New Britain herald., 1919-09-18
Wolksls Decide to Quit Until Corporation Meets Their Delegates
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 GARY WANTS OPEN SHOP
U. $. Steel Corporation En.,soNcs De- pIore Necessity Of Strilssfs,q But Insist That Iheirs Demands Must Be Met By Head of Concern.

Pittsburgh, Sept. 1S.-Before re- suming their discussion today on matters in connection with the steel workers strike called for next Mon day, the committee for organizing iron and steel workers issued state ment that having failed to obtain conference with the II. s. Steel Corp. the last and only hope is to strike until such time as the corporation will meet the representatives of the men. sIy.s..s.
 The statement Allows:
 Refuses to Meet Delegates.
 Tn his letter of Sept. 16 to the presdents of the subsidiary com panies of the U. S. Steel Corp, Judge Gary aver that he had two reasons in < mind when he refused to meet with the American Federation of asabor committee. which called upon him recently requesting a conference for the purpose of presenting, griev- ances of his employees. 'e-< ...
 "E'irst he did not believe the com mittee was authorized to speak for large numbers of the employees. < Second, a conference with the committee would Have been treated Aby them as q recognition of the sclosed shop method of employ 's Calls Promise False. 8."If these are the real reasons sactuating Judge Gary, surely they are not sufficient to plunge the industry into 8 great slabor conflict. Judge Gary presents9a false promise and then declares that he will stand or fall upon this false ground.
 'gThe committee that waited upon Judge Gary were the selected repre- sentatiyes of the employees. And they requested a conferences foa@ the pur pose of establishing the principle of scollectfvc bargaining alsd some pracu cal method of redressing grievances.
 Judge. Gary denied their authority Sto represent the employees and re- fused to meet them in conference. The only way left for the employees to convince Judge Gary that the com mittee does represent the great body of the employees of the U. $. Steel Corp. is to cease work until the cor poraton agrees to meet their repre- sentatiVes in conference. This the employees have decided to do on Mon day morning, September 22.
 DepIorcs strike Action.
 Ut is unfortunate that the em- ployes are compelled to resort to a strike in order to prove the authority of their selected representatives to present their grievances. But as there is no other way, the proof, in the form of strike will effectually, remove all doubt in Judge Gary's mind.
 In the second place Judge Gary sets up the question of the closed shop which has absolutely no basis whatsoever in the present controv- Judge Gary as a bugaboo to becloqd the real issue.
 Only One Question.
 "There is one and only one ques- ton at issue, and that is the question of conference. The employees have exhausted every avenue of approach to the corporation for the purpose of securing a conference and every avenue has been closed to them. Their last and only hope is to strike, and now the employees declare that they will cease work on next Monday morning until such time as the cor poration will meet their represent ta- tives in conference for the purpose of establishing humane and reason able methods of dealing with the very vital problems which affect their lives, their homes and their future"