Affects of strike at Trenton electrical porcelain plants.

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April 2. — On this date the pressers employed by seven firms engaged in the manufacture of "electrical porcelain" goods at Trenton, struck to enforce a demand made by the union on their behalf for an increase of wages which would assure them $4 per day whether working by the day or the piece. The annual wage agreement existing between the firms and their men expired on April 1st, but under its terms the workmen were required to remain at their places until a decision had been reached and agreed to by both sides regarding the new wage scale. The .employing firms offered $3.50 per day, which was equal to 75 cents per day greater than the average wages of the preceding twelve months. The pressers insisted on $4 and accordingly quit work on the same day in all the shops. The kilnmen accepted the offer of $3.50 per day and took no part in the strike. The firms concerned and the number of their employes on strike were as follows:

Star Porcelain Co.; 71 males, 96 females.

The Electric Porcelain & Mfg. Co., 20 males, 23 females.

Trenton Porcelain Co., 30 males, 35 females.

Union Electrical Porcelain Works; 30 males, 30 females.

Climax Porcelain Co.; 15 males, 1 female.

Cook Pottery Co.; 88 males, 80 females.

National Porcelain Co., 26 males, 25 females.

The female labor involved in the strike had been receiving $8.14 per week, which under the rates offered by the employers would be increased to $9.89, an advance of $1.75 per week.

Efforts to end the strike were made by Federal mediators sent from Washington for that purpose, but no results came of them. The local Chamber of Commerce also tried to end the strike, but failed.

The strike lasted 14 working days for the employes of the Climax Porcelain Co., and the wage loss was $380; for the employes of the Electric Porcelain Co., 22 working days, at a wage loss of $3,000. These groups of employes accepted the wage rates offered by their employers before the strike was started.

Employes of the Union Electrical Porcelain Co.; The Star Porcelain Co.; The National Porcelain Co.; Trenton Porcelain Co.; and the Cook Pottery Co., held out for 78 working days, at a wage loss of $9,000; $25,000; $6,500; $8,100; and $21,500 respectively. The strikes in all seven plants were total failures in that the employes finally accepted the wage rates and prices tendered by their employers before the strikes were started. The total number of persons involved — male and female, was 570, and the aggregate wage loss suffered by the employes of the seven plants was $73,500.

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