Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-02-21
HOG ISLAND IDLE;
STRIKE STlLL ON
Most Bosses Refused to Be
Bound by Farley With
p, .,-oC Chief
PIEZ URGED WAITING

Shipysrd workers al Hos Island
again tied ur the plant To-Day.
The men were forced TO quit work
after their return this morning because
most of the. foremen who walked out
yesterday. failed TO appear
The foremen changed their minds
B about eating n week for Charles Piez,
director sensral of the Emergency Fleet
: Corporstion. to adjus' their demands for
highe' wages and decided at a speCial
: session last n Ight not to go back u work
until they, had been assured the increases
viii be granted The Increases demanded
average IS week for the foremen.
Bad weather today is said to have
Influenced come of the 'Workm TO 'aN
down thei- tools.
A committee or foremen will meet
repre sen,atives of the American Inter
national ShipouidIng Company At
O'Clock on Monday morning at Hog
Island Mr Piea will he present al
the carr'ronoe. .- ...
rn's Action Surprises Piek
ND,u of The forsmer came as sur
prise 10 Mr.. Piez, who was assured by
officials uf Hog Island Local 40. 33i,
OF the Boilermakers' and Shlpbuilders
Union. yesterday. that they would re-
sumo work this morning pending his de-
. csiou on their demands week hence
II developed today. however. that
mass-meeting of strikers ana sympa-
thizers III the Parkway Building yester-
day afternoon, which was addressed by
Mr.. Piez, embraced only q small proper
ton OF the 40 foremen who had quit
Last night Mr. piez was informed.
other factions OF the striking foremen
held several conferences. and determined
to remain out until their demands are
acted upon. Word to this effect was
I sent TO as msuy sbsentees as could be
reached b! the union heads and TINS
morning only about half of the foremen
appeared at the shipyard for work. They
remained on the job, however. only
few hours. When they left the plant
thousands of other classes OF labor
automatically were made idle.
Two classes of foremen at Hog Island
are demanding an increase In wages OF
from $50 to s5s and from s6i TO $40
week. respectively. The feet corporation,
MIR. Piez- said, could not grant their de-
mands without applying the increase TO
foremen in 149 other shlpyards as we'll
Pier Expects All at Work Monday
After he had talked with several OF
the union officials at noon. the director
general said he believed all of the men
out at Hog Island would be back on the
lob Monday morning, pending final
settlement of the strike.
: Tomorrow will be holiday ut the
plant Mr. PieZ announced that he had
( arranged for conference at Hog Is.
land on Monday between representa-.
tiyes of the strikers. officials of the
American International Shipbuilding
, CORPORATION. agents OF the gorernm"n'
and himself
Hereafter, the United States sh uu'"c
board and the Emergency Fleet corpora
tion propose to handle their owh labor
difficulties without the interference or
assistance from the National War La
Dor Board. -
Mr.. Piez. 1t was learned today, has
/ notified twliiam II, Taft and Basil
Manly, Joint ehairrnen or the labor
board, that the Seattle strike and other
shipbuilding wage disagreements will be
settled directly by the governments
shipping agencies.
Board Sent Examiners to Seattle
This was acknowledged by Edward y.
Hurley. chairman of the shipping board
today. when it was learned that the war
q labor board had sent examiners to Sc
attle 10 investigate the shipyard strike
and also had been attempting TO settle
the dispute between the boilermakers
! and the Emergency Fleet Cooperation
-, At San Francisco.
Mr.. Hurley asserted. Mr. Piez was
working on a plan 10 settle shipysrd
disputes by local committees, and this
plan would go into effect after the ship
building tabor adjustment board. known
as the Macy board, went out Of existence
March al.
Mr.. Hurley also explained that the
! wage scales in Atlantic Gulf and Pacific
coast yards were fixed by the award of
the Macy board handed down October
last. and the shipping board expected to
live up TO this award until it expired.
He also intinated plainly that the board
expected the shp-workers to live up to
The award
Mr.. Piez has taken the position there
is nothing 10 arbitrate in the Seattle sit.
. uation because the men in the Seattle
yards were bound by the Macy board
award. The goyernment. Mr.. Pez ha.
stated:-does not intend TO increase wages
at this time.
The walkout of foremen at Hog Island
tied up the entire plant and involved
nearly 10000 men.
Say Retrenchments Caused Strike
The strike according 10 many work
men. was largely a result Of the re-
trenchment policy of the American In
teFnational ShipbuIding Compauy Some
departments al The shipyard have ,been
eliminated during the last month. in an
effort 10 get the yard down 10 an efficient
peace time basis. it is said
Along with ibis policy proposal was
submitted by J. D. Andrews msnager
OF ship construction 10 further reduce
overhead costs by having one foreman
in charge of Two ships and doing away
With the bolter-up and chipper and
caulker foremen, The boilers would re.