New-York tribune., 1919-09-19

y
34,6l0 feet, setting new record. 1t
mark and was accepted as official af
Iypothet@ Charles Francis, officer
united Typothetsr; Harris b. Hatch,
clectrotypers employers; H B. kendell,
poohhlnaors' employers; NJ. G.. Scott,
president international Typographical
Union; George L. Berry. president In
ternatlonal Printing Pressmen's ana
Assistants Union; Walter N Reddck.
president International Brotherhood OF
Eookbinders; James ]. Freel, president
international Stcreotypers' and Electro
typers' Union.
Statement of Union Heads
me last four men, representing the
unions affiliated with the American
Federation ol Labor, then issued this
statements:
The attention Of the officers Of the
International Printing Trades Unions
haVing been officially called to declara-
NonS made by certain representatives
OF local printing trades unions that
strike VIII be called in the mechanical
departments of the commercial print
ing o; ces Of New York City on October
- the f0lIowlng statement is made, de-
tnlng the position Of the undersigned
lnternational Printing Trades Unions:
, lhc position taken by several of
thc printing trades unions Of New York
city III refusing to submit certain dif-
ferences with their employers to arbi-
tratlon has not been encouraged or in
dorSed by the executive officers of the
INTERNATIONAL Printing Trades Unions,
and the strike which it has been an
nounccd VIII be called on October !
Wlll not be authorized or supported by
the international organizations.
NegotIatlons for the inauguration
Of the fortyfour hour week to be CT
fective On May l. 1921, have been prac-
tically completed These negotiations
.zed reprsscntatives Of the the lnterna- aterOa
tional Printing Trades Unions, whose
members viii be affected and by au-
Jhorizcd representatives Of the Inter
natlona! Associations Of Employers in
whose printing Offices the members Of
these unions are employed. Since this
arrangement has the approval of q
large majority Of the members of these
international organizations it necessa-
ri!y follows that the executive officers
OF the international unions most en-
phatlcally repudate and condemn the
unauthorized action which the spokes-
men for several Of the local printing
trades unions have announced will be
taken on October |.
IN conflict With Policy
"Thc arbitrary position taken by the
leaders of these local unions, in re-
Jecting an offer Of fair arbitration, is
in direct conflict with the policies re-
peatedly endorsed by the members of
the International Typographical Un,
ION. the International Printing Press
mems and Assistants Union, the In
tcrnatlonal Stcrcotypers and Electro
typers' Union, the international Bro
trr boo rF h, i ~, ~
American Federation of Labor. The ex
ecutiVe officers Of these International
Unions have persistently adhered to
the policy Of fair arbitration all
through the war, and they do not in
tend to depart from it in this con-
troversy.
an Justice to the loyal printing
trade unions represented in the To-
cal Allied Printing Trades Council, it
may be stated that the charters Of at
least three of the local unions whose
leaders are most active in this con-
troversy have been suspended by the
International Union having jurisdic-
pressroom Of the Publishers Printing
Company is fair sample Of the ir-
responsible leadership which is at the
bottom of this controversy.
"The door ~ open for the adjust
mcnt OF this dispute through confer
ences OF Cancellation, or by fair ar
bitration, if necessary The publishers
: and the public should know that the
= international printing trades unions
have not encouraged and will not give
announcement or approval to the Of
tcers or members of any local union
in rejecting the offer Of fair arbitration
which has been made by the employers
in this instance, nor will the interna-
tional unions give any support what
n ~
union participating in any strike not
, authorized by these international
unions"
A conference Will be held today in
the Flatiron Building at which repre-
sentativcs of local unions and the en-
6 ployers' committee will endeavor to
reach an agreement on purely local
differences.
Publishers Issue Statement
Book publishers Of this city an
. nounced last night that the threatened
strike imperilled the output of books
throughout the country, rs per cent of
which are published in New York, and
that they would stand with the employ
ing printers.
''Within year. said the publishers
, statement. "the cost Of printing books
has increased 40 per cent and that of
binding has nearly doubled. The new
u. wage scales demanded are estimated to
call for further go per cent increase
IN the cost of printing and 40 per
cent increase in that of binding
r "Publshers have no quarrel with the
unions as unions and have always been
used to dealing with closed shops; they
r have been glad to know that the print
crs were a we'll paid group, with q
present minimum of $1,700 year and
actual incomes running much higher.
There is no hardship in these figures
that seems to justify sending up the
price of all books school books, tech
nical books, all literature Of inspira-
>. iion and divcrsion) in order to meet
demands that seem to have no just
:. backing.
The union in its bulletin to mem
bers on the proposed strike points out
- that the help wanted columns carry
= daily lists of demands for more work
ers in the shops. This merely means
that the union is founding its demands
on the fact that they had better grab