New-York tribune., 1919-09-05
Managers Seek
Peace; Actors
Refuse Terms
Continued from page


membership in the Actors Equity AS
sociation.
"In a desire to insure against closed
shop, the managers required that mem
bers OF the Actors Equity Association
would work with members of the Ac-
tors Fidelity League, or any other or
ganlzatlon. or no organization
ne Actors Equity Association re-
Jected any mention Of the Actors FL
deity League
Reasonable Guarantees Sought
THE Producing Managers Associa-
ton only sought reasonable guarantees
against closed shop and strike. The
Actors Equity Association refused any
thing that the Producing Managers
could construe as reasonable cuaran-
tees
The Producing Managers communi-
cation was civil and in no sense one
of finality. The Actors Equity Asso-
clatlon reply terminated with the fol-
lowing paragraph: We add, however.
that the. use of the word unacceptable
IN this letter means that those whom
we represent have taken. with refer
ence 20 the matters referred to, a
position which, as expressed in our
letter is definite and final
The Producing Managers Associa-
ton now plans the reopening of all
theatres"
The contract was submitted to the
Equity yesterday morning at II o'clock
and was returned as unsatisfactory
during the afternoon.
There Will be another meeting of the
managers to-day. Arthur HOPKINS said
last night. however, that he did not
know whether negotiations between the
attorneys for both sides would be re-
sumed to-day Justus Sheffield has
oeen representing the Equity and Balm
bridge Colby the managers.
Points in the Contract
Under the contract proposed by the
managers actors would bind themselves
to be free of any affiliaton that would
prevent the fulfilment of their per-
tracts would expire on different days
this clause would, it is believed, pre-
vent any possibility of strike in the
future.
1t included iron bound provisions
against the closed shop.
One other clause would have pro-
Vided that no fees should be charged
for employment of actors and would
bind the Equity to an agreement not
to cause itself to be appointed by it's
members as their agents for negotia-
tion Of any individual contract between
producer and manager.
The arbitration clause provided that
IN case Of dispute an Equity actor
would be represented by an arbiter sp-
pointed by the Equity and the man
ager would appoint one arbiter and
these two select a third. 1t also pro-
Vlded that IN dispute with a
member Of the Actors Fidelity League
the Fidelity should appoint its mem
ber's arblter An actor belonging
to neither organization might appoint
his own arbiter. The Equity, Mr.. Hop
kins said had rejected the word Fl
dellty' in the contract.
Plans for Enforcement
Under this contract Equity members
would bind themselves not to refuse
to perform in q cast because of the
presence Of non-Equlty members This
provision also extended to stagehands
and musicians.
Both the Equity and the managers
would agree that each would in good
faith and by appropriate disciplinary
measures, endeaVor to inforce the cove
nants, providing that the Equity and
is members should not attempt to
force or coerce actors to become mem
bers of the Equity and the producers
WOulU agree lNGN Equity DcIS 5
should not be Disseminated against.
Strikes would only be called against
producer who committed a breach Of
the contract and not against all the
members of the producing managers
association. as in the present strike.
For more than three weeks the Pro-
ducing Managers Association refused
to treat with the representatives Of the
Actors Equity Association. For the
last six days, however, representatives.
of the managers and representatives
of the strikers have been meeting
secretly each day.
Two meetings OF actors are sched-
uled for to-day. The Actors Equity
Association will meet this afternoon in
the Lexington Theatre. In the evening
the Actors Fidelity League, of which
George NJ. Cohan is president, is to
meet at the Biltmore The mbers
are anticipating another visit of the
EQUITY hecklers, who all but disrupted
the last Fidelity meeting by their in
terruption of speeches.