The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-01-09


tury to organize and rear a union
which has come down to the present
day potters as an outstanding ex-
ample in unionism and boasts the
finest record in collective bargaining.
President James NJ. Duffy also paid
great honor to the founders of the n.
B. Of o. p, stating that it could be
truly said that, "They builded better
than they knew"
A lunch complete with fish, oysters,
roast beef, coffee and beer and the
introduction by Chairman George
Turner, fourth vice president, of many
members who have been in the organ
ization more than 10 years rounded
out the program.
Introduced by Chairman Turner as
the only truly self f-made man he had
ever known, Mr.. Duffy opened his
talk by telling of the pleasure he ex-
perienced the past summer when in
Atlantic City. He visited the con-
ference then in session and found it
being held in the same room of the
same hotel with the names of the
principals the same as they were %
years ago when he last acted as CO.
chairman of the conference with w. E.
Wells, present USPA labor board
leaders father. Mr.. Duffy was elected
president of the Brotherhood in 1903
and was secretary of the organization
for the four previous years.
Although the speaker took many
typewriter sheets to the platform
with him, he never glanced at them
as a steady stream of thought kept
pouring into his mind out of the dis
tant past.
He complimented Local 4, one of
the five original locals, Tor being the
only one to be able to celebrate fifty
years Of continuous affiliation will,
the Brotherhood. The other four,
Toronto, No. /; New Castle, No. 2;
kittanning, No 3 and Findlay, No. 5,
all dropped out of the organization at
one time or another.
Stressing the great changes that
have taken place in the past so years,
Mr.. Duffy stated that prior to the
Brotherhood, trade unionism in East
Liverpool was a lifeless corpse. Some
of the potters belonged to the Knights
Of Labor, he stated, but after the
lockout of 80 large posters warned
all potters that those known to be-
long to the X. of L. would be dis
charged
The former official stated that while
the wage scale was supposed to be
standard, the operatives were dealt
with only as individuals and even men
skilled in the trades for thirty years
and more would be forced to take
jobs at 10 and 20 per cent off the
list. AS an example, he stated that
out of 25 pressers working on one
shop, probably 20 would be working
for from 10 to 33 1/3 per cent off.
Although one would believe this
would aid in bringing the men to-
gether to organize a union to remedy
such conditions, Mr.. Duffy remem-
bered it as a distant handicap since
the workers were ashamed of their
pay and attempted to keep the fact
that they were working off the list
secret With an atmosphere of dis
trust over the industry and a great
fear in the hearts of the workers, it
was hard to plant the seed of union
ism.
Recalling his start in the trade, Mr..
Duffy stated he joined Wheeling's
No. when he was Is years of age,
just 48 years ago. He stated it was
great pleasure to meet and work
with the pioneers of the movement
whose every thought was the estab-
lishment of friendly industrial re-
lations to make life better for them
selves and those who were to fol-
low. Mr.. Duffy remarked that the
best way to show gratitude for the
sacrifices of these men was to initiate
them.
When elected to the office of natl
onal secretary in 1899, Mr.. Duffy
came to East Liverpool and gained
employment at the Sterling plant. He
recounted how he followed his prede-
cessors in writing out the first quar-
ter's report in long hand, but thought
this a poor way for a national office
to conduct business. Finding that it
would cost but six dollars to have the
report printed it took him a full days
fight to convince the executive board
that it would be money we'll spent.
During the 1900 convention, the secre-
tary was taken from the bench and
placed at a desk with an $500 yearly
salary.
Undoubtedly the most important
step of the organization, Mr.. Duffy
said, was the adoption of the uniform
wage list. The 1212 per cent re-
Continued on Page Two)