New-York tribune., 1921-03-18
Bingghanton g Papers
Resume With Open
Shop for Printers
independence Declaration Is
Issued Announcing That
Composing Rooms Will Be
Run ON s'American Plan"
Special Dispotch to The Tribune

4
BIN NGHAMTON, N. Y, March IT,
After suspension of six days the
Binghanaton newspapers resumed pub
lication to-day. The Binghamton
Press was the first to issue, printing
siX-page edition and featuring a
statement from the Binghamton pub
fishers entitled "Our Declaration of
independence" which also will appear
in The Sun tomorrow. 1t says in
part:
Our inability to publish the paper
all employees of The Binghamton
Press, The Morning Sun, Vail Ballou
Company and the johnson City Pub
llshlng Company, who we're members
Of Binghamton Typographical Union,
NO. 232 went on strike to enforce the
arbitrary demand Of that union for a
large increase in wages, shorter hours
OF work and other unreasonable, un-
just and impossible conditions.
when those demands were made and
when those employees struck they and
the union of which they were members
were under written contract to work
for term of four years ending March
q, 1921, and for such reasonable time
thereafter, not exec eding thirty days,
as may be required for the negotiation
OF new agreement
with full realization of the incon-
venlence, injury and loss which a strike
would cause, we, with the other en-
ployers, made every effort to avoid it.
in face of the steady decrease in
living expenses and decline of wages
IN other lines of industry, we offered to
continue paying the same high wages
Tor the same hours of work. That
offer was declined. We then offered to
refer the whole matter to fair and
Impartial board of arbitration. That
offer was rejected. We then offered to
continue under then existing conditions
until May /, in order to give oppor-
tunity for adjusting the differences in
the light of conditions as they should
develop.
The union answered by voting to
strike and its members answered bv
walking out. Even after that we gave
notice to our former employees that,
notwithstanding their action in having
gone on strike, we would hold their
places open for their return until
Wednesday, March 16. They had not
availed themselves of that privilege.
To avoid strike we went as far as we
could. To have gone further would
anteed right to lawfully conduct our
business. The union finally forced us
to say mo- to it's demands. That NO
has been said regretfully. Having been
said, it is final. Heretofore The Bing-
hamton Press composing room has been
operated on the closed shop plan.
From this day on that composing room
will be operated on the American
plan
'The printing trade is clean, health
ful, not arduous; the hours are reason
able; the wages paid are high; the
work is educational. The union has a
rule to limit each year the number Of
boys and girls in each Office who can
become apprentices in that trade.
From this time on, no such condi-
tions will exist. in the composing rooms
of the Binghamton papers. Beginning
this morning and from this day on,
any boy or girl, man or woman, re-
gardless of race, color or creed, who
has mastered the trade or desires to
learn it will be eligible for employ
ment in our composing rooms"