The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1921-07-16

Backed by the Citizens Alliance
to defeat the printing trades unions
on the Industrial battle-ground, have
local printers, pressmens' and bookbi1
to restrain picketing. They would hs
have failed to do for themselves with
cation.
They ask damages in the sum of
from picketing, alleged threats of emp
non-union men now engaged at work
about the number of men induced to
ton.
Unions Will Fight Back.
The printing trades unions will
fight the case to the limit. Injnnc-
tions can not be lawfully issued in
Minnesota simply because of the exis-
tence of a strike. Peaceful picketing
is not unlawful. Our own court in
previous cases, before the present
anti-injunction law was passed, per-
mitted peaceful picketing under an
injunction within 25 feet of an estab-
lishment. Judge Morris in the fed
eral court permitted peaceful picket
ing within so feet of a. non-union res
taurant.
Harp on "Contracts."
The employing printers are laying
stress on the fact'that the unions cam
celled their contracts with them on
May I, last. They charge that the
\ unions and their members have been
urging non-union men to break their
contracts with the employers.
The employers are not going into
court with clean hands. They make
no mention Of the fact that their ma
tional representa- atives entered into an
agreement with the printing trades
unions two years ago to grant the A.
hour work week May 1, 1921. Had
the unions then insisted on the imme-
diate 44-hour week they could have
easily won. for the times were in their
favor.
Break Their Agreement.
The local employing printers at-
tempt to escape obligation to that
agreement on the flimsy pretense
that they had no representative at the
conferences. although F.. H. Louns-
berry of Duluth. one of the employers
now seeking an Injunction, attended
one Of the confe rences in New York
where it was voted unanimously to
grant the 44-hour week May /, 1921.
The printing trades unions were led
to believe and they believed up to the
time of their negotiations with the
local employers that the national con-
ference spoke for all the union print
ing establishme nts in the United
States. The local unions here held
hat they were morally bound to the
agreement then made by their ma
:ional officers, although there was no
Duluth member in attendance at the
conference which agreed to the A.
hour week.
It would be we'll for their case if
counsel for the unions will call the
courts attention to the fact that the
local employing printers have broken
their agreement with the unions, an
agre ement entered into in good faith
by the national = representatives OF
both sides.
1t Is Not Unlawful.
1t is not unlawful for union men to
peacefully approach non-union men
and urge them to quit work and to
offer to pay their expenses out OF
town or to otherwise remunerate
them. The plaintiffs. who are the en-
ploying printers. charge that the local
unions have offered to pay non-union
men $50 and $40 week and trans
portation back home if they would
leave their employment.
They want the court to permanent
~ restrain the union from making any
such offers to non-union men. They
would have the court declare to be
unlawful something the Legislature
has refused to make unlawful. They
make no reference to the financial as.
sistance they are getting from the
Citizens Alliance to destroy the print
Ing trades unions or to the insuran":
money they have received to com
pensate them for strike losses.
art of Conspiracy.
This insurance was written at {
time when the insurance companie!
knew that a. printing strike was i'm
nliums. The American Federation o
Labor officials at Washington declar'
that the financial group in New York
which started the present war OF
union labor has subscribed to funt
to reimburse the insurance companies
- for any losses they may sustain II
paying strike insurance. That is par
of the present great conspirac!
against labor.
To build up case the employing
printers brazenly charge that th'
unions have made threats Of using
guns, chasing the employed workmer
out of town, and assaulting work:ner
- when they refused to quit" Such al
legged offenses are violations of tn
law. If they were committed VIII,
we're the offenders not arrested ant
triedin the courts? ''',. :.>s, !.
AS a matter of fact no such threat.
Continued on page -