New-York tribune., 1921-03-08
$4,000 2 Ship
Builders age
To Be Cut 1O%
Companies Announce New
& Scale. Effective April l..
Tor Workers Employed
in All Nearby Yards
30 Disputes Expected
It Is Thought That Owing
to Slackness of Work
There Will Be No Strikes

The wages of all shpbuilding en-
pfoyees in this harbor will be reduced
10 per cent on April next, according
TO an announcement yesterday by
Henry c. Hunter, of 80 Church Street,
$st. attorney for the majority of the
tpfnpanics. The cut will be effective
instyentyfour shipyards and will af-
feet about 25 900 employees. The pre-
yailing rate of wages has been so cents
aashour for forty eight-hour- week.
s@As the open shop principle is in
force in all these yards. it is not ex-
phcted that there will be any disputes
arising out of the reduction. The cut
comes as direct result Of the period
OF reconstruction that has been fol-
lowed by slackncss in orders.
Similar cuts have already been made
IN isolated cases in the harbor. but
New York City is the last port on the
Atlantic to make a general reduction
in wages. On March L last the Vulcan
lronworks, Inc. of Jersey CITY, put a
10 per cent reduction Of wages into
effect This cut was accented by all
the employees with the exception OF
the boilermakers and their helpers,
who went on strike. Al conference
yesterday the strikers decided to return
to work and accept the reduction.
Another case was that Of the Jooblng
forge shops Of this port. George j..
Earl, secretary of the Master Black
smiths Association. said yesterday
that / per cent cut had been put into
effect February 2S, and lhe cut mas
Keen accepted by the Blacksmiths'
Union No trouble has arisen over the
cut"
Among the yards which will DC al
fected by the reduction which becomes
operative April / arc the largest IN the
harbor and include the Morse Dry DOCK
and Repair Company, the Robbins Dry
Dock and Repair Company, the Tebo
Yacht Basin Company and James She
wan & Sons, of Brooklyn; the Tietjen
* Lang Drydocks, of Hoboken; the
Staten Island Shipbulding Company,
the Standard Shipbuilding Company,
The Johnson Shipyards Company and
4 the New York Harbor Drydock Corpo-
ration. Of Staten Island. The only
Manhattan firm is that of James Ire
. sarthen & Sons, at the foot Of Seventh
Street.
Z. AS an instance Of the slackness OF
work. it IS estimated that upward Of
400 steel ships are idle in the ports Of
This country at the present time.
In announcing the cut yesterday Mr.,
Hunter said:
E, "There have been no wage agree
'mcnts with the men, and they have eX-
.pected this TO take place. A reduc-
ton CT 10 per cent was made at Balti-
more, which became effective month
ago; Is per cent reduction was put
into effect at Norfolk, Va, and one Of
10 per cent at Jacksonville, Fla. The
Bethlehem Steel Corporation recently
ordered a 10 per cent reduction. The
men realize the present lack OF bust
ness at the shipyards and that the
present rates cannot be maintained"
>. There have been some meetings OF
the men, but it was impossible TO learn
whether or not there will be any resis-
tance to the reduction. There has also
been some agitation against the reduc-
ton, but if any organized resistance 10
contemplated by those employees who
belong to the unions it is expected
that 1T will manifest itself before the
end Of the week.