I now invite you to become members of that Association, and I send you a copy of the book detailing the conditions of such membership. You, of course understand that membership in the Association is entirely voluntary. The purpose of it is apparent. The benefits which accrue from such membership are briefly these: In the first place, there is a doctor who renders free advice to any member of the Association; in the second place, anybody who is ill or incapacitated from work for more than a few days receives $1.50 a day, and in case of death of any member of the Association an insurance is paid to the family of $250. I hope ultimately to add to this a pension system, and in the meantime I have provided employees, who would otherwise have a pension, with salaried positions in connection with the club rooms which I built for each of the companies and which were turned over to a committee of the men to take charge of. One of these rooms is now being built in Yonkers and one in Mount Vernon. The pension and the insurance are for a while fixed at an arbitrary amount because under the laws of the insurance business it will take some time to get the facts to enable the actuaries to judge how much insurance and what pensions should be paid. I append hereto a brief statement of the work of the Association for a period of three years and nine months. From this you will perceive that there are no expenses attached to the Association except the physician's pay and the actual expense of administration, amounting to $3,658 for the three years. The wages account referred to is in lieu of the pensions which I have above mentioned. I should be glad if you would signify to me whether you desire to become a member of the Association or not, and proper blanks are enclosed herewith for that purpose. FREDERICK W. WHITRIDGE, President It was stated by the international officers, Mr. William Fitzgerald, general organizer, and W. F. Welch, international vice-president, and Charles Lang, president of the local organization, that a strike was imminent to enforce the signing of a trade agreement between the company and the organization. After an interview with the president of the companies on October 28, when he stated that he would have no dealings whatever with the organization or their international officers, and would not consider signing any agreement whatever with this body, the following letter was written to President Whitridge on October 29: 381 FOURTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY, October 29, 1912. MR. FREDERICK W. WHITRIDGE, President Third Avenue Railway Co., New York: DEAR SIR. Referring to our conversation yesterday, I believe a brief statement of your position in regard to the requests presented by your employees on the Yonkers and Westchester Electric railroads, will do much to avoid the danger of serious interruption of traffic on those lines, with its attendant grave inconvenience to the public. At any rate it will define accurately to the men your attitude. I shall be pleased to present your response to the men involved, and to the press if you desire. With this in view I respectfully request your answer to the following questions: 1. Have you any objections to your men on the Yonkers and Westchester lines belonging to to the union? 2. Will you continue to permit them to present to you or your general manager, individually or by committee of your own employees, any individual or general requests or grievances? 3. Is any change in wages, hours or general working conditions contemplated by the Company, other than regular consistent efforts to improve the discipline and service? 4. Is acceptance by the men of the proposed insurance offer of the Company entirely voluntary and without prejudice to their remaining in your employ? 5. Have you any objection to a definition of existing working conditions of your men by a general order of the general manager after a conference between him and a committee of your employees? I remain Very respectfully, WILLIAM C. ROGERS, This letter was delivered by Mr. Rogers personally and discussed with him, and his reply, dated October 30, which follows, was delivered personally by him to the mediators of the Labor Department: MR. W. C. ROGERS, 381 Fourth Avenue, New York City: DEAR SIR. - Replying categorically to your letter of October 29th, I have to say: First: I have no objection whatever to the employees of the Yonkers and Westchester Companies belonging to as many unions as they like —unless I am satisfied that those unions promote inefficiency and disloyalty to the company, or that they squander the men's money, or really entertain such notions as were contained in an article in the "Westchester Socialist " circulated by the men last week. Should I find these things to be true, I should object to the men belonging to those unions, just as I should object to their living in a scarlet fever hospital. Second: In the stenograph report of my interview with the men, on page 16 it appears that I said to the men "I am always open to you and I am always ready to attend to any complaint," which is still true. Third: No change whatever in the wages, hours or working conditions is contemplated by the companies, other perhaps than a little tightening of the discipline for the