American Flint Glass Workers' Union & Green Glass Bottle Blowers' Association

GLASS WORKERS.

Of the Central States

Meet in Special Convention Here

To-day

To Plan For Consolidation and a

Closer Alliance of Two Great

National Trade Unions.

About 200 delegates representing the unions of glass workers in the Ohio Valley will meet in at the Odd Fellows' Temple in special convention at noon to-day and be in session until Friday evening.

There are two leading National Trades Union organizations in this industry, the Flint Glass Workers and the Green Glass Workers' Unions.

The former are engaged almost exclusively in the production of window glass, while the members of the latter branch are employed in the manufacture of bottles and hollow glassware. Technically they are known as the bottle "glass blowers" and "single thick" glass workers, and the latter application being given the men employed in making common window glass to distinguish them from the "double-thick" or plate glass workers, which last branch in the trade will not be represented at the convention which assembles to-day.

OBJECT OF MEETING.

The meeting has been called for the purpose of trying to effect a consolidation of the two national unions, that course having been recommended by at the last convention of each body and afterwards ratified and approved by a vote of the general membership.

The men have a two-fold motive and object in seeking to unite their forces and the agitation on the subject has been going on in a quite way for the past two years. The first is to be in a position to maintain wages and hours against any proposed or possible changes that may be inaugurated by the manufacturers' combine, which now practically controls the entire trade throughout the United States and Canada.

The second object in view is to protect the members against the inroads in the business of glass-blowing machines, a number of which have been invented in the past few years, and as these machines are gradually improved and perfected they now threaten at no distant day to do away entirely with the work of human hands and human lungs in the industry.

HEALTH-WRECKING VOCATION.

There is probably no other mechanical calling in life which undermines the health, saps the vitality, and wrecks even the stronger constitutions more quickly than glass blowing, and the men who follow the business for a livelihood are prematurely aged and generally under the sod before reaching their fiftieth year.

The causes leading to this abnormally early decay and death are the fiery and intense heat to which they are constantly exposed, and the unnatural strain on the lungs and throat from blowing the molten glass, the weakened vitality being invariably followed by quick consumption or pneumonia.

A COSTLY ENTERPRISE.

Previous to the great financial crash of 1893 the Flint Glass Workers' Union was universally conceded to be the wealthiest and most powerful trades union in the world, with a cash surplus of over $400,000 in its treasury.

This enormous sum (for a trades union) had been acquired by a system of high dues levied for years, with the object of building up and maintaining a strong protective fund, for the organization had for a long time previous to the year named been involved in strikes and lockouts with manufacturers in the various cities and towns in the Ohio Valley.

Looking to a solution of these troubles a great co-operative corporation was formed between the union and a number of manufacturers, and the enterprise was a grand success for a brief period until the money panic of 1893-4, when the company went to the wall and the enormous funds of the unions disappeared in the litigation and bankruptcy proceedings which followed.

At the special convention which assembles to-day delegates will be present from all glass manufacturing centers in Central and Eastern Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the Indiana and Western Ohio Gas Belt.

No regular programme has been arranged for the meeting, as the few local men engaged at the trade have not taken an active part in the arrangements.