The daily worker., 1925-04-05
Old RATION
TRICK PLAYED ON
UTICA STRIKERS
Rob Textile Workers of
Their Victory
CONTINUED from Page y


legion and a preacher. They are
William Ross Lee. Moses @. Hubbard
and Rev. Philip S. Bird.
Arbitration to Rob Striker Of Victory.
This committee had not the slight
est notion of restoring the ten per
cent taken from the pitiful wages of
the workers and over which the
strike was beng fought and won.
They ignored the strike committee of
10 members and were directly aided
in their betrayal by Organizer White
of the United Textile Workers, who
made no effort of insistence that the
strike committee be a party to any
and all discussion between the mill
owners and the "arhitrators."
Instead of this, Organizer White
did all the talking himself with the
mill owners and his good friends, the
mayors committee. What his share
in the benefit to the mill owners may
be can only be conjectured, but his
share in putting the betrayal across
is not the subject Of any doubt. The
militant union members are demand
ing that the union discharge him in
disgrace and refuse to approve of
the terms.
Putting the Deal Across.
However, White managed to cover
his traitorious tracks with a camou-
fiage Of seeming approval by the
membership" BY separating the diff
ferent crafts, each meeting away from
the others, he contrived to put across
the agreement after reading it and
telling the strikers in speech be-
fore each meeting that they must ac-
cept. By this trick he got vote Of
426 in favor and 259 opposed to the
agreement.
The terms of the agreement in brief
are that the wage cut of ten per cent
shall be reduced to wage cut of
five per cent, until May 80; that be-
tween now and May 80 conferences
"for the purpose of improving pro-
ductive efficiency whereby
production may be increased, waste
eliminated or the cost OF productive
labor be decreased, and If they result
in a decrease of 10 per cent in the
cost of productive labor, the wage
scale in effect prior to January 26,
1925, shall be restored"
The terms provide for an examina-
ton of the company's books by
supposed Impartial accountant, and
if the report shows that the company
made money during 1924, the wage
cut shall be revoked. The joker
comes in the ability of bookkeepers
of the corporation to prove anything
they wish with figures without the
workers or even the accountant de-
tecting the deception.
Back to Where They Started.
Then, the agreement says, "If the
report shows that the company lost
approximately $250.0O0 in operating
its plants for the year 1924, the en-
ployes on June 1, 1925, shall accept
further wage reduction of five per
cent, making total Of 10 per cent"
The three gentlemen who engineer
ed this dirty deal magnanimously
volunteer to stick around and arbi-
trate any difference until the final ad-
justment is made. ~
In the afternoon Of the day the
agreement was reached, White and
the "arbitrators" met with the strike
committee of 13 and the strike COM
mittee for the first time heard what
treachery White and the arbitrators
had been busy with. The "arbitrators"
insisted that they had worked hard"
for both sides!
Bouzan Urges Rejection.
James ]. Bouzan, militant member
of the strike committee urged the re-
lection Of agreement and refused to
sign his name to the paper which he
regarded as a betrayal of the strike
which the textile workers were win
ming. He said:
81 was elected by the workers to
represent them in any arbitration, just
as the rest of the strike committee
was elected for TO arbitrate with the
bosses, but have never been called
into conference with the mill owners
on this agreement, and neither have
the strike committee. The agreement
is betrayal Of the strike which the
workers have won. Now this mayors
committee comes in to save the mill
owners and to do nothing else"
Pittsburgh T. U. E.. L. Meeting Mon.