The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1920-04-16
THE A. F. OF |. ENTERS
METAL TRADES FIGHT

lend the bay district shipyards
lstrike have failed.
The employers have refused to
meet with these officers as a whole
and have rejected proposition
providing for the men returning to
work, leaving the questions in dis
pute for later adjustment. The
Istrike is therefore to be pressed
with renewed vigor and the entire
resources of the American Fedora
tion of Labor are to be mobilized to
force a victory for the shipyards
men.
This was the situation outlined
in a statement by the internation-
al officers of the metal trades
unions who have been in San Fran
cisco for several weeks seeking an
adjustment.
According to this statement the
policy committee of the California
Metal Trades Association, the en-
ployers' organizations, even refused
to arrange a general meeting be-
tween the officers and the employ
ers as whole, though some of the
employers favored peace settlement.
In preparing to return to the East
the International officers stated
that the "strike was in better con-
dition than ever" and that ample
funds would be provided to carry
| it through to a successful finish.
The statement of the Information
al officers, after rehearsing the
causes leading to the strike, was, in
part, as follows;
'To the public of San Francisco,
Oakland and vicinity:
I'VE have endeavored for two
weeks to secure conference with
the California Metal Trades Associa-
tion, or it's executive board, but
were finally notified that they
would not meet us. In order to
show our desire to adjust the strike,
We presented a proposition to some
members of the California Metal
Trades Association requesting them
to take up with their policy COM
cittee. This they agreed to do, and
the executive board refused to al
low our proposition to be presented
to the association or call the en-
ployers together that we might
present proposition to settle the
strike.
in order to show our desire to
adjust the strike, and that the pub
lie may know how far we have gone
to secure a settlement, we made the
following proposition: First, that if
the California Metal Trades Asso-
citation would agree to return the
men now out of work to their for
mer employment under the condi-
tions in effect September 80, and
without discrimination, and would |
agree to meet our national officers |
after the men had re-
tured to work to draw up an agree |
ment, We would officially declare |
the strike off; and further, owing
to some bitterness having grown up
between the employers and some of
our local representatives, We further
agreed that we would be willing to
create board of six men, three to
be selected by the employers and
three by us, this board to have COM
plete jurisdiction over all questions
Of disputes or misunderstanding
hat might arise, so that the en-
Dloyers would be in a position, as
would the men, to appeal to this
board in all cases, and the decision
If the board would be final and
thus preventing any strike
,r lockouts, and production would
lot be interfered with in any way.
In reply to this very fair propo-
,ition the members of the Califor-
Tia Metal Trades Association, with
whom we have been in conference,
Urged that the strike be immediate g.;
Y declared off, and that after the
men had returned to work, such as S
hey would take back, and business ,
lad become normal, two or three
months from now they would con- /
ider the question of meeting with
he national officers for the pur- l
'ose of working out an agreement. S
his, of course, we could not agree |
o, because 1t left it open to the i
mployers to discriminate in every
way against their former employees,
nd there being no assurance when c
onditions would become normal v
+ we would be permitted to enter
nto conference for the purpose of a
Torking out new agreement. v
I'VE propose, now that we have
cen refused a conference and our e
,.aont;on,1Iu foiY Dronnc;tiOu hoe I,