Arizona republican., 1919-10-20
Comedy Ot the Printers Strike

I print shops in America. At that time | the nation was at war and printing was
 extremely important. Any interfer- | ence with it meant the checking of valuable war propaganda. So the
 matter was brought before the War Labor board, which allowed the print | ing trade an increase of six dollars a week in wages and admonished it to be
 content with that and nothing more until the agreement expired on Octo- Der 1, 1919
 I But special clause was added to the agreement which provided that the case might be reopened on May l, 1919. With the war over, the printers began to consider the advisability of taking advantage of this clause. They would
 not ask for an increase in wages, then, they decided, but for a shortening of their 4S-hour working week to A hours. On April 4, the employers were
 officially notified of this fact in conference between their organization, known as the League of Employing Printers, and the leaders of the local printers unions.
 This meeting was quite peaceable. The employers agreed to consider the matter, and they did, but not favor ably.
 Suppose we had allowed the 44-hour week at this time,' said one of them. ''That would have quieted things for a time, but how do we know that these unions would not demand an increase of wages on October r"
 : The employers took glance over the country, discovered that the print :. ing trades of other cities were appar- ently amiable and happy, and decided ? that they would not make any further
 concessions This decision was backed by the officers of the International Ty- geographical union-with which local printers unions all over the country are affiliated-who met committees of the employers in Chicago and agreed ; that the 44-hour week was to be post 3 poned until 1921.
 When the news of this meeting reached New York it was like bomb thrown into the ranks of the printing 5 trades. Mass meetings were held; I speeches for the 44-hour week were made to groups of men during the noon . hour; the International was de-
 nounced, and finally it became known = that in addition to the 44-hour week the printers would also demand s14 a Q week increase in wages.
 Naturally, the employers were aware |, of these proceedings. They scented ' a strike, so instead of waiting for it tc I come they decided to meet it. In the 0 third week in September, shortly be- n fore the War Labor board contract ex-
 pired, they began getting rid of the e chief agitators in their plants by tho U simple method of firing them. Wher T the mems unions protested, the em. s ployers informed them that they coult II no longer do business with them, be. r cause they were not members of tht y International union. The unions retail. It ated by calling out all of their men. Meantime, the officials of the In.
 ternational Typographical union ar e rived in New York and began form Il ing new unions under it's drectiion t, ' take the place of the men who wer n fired. But the members of these nev 't unions had to be recruited largely iron
 the old ones, so that the Internationa
 found it's task very difficult. Ever ~ so, it might have succeeded had
 not been for the mutiny which occurre, S in the ranks of the International-th l. feature which has made this strik
 different from any other that has eve q occurred in New York.
 if One of the unions, known here as tn ]. Big Six" consisting of hundreds o ,r type setters, was part of the Interna e tional.
 d The Big Six can't desert unless W !. let them,' declared a member of tn ,e International, "and with all the com ,e positors at work we can easily fill tn l. other places
 This was absolutely true. The Bi
 Six could not desert, because it ha r. important contracts with the Interna T tional-mortuary and other benefit
 on which the union had been payin In assessments for years and could nc ,f afford to lose. But the individus
 members of the union had no inten l. tion of setting type for presses manne
 by scabs. so they said. So, while re ,- taining their membership in the Bi d. Six, they formed another organizatio rs known as the 50-44 club ($50 wages fc ly a 44-hour week being the terms th W men are fighting for) which decree
 a walkout. As members of the Big Si s they could not strike, but as member , of the 50-44 club this is what they did
 On the morning of October 1, tt :. typesetters walked into the printin '. plants at the usual hour. But they di .a not stay very long. Going up to tl ts superintendent, each man demande of s 'Is it 50-44?"
 d Nothing doing" was the reply. he Well, I'm going on a vacation the in declared the typesetter and left u ,n shop.
 CT Now here is the amusing part of i on The employers immediately notifie ay Big Six of the action of it's member i'd which was contrary to the orders of u nd international union. Big Six professs e. to be indignant A meeting of ts, members was called, and the very san V men who walked out of the printir i- plants that morning ordered then r. selves back that afternoon. But the same evening, as membe ne of the 5044 club. they decided to r on main out. thus disobeying their ov ,n ,n orders.
 - isa So, while technically not on strilS the typesetters, as individuals, a u working in the closest co-operati as with the other unions in maintainil
 one While tacitly obeying the orde ne of their local union. they are careful ce disobeying them. With the except et of few small plants which have c
 pitulated to the demands of the strI CTS, the print shops of New York a 'n closed