good of the service. This may be necessary, as the men have devoted more time to thinking about their fancied “rights," than to the discharge of their actual duties. Fourth: Membership in the Third Avenue Association is entirely voluntary. I so stated in my invitation to the men and repeated it in my letter of yesterday. Fifth: I do not think I have any objection to such a general order as you suggest, unless the purpose of it is to spell out a contract other than that under which the men are now working, on unless the effect of it may be to mislead the men into thinking that they have got something more than they have. I should not think any such order was necessary, but I shall refer this to Mr. Sutherland for his opinion. Much of this is anticipated by my letter of yesterday, of which I hand you a copy and make it a part of this reply. In conclusion, I wish to have it understood that the legal relations of the men to the companies are those of master and servant. The contract between them is defined by the conditions laid down by the companies. The men have sold to the companies a part of their time and while within that time the orders of the company must be obeyed, the men must pay us no divided allegiance or expect any intermediary with their employers. It is my intention that every man shall always be treated justly and with every possible consideration. I should never think of coercing anybody any more than I should permit myself to be coerced. Outside of the time so sold to the company, I should not dream of meddling in the men's affairs, except as above stated, and the men may have as much or as little to do with the companies as they choose. Nevertheless, I shall always strive for a sympathetic relation between the men and myself as the head of these companies and for a perception of that community of interests between the workers and those for whom they work, which I believe is the proper ideal, and will do much — if it can be realized to increase happiness and peace in the world, although this idea is so abhorrent to the "Westchester Socialist." I have answered your questions quite frankly, and you can make any use of the correspondence you desire. Yours truly, F. W. WHITRIDGE. On discussing this correspondence with the representatives of the employees it was found that the response would be unsatisfactory to the men, but it was stated by them that their stand for a signed agreement would not depend on the terms of the proposed contract which they had presented to Mr. Whitridge, especially in regard to the clause asking for closed shop conditions. They gave the impression that it would be satisfactory to the men if Mr. Whitridge would assure us in writing, first, that he had no objection to the men having their union; second, that the officials of the company would meet and treat with the men through committees on grievances that might arise; third, that existing conditions as to hours, wages, and working conditions would continue. The chief mediator accordingly wrote Mr. Whitridge as follows on October 30: 381 Fourth Avenue, NEW YORK CITY, October 30, 1912. MR. FREDERICK W. WHITRIDGE, President Third Avenue Railway Co., New York City: DEAR SIR-Referring to our recent conversations and correspondence, I am satisfied, after discussing the matter fully with your employees, that any dissension among them will be immediately terminated by the publication to the men of the substance of your letter to me dated October 30 as follows: 1. That you have no objection to the men having their union. 2. That the officials of the company will meet and treat with the men through committees on grievances that may arise. 3. That existing conditions as to hours, wages and working conditions will continue. Will you kindly write me as suggested above, a brief letter without technical qualifications. It is much easier for many of the men to understand a short statement. Very respectfully yours, WILLIAM C. ROGERS, Chief Mediator. To this Mr. Whitridge replied as follows: NEW YORK, October 31, 1912. MR. WILLIAM C. ROGERS, Chief Mediator, Department of Labor, Bureau of Mediation and Arbitration, 381 Fourth Avenue, City: MY DEAR SIR.- I have your letter of the 30th instant in which you say that you are satisfied, after discussing the matter fully with my employees, than any dissension among them will be immediately terminated by the publication of the substance of my letter to you of October 30th. In reply thereto, I beg to say that I prefer to have my communications published in full and accurately. In respect to the letter now before me, I repeat: First: That I have no objections to the men having their unions. Second: The officials of the Company will always meet and treat with any of the employees, individually or collectively, at any time and the men now know it and always have known it. Third: Existing terms as to hours, wages and working conditions will continue so far as I know, with such exceptions as may be necessary for the improvement of the service. Yours truly, F. W. WHITRIDGE. Before this response could be delivered to the employees, the following supplementary letter was received from Mr. Whitridge, dated October 31: NEW YORK, October 31, 1912. MR. WILLIAM C. ROGERS, Chief Mediator, Department of Labor, Bureau of Mediation and Arbitration, 381 Fourth Avenue, City: MY DEAR SIR.