New-York tribune., 1920-10-28
Conference at Waldorf
Ends i'm Deadlock as De-
mand for $lO-a-Week
Increase Is. Refuse d
U nion Still Hopes
To Avert Strike
10, 600 Men Meet To-day
in Garden; Walk-Out
Vote Believed Unlikely

Union officials representing about
$4,000 members of the Milk Drivers
Union and affiliated workers in the milk
industry in Greater New York and out
lying districts broke with their en-
ployers late last night at conference
IN the Waldorf-Astora They refuse d
to recede from their demands for an
increase of virtually $40 a week in pay
and other concessions.
The employers, as represented bv a
committee of six from the New York
MIX Conference Board, on the other
hand declined to accept the union dele
gates proposal for arbitration of the
wage controversy until the wishes of
the board membership as a whole could
be ascertalned. Leaders of both parties
stlll hope to avert a strike.
The employers committee tod the
men that there would be no concessions
OF any kind on the part of the milk
dlstrlbutors or dealers. but that thew
would be prepared to inform the union
at noon to-day as to the final decision
with regard to arbitration. The union
oinclais declared to a Tribune reporter
~ they regarded this attitude of the
MIX Oon1erence Board as creating a
deadlock and that the whole matter
would be laid before the union mem
oershlp at mass meeting this after
noon IN Madison Square Garden.
Kehoe Pleads for Men
Wllllam f. Kehoe, acting chairman
OF OF Local o94 of the Milk Drivers Union,
Manhattan, and vice president of the
H,ate Federation of Labor, with George
"; Briggs, travelling auditor for the
international Brotherhood of Team
sters and Chauffeurs. with which or-
ganlzation the milk drivers are affil-
lated and others pleaded the cause of
the men After the conference last
night Mr.: kehoe, speaking for the dis
trlct OF New Jersey, greater New York.
W WeStchester and parts of Connecticut
said: 80 -
1--WE are virtually deadlocked. They
nave attempted to take from the men
certain working conditions they now
ENJOY, and we, realizing the seriousness
CT the situation. have suggested arbi
tratIon. This the employers committee
refused. We don't want to create any
KIND OF condition which will incon-
venlence the public, and so we issue an
INVITATION to the press of New York
70 a'lehd the mass meeting in Madison
square Garden tomorrow afternoon at
o'clock and hear what the men have
TO say about this matter"
Asked If the men would vote to 20 on
strike, Mr.. Kehoe said he could not
say, that he hoped q walk-out could be
prevented, but that if strike came
the burden of proof would be on the
employers, who, he said. failed to show
a Willingness to arbitrate the differ
ences
Wlll the workers accept arbitration
II the employers consent, to ?" he
was further asked.
Il think the men will" replied the
union spokesman, "but | am not so
sure about the employers"
The position of the milk distributors
and dealers was summed up by l. Elkins
Nathans, executive secretary of the
milk conference board, after the meet
ing as follows:
"Ihroughout our entire conference
we have impressed on the men that it
is impossible to grant their demands
demands which would add burden of
SlO,oOO0O0 or more a year on the milk
industry and cents quart to the
price of milk to the public.
Predicts Price Decrease
I've were obliged to reject the pro
posed contract of the men, but we did
not discuss conditions which they
sought to have us accept. They modi-
fed their demands as to working CON
dltions considerably, eliminating many
Objectionable features.
AS to the wage scale, in our opinion
the limit Of costs has been reached
and O-niyht VIC stand uhara u,o i; Il -
the opening of the conference
eve impressed on the union dele
gates the fact that everything seemed
to warrant q decrease in costs and con-
sequently a decrease in prices to the
public"