The Connecticut labor press., 1920-04-10
ALL NAUCATUCK
VALLEY MAY SOON
Be STRIKE TIED
Waterbury and Torrington Brass
Workers Present Demands
for Wages.
ANSONIA STANDS PAT
Despite Reports Workers Vote to
Stay Out Until
Victorious.

Waterbury, April 1O.-Whi1e there is
little change in the strike of American
Brass Company employees in Ansonia
this Week,~the scene seems to be shifting
to the company's plants in this city and
Torrington where at mass meetings last
night the employees formulated demands
and will present them to the company
today. On the reception the demands
receive will depend the action of the
men next week. From present indica-
tions it appears that the strike will ex-
tend to the Waterbury and Torrington
shops and soon perhaps the entire
Naugatuck Valley industry will be in
vo1ved.
The Waterbury employees have their
demands fixed at a IS cents an hour
rate of wages with an eight hour day
and recognitions of their union. Tor
rington at its meeting last night adopt
ed like demands. The Torrington meet
ing was addressed by Frank Soko1ow-
sky, organizer for the American Fed
Grafton of Labor, who represented Sec
retary Ira M. Ornburn of the 'Connec-
ticut Federation of Labor, who. has
been assisting the workers in the valley
towns in their organization work.
The new local of the Federal EN-
ployes union organized by Mr.. Ornburn
and Organizer Joseph Tone of the
Machinists after the strike started in
the brass mills there, is growing rapid
ly. The men went out thoroughly un-
organized, but through the aid given
them by the Federation officials are now
pretty we'll cemented and carrying on
their strike in good order. Members
are being rapidly enrolled in the new
union and through the organization all
II
Reports published in the daily press
that the men were to vote on Monday
last to return to work and let their diff
ferences be settled afterward, were
promptly refuted on Monday when the
mass meeting voted unanimously to
stand out until the company gave in.
A so-called committee, elected under
supervision of the shop officers and
claimed to be representing the men and
which was credited with bringing about
the settlement, was long ago repudi-
ated by the workers themselves as not
by any means beng representative of
them and therefore without power. This
committee still meets at the company S
offices but so far as helping to settle
the trouble it is only keeping the breach
open as the men will not have anything
to. do with it. They have elected their
own representatives, but these as yet
haven't been able to get to the company
officials and until they do there will be
little doing toward settlement of the
strike
If Waterbury and Torrington go out
also next week the entire brass indus
try in the valley will be crippled. The
company is apparently doing nothing to
prevent the walkout.
The agitation is not alone confined to
the unski1led 1aborers as is evidenced
this week by the walkout of the casters
helpers in the Torrington shops. The
company according to its statements,
considers the strike as a closed issue
and the men automatically discharged.
Attempts are being made to fill their
places but as yet have met with little
success.
About 100 employees of the mechani-
cal department of the Waterbury brass
branch of the American Brass company
joined in walkout which took place
about II o'clock Tuesday. The strikers
include electricians, machin1sts, car
penters, plumbers and steam filters, and
are unorganlZed.
Demands for Is per cent. increase
were informally submitted to the fac
tory officials three weeks ago. At a
conference between the striking work
ers and the factory officials Monday the
strikers were requested to wait until the
labor trouble at the Ansonia mills had
been settled. f.