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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (June 12, 1917)
THK BUE: OMAHA. TUESDAY. JUNE 12. 1917. tdke!oir LockOiui1!:? The labor unions concerned in the Omaha labor strikes persist in seeking to prejudice the public in their favor by asserting that they have been "locked out" by their employers thrown out of work at a time when the nation needs every man at work. They charge the employers with an unpatriotic act. They claim the existing situation is a "lock out" not a "strike." What are the facts? WHAT IS A STRIKE? The Standard Dictionary defines a strike: "The quitting of work by a body of laborers for the purpose of compelling their employer or employers to comply with some demand or condition." WHAT IS A LOCKOUT? The same dictionary defines a lockout: "The shutting down of a manufactory or other place of business by the employers because of unwillingness of employes to work on terms satisfactory t o t h e former." Here Are the Facts: The Electrical Workers' union demanded, in January, effective April 1, a "closed shop," a wage increase from 57i2 cents to 68 cents per hour, and that no agreement should extend beyond August 1, a. period of only seven months. The electrical con tractors refused the "closed shop" demand and in sisted that an adjustment of their differences with employes should be for a longer period, in order to avoid frequent controversies. The contractors raised their employes from 57y2 to 60 cents an hour April 1 and offered another in crease to 62i2 cents, effective August 1. They had already in 1916 raised wages from 50 to 57y2 cents per hour. On the morning of April 2 union electricians left their work without previous notice and of their own accord and attended a meeting of the union. They have not since returned to their work. WAS THIS A "STRIKE" OR A "LOCKOUT?" Fight to the Finish. The Hoisting Engineers' union issued a printed ultimatum in January that on April 1 their wages "shall" be 6212, 70 and 75 cents an hour for respec tive classes and that an elaborate set of working rales, including the "closed shop," should become ef fective. Their employers raised their wages April 1 from 55, 62 and 67y2 cents per hour for respective classes to 5jy2, 65 and70 cents. On the morning of April 2 members of this union refused to continue at work. WAS THIS A "STRIKE" OR A "LOCKOUT?" After the strike two committees of this union called upon the Secretary of the Business Men's As sociation to request a conference. When told that employers desired to continue to maintain an "open shop" in Omaha, with free opportunity to union and non-union men alike, they said that a conference would-be useless, as they would never agree to an "open shop." One of the committeemen, Mr. McMullen, a na tional organizer from Chicago, corrected the local business agent, who called the "strike" a "lockout." McMullen said it was a "strike," and that unless the "closed shop" was conceded the unions would "fight to the finish." Rules and More Rules. The Painters' and Paper-Hangers' union de mand observance of 8V2 pages of trade rules, includ ing limitation of the efficiency and work of its mem bers. It demanded a minimum wage scale of 622 cents per hour. The employers conceded an advance from 55 to 5iy2 cents as a minimum, with many skilled workmen receiving more. On April 2 the union members quit work of their own accord. WAS THIS A "STRIKE" OR A "LOCKOUT?" One Demand Recognition' The Mill Workers' union made three demands, two of which were practically in full effect at the time in the planing mills. The remaining unfulfilled demand was for recognition of this new union, which had been organized in the Dezettel campaign to unionize Omaha and make it a "closed shop" town. On May 1 the union "business agent" went to the mills and ordered the men to quit work. They obeyed his command. WAS THIS A "STRIKE" OR A "LOCKOUT?" . The Boiler Makers' union, organized in the Dez ettel campaign, had made demands for a "closed shop," onerous working rules and a wage increase to 62y2 cents an hour for boiler makers and 45 cents for helpers. Boiler makers had been advanced in 1916 from 35-40 to 35-50 cents an hour and recently to a flat 55 cents. Helpers and handymen had been ad vanced from 2212-3712 to 25-40 cents and later to S0Aiy2 cents per"hour. The boiler makers were urged by their employ ers to-remain at work, but quit of their own accord. WAS THIS A "STRIKE" OR A "LOCKOUT?" The Plasterers' union, which already claimed to have a "closed shop," demanded a wage increase from $6 to $7 a day of eight hours. To enforce this demand, its members quit work of their own acco-d May 10. . WAS THIS A "STRIKE" OR A "LOCKOUT?" Enters the Sympathetic Strike. The Carpenters' union had no grievance of its own. It had a contract with