The Connecticut labor news., 1922-12-29
OPEN SHOPPERS' SEEK TO BRING CONTRACT LABOR" IN
 FIGHT TO REDUCE WAGES

By International Labor News Service. 1 Washington, D. C., Dec. 2o.-Anti-
 union employers, operating under the
 so-calied .open shop have been de- l tecfed in attempts to import Euro pean labor from Europe into the ] United States under contract, so as to defeat the trade unio1lists in forcing
 down wages. ,Sz
 l An instance of the importation of ! European jewelry workers under con l tract by Von Steinner & Baumgartner 1 Co.,, manufacturing jewellers, III6 F street, Washington D. C., has been
 protested by the International JeWelry i Workers Union and the case is now
 under consideration by the Immigra-
 ton Bureau of the Department of La
 bor. The bureau claims to have given
 permission for the importation under
 contract of these workers upon the
 representation that this labor IS not
 available in the United States. Fol-
 lowing Is the version of the case given in the Jewe1ry Workers Month ily Bulletin for December.
 1 Until the industrial depression set in Gin the winter of IoIo-2o), the firm. of Von Steinner and Baumgartner was on most friendly terms with the International Jewelry Workers Union. In the busiest of seasons, when skilled . labor was scarce, we supplied the firm with all the help they, needed. The affiliation of the employers with the Merchants'4and Manufacturers Asso- citation of Washington, D. C., and the
 International Jewelry Workers
 was of mutual benefit to both parties
 ho the workers have entered into work ing agreement through their respec- tive organizations. During the life of the agreements, there was no com plaint as to breach of any kind and satisfaction of both parties led to its renewal. However, after the winter of 1919 and 1920, when the industrial depression was at it's height, the Mer- chants and Manufacturers Associa- ton of Washington, D. C., decided to join the topen shop drive, to compeI the jewelry workers employed in
 Washington, D. C., to sign individual agreements with their respective em-
 pIoyers, to the effect that working hours shall increase SC, from A to 4s per linquish their membership in the union and deprive one of employment
 in case he voluntarily leaves his job.
 Its drastic union-s1nas ashing decisions, the Merchants and Manufacturers Association of Washington, D. C., passed~under the influence of a dele
 gate from the Craft Association of New York and speaker from Balti more, Md, who promised every. sup port to the employers in case of an open conflict with the International Jewelry Workers Union.
 "This anti-union policy led to a strike, resulting in complete shut down of the Won Steiner & Baum gartner plant. In the course of time, finding that they cannot run their shop on promises of speakers from the New York Craft Association, the firm, instead of adjusting their differ ences with the International Jewelry | Workers Union and thereby getting | ak the skilled help they were in need of, have resorted to importation of contract labor, the American citizens, l wage earners in the jewelry industry i in the United States, were tramp1ng i the streets of the big cities in search l of jobs. occurrence of it's sort. At the Fifth 1 General Convention of the I. J. w. | U., the writer reported that manu- lecturers in the United States and Canada are recoursing to importation of contract labor from Europe; that |