New-York tribune., 1921-06-26
Calls
Strike in Paper
Mills Unfair
Practical Value of Mutual
Bargaining With Em-
ployees on Trial and Not
Upheld by Test, It's Said
Wage Cut Plan Rejected
Offer of Union to Establish
an Arbitration Tribunal
Is Deplored as Hardship

The international Paper Company, in
q statement yesterday giving it's version
of the strike which has affected all it's
mills since May I, asserted "the practi-
cal value and fairness of mutual bar
gaining throughs trade agreements in
this industry are, to some extent, on
trial and arguments in their favor
are not strengthened ny the expert
ence of this strike"
The company explained that to avoid
strike it had addressed three COM
munications to its employees. The first
two explained conditions confronting
the industry and emphasized need for
readjustment. The third. issued May
"a, was said to have contained a con-
crete proposition for resumption of op-
erations, with small wage reduction
that would bring the scale down to
that in effect in many of the larger
mills of the country.
"The necessity of arranging for mu-
tual bargaining between the company
and its employees was urged, for the
sake of preventing strikes in the future
by reconciling difficulties bv mutual
agreement before, instead of after, the
stopping of the machines" continued
the statement. There was no disguise
OF the company's expressed desire to
bargain with its own employees col
lectlvely, and the company's willing
ness for its employees to be members
OF trade unions was plainly stated"
No Counter Proposal Made
The company asserted that at con-
ference here this month EMPLOYEES had
protested against any reduction in the
wage scale--which the company said
was two and a half times as great as in
lslo-out mad made no counter Fro
posal.
"The officers of the trades unions. as
the conferences ended, proposed tn at
the company should consent to the
arbitration of the wage scale alone and
start the mills under the old scale .
added the statement. ''Inasmuch as
the plan involved three arbiters on
each side and an umpire, and as the
aroltrated scale was not to 20 into
effect until the week following the
delivery of the arbitrament, the com
pany was obliged to reject it.
FOR those who think that any arbi-
Itatlon proposal must needs in fair
ness be accepted, it must be pointed
out that this proposal covered the
wage scale alone, and that the con-
dltions of the arbitration proposed
put premium on delay in Investigate
ing and in reaching decision, so that
months might elapse before a new
scale might afford any relief to the
business CT the company.
Abrupt Strike Action Feared
If the company agreed to the sug-
eestea arbitration, it would mean that
they would establish principle that
without any previous discussion of the
merits of the questions in dispute be-
tween the company and it's employees,
the employees could call strike, shut
ting down the plants of the company
and then demand arbitration which, in
actual practice, abolishes mutual bar
gaining. between employer and em-
ployee''
After expressing belief that the
value OF mutual bargaining was on
trial, the statement said:
This company, after ten years of
trade agreement regulations with its
employees, has not been given even an
opportunity to attempt mutual bar
gaming with its employees except as
has been shown-the only proposal so
far developed being a long-drawn-ou
arbitration with all other important
questions except wages eliminated"