New-York tribune., 1919-01-30
American Wooden
Go. Meets Demand
For 48-EiOur Week
v orkers Plea for Same Pay
as on Longer Schedule
Refused. but Increase Is
Granted for Overtime

BOSTON, Jan % The American
Wooden Company. Will open its mills
next Monday on q bisis OF 4s hours
weekly and in the event that more
business warrants the working of
longer hours at times, viii pay their
employees at the rate OF time and one
half
This is the substance Of the com
pany's answer to their employees in
Lawrence who were called in con
ference with agents Of the four
Lawrence mills to-day 10 receive the
answer which they requested ycsteT-
day. At thc same time the company
refuses to pay the 5a-nour wage TOR
the shorter hours, but says that 1t
~l give IS hours pay fer 4S hours OF
work.
To-day's announcement commits the
American Woolen Company. great
factor in the textile industry and
which operates hfty-two plants, al but
three OF whicn arc IN, New England,
to the basic i8 hours week demanded
America and other textile employees
organizations. 1t odes not meet the
complete demands Of certain indivld
ual plants, as at Lawrence, where thc
operatives have insisted that they
wished the shorter hours with no re-
ductlon IN wages.
Company's Position Explained
The company's statement addressed
n TO n f,Tn
reads:
as "A result of our recent con,
fcrcnccs with you. we have learned
that the desire of the majority of
our employees is for Is hours work
ana 81 hours pay. This means an
increase in the rate Of wages of
12la per cent. We feel that fur
thor adVcnce in wages such as you
request would materially increase
our risk Of meeting successfully the
competition from foreign markets
and might result in idlcncss for our
mills asd consequent unemployment
for you. In vicw Of the extremely
dun business cutlooN. and rcmem
boring ALWAYS the dangers of com
petition with foreign manufacturers
who pay wages much lower than the
wages paid by Us. and competition
from manufacturers in this coun-
try. whose hours Of employment arc
longer. the directors of the Ameri-
can WOODEN Company, do not ap-
prove Of your request for an increase
in wages. You viii remember that
since January |. 1916, your wages
have been advanced 81 per cent.
while the cost of living from July,
l9lA, has advanced in industrial com
muntos, as stated by the National
industrial Conference Board, not
more than 20 per cent, and the ten
dency in the cost of living is now
downward.
To Pay Overtime Rate
For these reasons and with the
hest interests of our employees al
ways in mind. we will not increase
the rate Of wages but will pay you
As hourS' pay for 4S hours work,
and future business make it advis-
able for lis to run our mills more
than Is hours Il week, we wipl pay
you time and one-half for overtime.
Although we thing that 4S hours
week viii not give the best
economic results either for our cm-
rectors of the American Wooden
Company arc in sympathy with the
desies Of its employees for shorter
working hours and will, beginning
Monday morning, February 3, open
our mills on new schedule Of is
hours week.
The American Woolen Company en-
nlovs Approximately 10000 persons.
Following tho issuance Of the reply to
the Lawrence workers it was stated at
the Offices of the company that the
4s-hour schedule had been applied so
Tar only to the four mills in Lawrence,
to the other plants it was said. the
cues on of instituting a AS hours
week would be met and dec dcd on
the basis Of local conditions. and AS
the situation was developed by the
Wol ers.
LAWRENCE. Mass JAM %
President James X. Mcnzie. of tho
Lawrence Central Labor Union. a
member cf the executive committee
OF the general committee of htc tex
'llc WorHers. when told of the de
clSlon OF The American Wooden Com
pany Said. 1t showed a Willingness on
inc part the company to meet the
workers halfway. He said he did not
know whtehcr the local workers would
accept the Offer, as they had voted ~
demand as hour week, with "a hours
pay, but he hoped they would do So
''>' .'i''fS ~ NEL
Official Of other local mills. when
informed Of the decision of the
american Woolcn Company, said thev
would have to consider the mattc'
syn further before coming to de-
cision. We
SPRINGFIELD, Mass Jan. 29.-Tbc
Ln L"cIow Manufacturing Associates to-
gay placed its jutc mills, cmplovino
between 1900 ana $500 persons on =
working schedule of 37l2 hours n
week, reduction from 81 hours. The
agent OF the firm stated that no de-
hahds hal been received from the
heip' nor any request for conference
reeafdlng nours or any othe subject
re, re said that some departments are
no" running without profit and would
De closed If it were possible to GnG
o1ner o work 70 The employees. He hopes
ioT an improvement of condition
soon. '''
Ennnr,I c .,