The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-02-17
VIOLATION OFfAGREE-
MENT, ALLEGES ASSO.
The Local Union Officials
Say That the Matter Is
Something Which the In
ternatiOnal Association of
Granite Cutters VIII Be
Called Upon to Handle.

II tlS NIdHlbt NuJttIe IHLtfHhJloHhl
association fails to order back to work
its men now on strike at Quincy and
other points Of lesser consequence on or
before Thursday, Feb 20, the manufac-
turers of the Barre district, and all other
granite manufacturing points, will sus-
pend operations on March l until such
time as a way may be found 10 make
agreements binding on both union and
manufacturers.
This proposed action is brought about
/ by the alleged breaking OF a five-year
wage agreement by the cutters at Quincy
and the unsuccessful attempt on the part
of employers there to induce them to re-
turn to work.
Failure OF the mep to return to work
at Quincy by Feb. 90 will not only close
all the granite manufacturing plants in
Barre, Montpelier, Mortified Waterbury
and other places in the Barre granite
4 belt, but viii automatically close the
! quarries through lack Of orders for stock.
/ The manufacturers association this
morning gave out the following state
ment, which includes a copy Of the notice
sent to all unions having agreements
with the Barre association:
Granite manufacturers of the Barre
/ district, in a largely attended association
meeting Saturday afternoon, took dc-
cided stand against what they term
agreement violation on the part of TIE
union branches In a statement present
ed before the meeting and adopted, the
developments leading up to the meeting
are reviewed, and the reasons sets forth
! for the action taken. While the dates.
with reference to the presentation of re
quests for q S6 minimum, vary some
what in different sections of the Barre
| district, the substance of the reply of the
granite manufacturers is the same in
each instance. For instance, the North
| field branch was the first to ask for the
/ S6 minimum, while the Barre branch Of
/ granite cutters made its request Jan. 10,
! the local polishers' branch and other
/ trade union organizations in the district
| following. In the meeting Saturday aft
/ emOOn, the manufacturers, on the vote
| taken, were unanimously committed to
/ the stand outlined in the following state
ment, copies of which have been placed
! in the hands of the several branches
The Communication to the Unions.
"We believe that the present labor sit.
uation is filled with danger to the gran
ite industry of the United States. That
/ there may be no misunderstanding be-
! tween the employers and the employees in
! the Barre granite district, we think 1t
advisable briefly to outline our position
Our present agreement was signed
! May Is. 1915. to continue until March |,
/ 1920, and fixed the minimum wage at so
cents an hour from March |, 1916, to
March l, 1920. Because of war condi-
tions, a supplementary agreement was
voluntarily and mutually entered into,
adding 10 cents an hour from April /,
1918. A second supplementary agree
ment, also a war measure, was made in
! the fall of 1918 to take effect Jan. /.
| 1919, increasing the minimum to 90 cents
an hour, to remain in effect until March
| |, 1920 At the time of this second sup
| Elementary agreement it was clearly
| stated and understood that no more
| raises should be asked or granted during
1.-THE life of the agreement that is, during
the period between Jan. l, 1919, and
| March /. 1920; and the signed second
supplementary agreement says that this
minimum of 90 cents an hour is to re-
main in force until March !, 1920. These
agreements have been carried out by us
| in letter and spirit and we have been
paying the last new minimum since Jan.
| /, 1919.
"ln the meantime, however, your body
| voted for an amendment to your consti-
/ tuition, that is the constitution of the
/ Granite Cutters international associa
tion, of which you are a member and
! branch. This amendment provided for a
| So a day minimum effective April l.
| 1919; and the branches in the different
granite centers in the face of their wage
agreements with employers adopted that
amendment.
'On Jan. 10, 1919 Just 10 days after
: the new minimum of 69 cents was in
! force your branch sent us written
communication in which You say that
YOU expect to receive So a day or 7j
cents an hour minimum from and after
! April !, 1919. Shortly thereafter your
! and our committees met, and our com
mittee took the stand, since unanimous
! " ratified by our members, that you
should live up to your agreement and
wait until March 1, 1920, or three months
prior thereto, as the agreement calls for,
before making any further demands
Your committees attention was called to
the fact that in December, 1918, your
| Quincy branch had walked out, contrary
! to their agreement, because the manu-
| facturers there had declined to pay this