New-York tribune., 1919-02-28
The Truth About Seattle
How the Genesis of the Trouble Laid on Piez of the
Emergency Fleet Corporation
By Kenneth Macgowan
By Kenneth Macgowan
ARTICLE III

out OF existence March 81 and some other
mediation will be found for men and en-
ployers. The men offered to go back if
date for readjustment and method Of rs-
adjustment were Immediately announced.
This was refused
1here seem to be three principal points
involved in the dispute around which rancor
has risen.
The first is the refusal of the local unions
to abide by the agreement to arbitrate
signed for them by their international
on'cers' 10 the government and the en-
ployers this is the tearing up Of solemn
contract, another "scrap of paper" The
men claim, however, that by the terms of
thelr constitutions the international Off
GERS are without power to sign such an
agreement. The employers side then asks
why they accepted it, and the men replv
'patriotism." When the war was on
thelr business was to build ships and not
TO refuse cooperation. When the war was
over, they say, they had right to repudiate
and strike.
Another point at issue is the governments
construction Of the powers of the Macv
the board has power to enter any ward and
enforce SCALE whether there is disnute
III 'hao yard or not. The government has
further construed that the board cannot
enter any yard if the dispute has gone to the
Amit OF a strike. Apart from any question
OF how the memorandum creating the board
may be construed, the difficulty of the sit
uaton seems to be that though it leaves
the men free to bargain with the employ
ers IN peace times, it takes away their bar
gaming weapon, the strike. There is
naturally an opportunity in such dilemma
Tor irritation and sympathetic anger on
the part of other unionists.
Finally, there is the actual question of
wage. That is the ultimate dispute. All
that can be said on this is that the men
claim that S4.64 is too little for common
labor In Seattle, and that the EMPLOYERS
claim that Sc is too much--while the pov-
eminent has prevented any compromise
unless the men humble themselves by giv
ing up the strike
William Short, president of the State
federatlon of Labor, says that S464 dav
is too little, because before the war com
mon labor in Seattle got SO a day. and the
cost OF living has advanced 100 per cent.
tie further says that Seattle has long had
wage scale above the East and that II
should have such wage scale now. The
ministerial Federation of Seattle "a bodv
OF about a hundred Protestant pastors
dispatched through its committee on labor
telegram to Mr.. Piez requesting chat
shlpyard laborers receive a minimum, Of
$500, as seriousness of situation demands
quick action, cost of living demands this
wage, and representatives of men with
whom we conferred declared the strike
might be called off if raise were granted
A man very high in the labor adjustment
councils of the Emergency Fleet CORPORA
ton told me that he believed S464 too low
wage for Seattle
Out of such opinions-coupled with, ex-
perlence of rising living costs-and ont of
the multitude of acusations, of which 7
nave given only a general indication, arose
pretty wide belief among Seattle labor
that a general sympathetic strike was NOT
too grave step to bring home the situa-
ton of the common laborer to the United
States and Mr.. Pez. That and the desire
to "blow off steam" after the strkeIess war
swayed the masses of Seattle into the
general strike.