New-York tribune., 1919-09-22
Offers of Employers Are
Rejected and Committee
Is Ordered to Continue
Negotiations During Week
Loyal to International
Members of Local Refuse
to Take Action That Means
Break With the A. F. of l..

Members Of "Big 6" refused yester
day to call strike of printers in tn,
book and job Offices on October /. wher
'he present contract expires.
The tentative offer Of the employer.
OF an arbitration plan, a 44-hour weel
TO begin May !, 1921, and an increas,
OF 50 week was rejected, but the
resolutions of rejection called for the
reopenlng OF negotiations with the en-
pioyers and another meeting Of the
union next Sunday in hall large
enough to accommodate all the mem
bers.
From the opening of the meeting
Smith aud Schermerhorn streets
Brooklyn. it was evident that the Of
tlcers and men OF the union had no
desire TO take action that would drive
them out OF the International. A vote
TO strike in the face of the interna-
tional officers Endorsement of the
stand of the employing printers would
have had that result, it was agreed
Nearly 5000 men crowded the hall
during the discussion. At least 1000
others waited outside.
Won't Break With A. F. of l..
Leon Rouse. president of Big g.
announced at the start that he was
opposed to any action that would take
the union cards now held by membe RS
Of Big s" from them That organiza-
ton, he said, would do nothing. that
would jeopardize it's position IN the
international.
Then he read the tentative offer made
by the employing printers last Thurs
day after q joint conference held at
the Offices of the United Typothetp.
We won't accept that offer" said
Rouse. Let's stick and have neither
arbitration nor compromises"
There was a storm Of cheers. While
the enthusiasm was at its height Sig
mund Oppenheimer arose and read
these resolutions OF rejection:
Res solved, That Typographical
Union No. 6, after listening to re-
port of its executive committee on
the adjourned conference on the
book and job scale, concurs in it's
action in refusing to accept the
proposition submitted by the employ
ing printers.
Ask Further Conferences
"ResolveG, That the officers of No.
be instructed to notify the employ
ing printers Of the above action and
instruct the conference committee to
seek further negotiations. And that
they be instructed TO call meeting
for Sunday, September 2s. in the
largest hall that can be obtained for
the occasion and notify members that
strike vote may be taken.'
Another resolution was adopted pro-
viding for a levy of 10 per cent of all
the earnings of members of the union,
not merely as a strike fund, it was ex-
planned, but TO assist men who might
require such financial aid in the event
of a shutdown OF printing houses. The
assessment will be used as loan, it
was said by President Rouse, in the
event that it is not used for the pur-
poses stated.
Members of Pressmen's Local No 81,
one of the unions that has lost its
charter from the international, held a
meeting at Washington Irving High
School during the afternoon and dis
cussed plans for enforcing their de-
mands for forty-four- week and
Sl4 week increase in wages. 1t
was agreed that next Wednesday after
noon should be declared half holiday
for the purpose of calling out the full
membership for strike vote.