American Flint Glass Workers' Union - Orders Nationwide Strike

STRIKE OF GLASSMEN.

GATHERERS WAGES DIFFICULTY

Correct Statement of the Conference

Going On.

A strike has been ordered in the flint glass trade, as predicted in THE COMMONER two weeks ago. The workers have at last grown tired of the actions of the manufacturers and are now on the eve of quitting work.

For several years past it has been custom in 19 out of 21 factories to pay press gatherers lear count. That is when 600 pieces is a move, and the shop sends 600 pieces into the lear, the gatherers receive pay for a full turn. When the shop sends only 300 pieces into the lear the gatherers receive pay for only 300.

Under this modified system of piecework the gatherers have been paid variously as follows:

For Pitchers, from . . . [illegible text] . . . for cup foot ware the average is . . . [illegible text] . . . for unfinished sets . . . [illegible text] . . . from .10 to .22, for tumblers the average is .22, beer mugs, .17

The last convention presented the following complete schedule of numbers and a partial list of wages. The wages of gatherers were; Hand shop .50, cup foot ware, . . . . [illegible text] . . . flat foot, .20, beer mugs, .25, tumblers, .15. When the list was presented to the manufacturers, some of them refused to start their factories on the ground that the list was not complete, and asked for a conference to discuss the men's demands. This was granted and a committee of several was chosen from each side.

After numerous meetings a list of numbers and wages was agreed upon. Of the two hundred and thirty odd items on the convention list, over one half were . . . [illegible text] . . . as presented; sixty were increased; and the balance were . . . [illegible text] . . . The list of wages for . . . [illegible text] . . .

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