New-York tribune., 1919-10-02
$50 Plants Are Affected by
Pressmen's Strike; 12O
Trade Papers and so to
IS Magazines Held. Up
Some Compositors Quit
Publishers Declare Rule of
Radical Element Must
Be Fought to a Finish

The combination strike and lockout
Of the 5000 pressmen, feeders and pa
per handlers employed in about $50 job
printing plants of this city went into
eject yesterday, with the pressrooms
6 all the plants remaining idle or
closed to the members of the four
MONS outlawed by the International
lressmen's Union and the international
typographical Union, with the backing
Of the A. F. of L. The outawed unions
are Pressmen's Union No. 81, Franklin
Union No. %, Paper Handlers Union
No. and Job Press Feeders Union
No. l.
These organizations are in conflict
with the internationals on the question
Of whether or not agreements con-
Guided between the internationals and
the employers can be violated by local
1nlons by presentation of demands not
;@tnorized IN such agreements. The
rtlcuiar demands put forth by the
tItIawed unions in this city. which
Lave brought about the present Sit
natlon, are the forty-four hour week
and nat increase Of $l4 in wages
Declare Agreement Violated
AS iHtcIudtiOudlS COnLen0 tnat the
cemand for immediate introduction of
the fortyfour-hour week is contrary TO
the agreement between the Interna-
iional typographical Union and the
Association of Employing Printers pro-
viding for the establishment Of the
.orty-f ur-hour week not before May {.
1921. The insistcrce of the local unions
on their demands provoked their ex-
pulsion from the internationals and eff
1orts by the latter TO reorganize them.
The internationas support the Print
crs' League, the organization OF en-
pioyers n this city affiliated with the
ASSOCIATION OF Employing Printers, in
their lockout of the pressmen, feeders
and paper handlers.
An unexpected complication, which
developed yesterday with the enforce
lsent of the lockout, was the walkout
Of many positors in various plants
IN sympathy with the locked-out men
and presentation by the compositors OF
tAe latte1s demands. The action of the
compositors, which may presage gen
eral' walk-out by compositors in all
plants affected by the lockout, was all
me moro surprising in view OF the fall
ure of Typographical Union No. 6
Big 6"-into which all local compost
tors are organized. TO call a strike In
sympathy with the outlaWed organza-
tions.
Rouse Disclaims Responsibility
Leon II. Rouse, president of big g.
expressed surprise when Informed of
the walk-out OF the compositors. He
said he had no official information OF
their action. "If it is true" said Mr.,
Rouse that the men have walked out
they have done 80 as individuals and
not as members of these organizations
| understand that some OF our men are
quitting in disgust over this general
situation. The Technical Press, in the
Rhinelarder Building, is reported to
have laid off 100 of our men to-day
AS there is no work, it is likely that
lot Of our men will have nothing 20
DO in few days, anyway
tie Flatiron Building it was declared
other departments of the printing
shops operating with the pressrooms
closed for more than forty-eight hours
so the likelihood of a general cessa.
ton Of work on the part Of all en-
ployes in the printing trades, and in
volvlng 10000 men, may grow real dur
ing the day When asked whether he
had the power to keep the compost
tors from walking out of the plants
and presenting demand Tor the
forty-four hour week, Mr.. Rouse said he
had no such power, and the men were
masters of their own fate. This feat
nre Of the situation may be settled a
the meeting of Big 6" called for mex
Sunday.
Among the places where the compost
tors walked out yesterday were tht
Carey Printing Company. Tenth Ave
rue and Thirty y-ninth Street, which set,
the type of the Century publications
Vogue" VANITY Fair" and others
McGraw & Hill, C. J. O'Brien, Berko
WITT & Proper. the O'Connell Press
and the Federal Printing Company ant
the plant of "The Richmond Record,
at Richmond, Staten Island The tota