditferential In favor of night
workers.
The nine labor leaders whose arrest
in connection with the strike of the
federated harbor unions at Havana
brought about general sympathetic
strike which virtually paralyzed the
'clty's industries and traffic, have been
pardoned by President Menocal, The
men had been sentenced to serve 80
days in prison on charges of coercion.
Members of the labor unions quit
work more than week ago and their
Readers were arrested soon afterward.
The presidents action ended the strike.
VI Seventy-five thousand stenographers,
clesks, Office boys, messengers, watch
men, section men ard others in the
employ of the Canadian railways were
granted an increase in wages amount
ing to more than $22000,000 a year.
Instructions from Ottawa to stop the
work of fitting guns on board ships,
and also to stop the providing of quar-
tiers on board some vessels for gunner
crews, have been received by the rep
rdsentatives Of the imperial munitions
board engaged in supervising the fit
ting and machinery installation "
wooden steamers being built at Que
bee.