the building contrac tors, running to 1919, providing periodical wage in creases and binding the carpenters not to enter into a sympathetic strike. Notwithstanding this, union carpenters quit work on various jobs rather than use mill work made in Omaha unless it bore the union label. This was an aid to the striking mill workers, who had struckat the instigation of the Carpenters' union. Union carpenters further refused to work on cer tain jobs protected by a district court injunction for bidding striking electricians from doing unlawful acts. This injunction prohibited nothing except the commission of acts in themselves unlawful, such as threats and violence toward non-union electricians and destruction of electrical contractors' property. The business agent of the Carpenters' union or dered these carpenters fo quit their work. They obeyed his command. WAS THIS A "STRIKE" OR A "LOCKOUT?" Sympathetic Strike Extends. The Building Trades Council, an alliance of x unions in the building trades, now came to the front for the purpose of making the fight for one union the fight of all. Its "business agent" ordered union iron workers, sheet metal workers, lathers and common laborers to quit work on various jobs for no other rea son than that one or more non-union workmen of other trades were employed on the job. These unions had no grievances' of their own. The sheet metal workers, iron workers and lathers had all made demands prior, to May 1, which had been satisfactorily adjusted, including wage in creases. Members of these four unions left their jobs at tfie command of the business agent of the Build ing Trades Council, without the knowledge or con sent of their employers, to support a "closed shop" of the entire building industry of Omaha. , WAS THIS A "STRIKE" OR A "LOCKOUT?" The Case of the Teamsters. The Teamsters' union includes team-drivers, truck-drivers, stablemen and helpers. It is one of the new unions organized. by,Max Dezettel in his cam paign to make Omaha a "closed union" town. Demands of this union have been related in pre vious statements of this series. ' They included the "closed shop" as a principal feature, with provisions binding the employer to dismiss non-union men who refused to join the union and any union men who failed to keep in "good standing." On May l6 all of the union teamsters employed by the C. W. Hull Co., coal and building material dealers, which company was largely unionized, sud denly quit work of their own accord, using as a pre text the discharge for cause of an employe who hap pened to be a member and officer of the union. They notified the company that they would not return to work until their proposed contract, including the "closed shop' and full union recognition, had been signed and the discharged employe reinstated. Making the Streets Unsafe. The day following the Hull strike this company endeavored to make some necessary deliveries. flobs of pickets, members of the Teamsters' union, at tacked drivers and beat them up shamefully. The picket system did not end with the Hull conipany. Non-union drivers for other building ma terial, coal and lumber companies throughout the city companies without connection with the Hull company and against which this union had no griev ance other than the refusal to accede to its "closed shop" and other demands were forcibly stopped on . their rounds and ordered to "join the union or get off the streets," and told that if they did not they would find themselves unable to drive a wagon. Non-union drivers generally were terrorized. Many were forced to join the union against their will. Others did not dare to continue in their employment. - Conditions grew worse from day to day, and finally forced the building material and lumber deal- ( ers from making deliveries. This was their only al ternative unless they wished to have their drivers as saulted and unionized and their business then sub jected to a series of strikes unless they conceded this new union's demands. Lumber and building material deliveries being stopped, the union picketing centered upon coal com panies, with such success that police protection was and is necessary to maintain the delivery of coal in necessary cases. WAS THIS A "STRIKE" OR A "LOCKOUT?" ' STRIKES! -or LOCKOUTS? These are tfre facts of the strikes in Omaha. The employers did not "shut down" or "lockout" employees. It is a story of STRIKE, STRIKE, STRIKE, one succeeding another one called sympathetically to aid another strikes called in every instance after the President of the nation had announced his intention to ask congress to declare war on Germany, and in some instances after war had actually been declared. Is it patriotism in a year of war for jabor unions to try to enforce new conditions and aggressive demands? : ' Business Men's Association of Omaha