Norwich bulletin., 1919-07-23
CONNECTICUT HAD 516
 STRIKES IN THREE YEARS

IS, according to a report issued bv the federal department of labor. The
 number last year was seventy, for
 1917 1t was 121. and for 1916, total of S25. In 1916. Connecticut ranked sixth in the country for the number of strikes and lockouts. in 1917 eighth and in 1918 tenth.
 The grand total for the country for this three year period was 11.os2. Of these 3.1S1 were last year. 4.233 in 1917 and s.s7s in 1916
 Tt is difficult says the report. "to particularize the more important strikes Of the two-year period. 1917 and 1913. Many of them were short
 and involved large numbers of em- ployes- In both years strikes of min CTS, shipbuilders, longshoremen. ma- chfn1sts. and workers connected with the erection of cantonments through
 out the country attracted general at-
 tentlon. In 1917 probably the largest disturbances were those that occur
 red in the oil fields of Louisiana and
 Texas; in the telephone systems in
 Arkansas and the Pacific northwest:
 in the packing houses in St. Louis and Omaha: among the sugar cane work
 CTS in Porto Rico; in the augar re-
 fineries in New York and PhiIadeI-
 phia; among the potters in Ohio and
 New Jersey: in the silk mills in Ho- boten and vicinity; in the iron and
 steel industry in Pittsburgh; among
 the cigar makers in Porto Rico and
 V.
 Conn; shoemakers in New York city;
 in the various clothing industries in
 New York city. Philadelphia and Chi
 cago, in the northwest lumber indus
 try; and the general strike in Minnea-
 polls and St. Paul. In 1918 probably
 the largest disturbances were those
 that occurred among the tailors of
 New York city: in the textile industry
 in New Hampshire. Rhode Island, and
 Philadelphia; among the garment
 workers in Chicago and the tailors in
 New York city; the paper mills in
 northern New York: the cigar makers
 of New York city and St. Louis; the
 trolley systems of Buffalo. Kansas
 City and St. Louis; the molders and
 teamsters of Chicago; the retail clerks
 of St. Louis; the Dressmen and the
 walters and subway laborers in New
 York city; the General Electric strike,
 and the general strike in Kansas City"
 In 1918. in 2027 strikes and seven ty lockouts, the number of persons in volved was reported to be 1,102,41 and 43;041, respectively, or an average per strike and lockout of 58S and 615, respectively. Quitting the 200 strikes
 and the five lockouts in which the number of persons involced exceeded 1000 each. the average number in volved in the remaining strikes was 113 and in the lockouts 127 persons. In 1917, in 2174 strikes and 46 lockouts the number of persons involved was 1,193,S67 and 19.13S, respectively, or an average of $40 for the strikes and 416 for the lockouts. Quitting the 234 strikes and five lockouts in which the number involved was in excess of l. 900 and the averages are. respectively 16O and 105. In 1916. in 2600 strikes of persons involved was 1,546,42S and 53,1s2 respectively. the strike average being 595 and the average for lockouts being 1884 persons.
 The total duration of strikes in 1918 was 2s3s6 days and of the lockouts former being eighteen days and of the latter thirty-one days. If. however the disturbances lasting more than three months are omitted from con- sideration, the average was thirteen days and twenty-four days. respec- lively. Tn 1917 the total duration of these strikes was 24.076 days and of the lockouts 1904 days, the average of the latter f1fty-six days; or. con- sidering only those disturbances that lasted less than three months. the av- craze was thirteen days and twenty total duration of the strikes was 42,- 264 days and of the lockouts 3,375 days, an average of twentytwo days and sixty-four days. respectively, the average duration of those strikes last ing less than ninety days was fifteen days and of the lockouts nineteen days. The commissioner of conciliation of the department of labor handled 59S strikes and lockouts in 1918. and 3O3 in 1917. and settled 317 of them in the former year; and 137 in the latter. In 136 strikes and 1ockouts the employees to work. agreeing to leave the settlement of their disputes to the war labor board. In 1918 labor lead i CTS ordered strikers back to work in fifty eight cases, and in 1917 in seven 1 ty-two. Between April 6. 1917. the 1 date of our entrance into the war, l and November II. 1918. the date of | the signing of the armistice, 6,206 l strikes and lockouts occurred.
 The bureau has statements that 3Ss | strikes and lockouts, occurring during l the nineteen months of actual warfare | were in the war industries, but inas- 1 much as practically all the strikes in I the shipbuilding, iron and steel. and 1 metal trade industries. and most of those in the Heather. mems clothing and textile industries. and many of | those in the various building trades 1 railroad and mining occupations, were with the war more or less directly, the number of war strikes is [ doubtless much largee.