- When I come to read over the note to you which I dictated in your presence this morning, I think it is possible that my answer to the first clause of your letter may be misconstrued, in this particular in writing of the Yonkers and Westchester Companies, where the men have formed a union under the receiverships, I said I have no objection to their continuing the maintenance of those unions, except as defined in my letter of October 30ththat statement is not, however, to be construed as an invitation to the men of the other companies to form a union. That I should very seriously object to with such information about such unions as I have thus far received. Yours truly, F. W. WHITRIDGE. The men found this response unsatisfactory, as it appeared to them to confirm their fears that the company was hostile to the union and no positive assurance was contained therein that existing working conditions would continue. On November 2 the mayors of Yonkers, New Rochelle, and Mt. Vernon saw Mr. Whitridge and presented the following proposition as a basis of settlement: First: That the officials of the companies have no objection to their employes on the Yonkers Railway and Westchester Electric Railway Companies belonging to the Amalgamated Association of Electric and Street Railway Employes through Divisions 490 and 498. Second: That the companies through their officials will treat with a committee of their employes on all grievances that may arise affecting their employment. Third: That the working conditions and scale of wages prevailing at the present time on the lines of the Yonkers Railroad and Westchester Electric Railways shall continue. The reply of Mr. Whitridge to this proposal was contained in a letter that he gave to the Mayors following the conference he held with them. In this letter he said: In reply I have to say that these propositions have all been discussed in my correspondence with the Department of Labor in letters, copies of which I hand you herewith and my view stated in these letters is still true and will remain true. I am not prepared to say more or to have any further conferences on the above matter. Yours truly, F. W. WHITRIDGE. This reply was not satisfactory to the men, and they were preparing to go on strike the next morning, but a hastily arranged conference between Mr. Leslie Sutherland, general manager of the Yonkers Railway, and Mr. E. A. Maher, general manager of Westchester Electric Railway, and the international officers and local committees of the employees, was held late Saturday night, November 2, and it was agreed that existing working conditions should continue uninterrupted and that on all future grievances the union committee would be received, and that there should be no efforts made to disrupt their organization. The result of this conference was reported to the union at 3 o'clock Sunday morning, November 3, and the action of the committees was approved by the union and the strike was averted without any interruption of traffic. The Bureau believes that its efforts in this dispute prevented the strike from being called during the Bureau's intervention and negotiations; secured mutual concessions looking toward a compromise settlement, and brought the negotiations to a point where it was possible for the parties directly concerned to arrive at an agreement. THE LITTLE FALLS TEXTILE WORKERS' DISPUTE. (a) REPORT OF BOARD OF MEDIATION AND ARBITRATION On October 9, 1912, out of 1,100 textile workers employed by the Phoenix Knitting Company at Little Falls 80 went on strike against a reduction in wages caused by the operation of the fifty-four-hour law. The operation of this law, in effect on October 1, prohibited the employment of women or minors for more than 54 hours in any one week. On October 18, 76 out of 495 employed by the Gilbert Knitting Company joined the strike. There was no active organization among the workers when the strike occurred. Soon after the strike was declared, representatives of the Industrial Workers of the World came to Little Falls and induced those on strike to affiliate with their organization and took charge of the strike. All of those on strike were foreigners and few, if any, could speak or understand the English language, complete control of the strike being in the hands of the I. W. W. On October 23, the following demands were made upon the employers: 1. Same weekly wages for 54 hours' work as had been received for 60 hours. 2. Additional increase of 10 per cent. for all workers on day shift. 3. Additional increase of 15 per cent. for all workers on night shift. 4. No discrimination against workers for activity in strike. During the progress of the strike many clashes occurred be tween the police and the strikers and their leaders and sympathizers which resulted in many arrests being made, not so much for efforts to prevent the companies from hiring strikebreakers or to induce others to join the strike as for violating the city ordinance against holding public meetings without a permit. The strike leaders insisted on holding meetings in Clinton Park, which is situated directly across a narrow street from the Phoenix Mill, although the city authorities refused to grant permission. |