The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 30, 1901, Page 1

VOLUME XC-—NO. 60. SAN FRANCISCO, TUESDAY, JULY 30, 1901. PRICE FIVE CENTS. BY A UNANIMOUS VOTE THE CITY FRONT FEDERATION ORDERS A GENERAL STRIKE, CALLING OUT FULLY FIFTEEN THOUSAND MEN, WHICH WILL BRING EXISTING LABOR TROUBLES TO A CRISIS AND PRACTICALLY CLOSE THE PORT UNTIL THE END COMES Vote Is' Tagen at Midnight After a Long Discussion and the Announcement of the Result Is Greeted With Cheers by the Delegates From the Unions-—-The News Is Quickly Conveyed to the Various Labor Headquarters Throughout the City and Creates Un- bounded Enthusiasm---Efforts of Mayor Phelan and the Conciliatory Committee to Effect a Settlement of Differences Are Futile _— + EE City Front Federation at Z its meeting last night ordered & general strike on the docks of San Francisco, Oakland, Mission Rock and Port Costa and in the city of San Francisco, to g0 into effect this morning. The action of the Federation was prompt- 1y ratified amid great enthusiasm by those unions most directly interested, and saflors, longshoremen, firemen, | yorters and packers, ship clerks and | cther men whose unions are affiliated with the organization which took the initiative ‘will mot report for work this morning. The tie-up will be complete if the plans of the labor unions are success- | ful. They hope to stop the loading end even to prevent the moving of{‘ ships that are now almost ready for | Unless the proprietors departure. and managers are able to secure suf- | ficient non-union help to load and | man their vessels, the strike will | practically mean the closing of the | port and the suspension of business in the wholesale and manufacturing section of San Francisco and Oak- land. The ferryboats are not affected by the strike. Union men employed on | them will not be called out, and loeal | travel and freight transfer will m’ti be disturbed. The membership of the unions af- ‘ fected exceeds 16,000 men. Not that many are employed at all times but the total number that will be | out of employment as the result of ! the action of the City Front Federa- tion will not be far from 15,000. 1ssion Benicia was San Francisco employers alone. was received with s by the delegates present. g a protest. broke up and delegates hurried teamsters Federation was a signal for cheering. the actio was pra The f ically unanimous everywhere. the employers had made no offered no concessions wor- e so far as the point of rkingmen was concerned, was not so much on ct of calling out the men on on the getails of the pro- The proposition to include rejected ground that the war was against The | of the resolution declaring the | enthusiastic | The vote | us, not a delegate from any Immealately the decision being reached the meet- to where large gatherings he news of the action v. In each of these—the the four Longshoremen's | | in particular— | cement of the action of the | prolonged | In all of them ratification of | was a foregone conclusion, and | e decision reached by the Federation ed at until nearly midnight | and then only after long discussion over | lowing statement of its side of | the case was given to the press by ths| Front Federation: Porce ORGING STRIKERS 70 FRESERVE BERT -J. O ovG HERD FUCreRS fi/}wrzr"f % - e TERS S HAFEH g 4 o there are very few docks in this city The City Front Federation was or- aninod Cor the puigess of ~SNEING with raflroad facilities. about closer affiliation among the In view of the fact that the team- different organizations connected with sters were locked out the Federation the shipping of this port with the view found it absolutely necessary to take of rez g better and more amicable actios. True to its policy it Instructed relations between the employers and its executive committee to use its best employes directly interested in the ma- ansportation of San Francisco. This policy of the federation has been strictly adhered to, and it has been in- strumehtal in preserving peace, where conservative ‘course would un- ri endeavors to amicably adjust the dif- ficulty between the teamsters and their employers. The Draymen’s As- soclation has stated that the difficulty between them and the teamsters has a Jess been taken out of their hands and any doubtedly have precipitated strikes settlement must come through the and disputes detrimental to San Fran- Employers’ Association, whose mem- ecisco bers are unknown. B ity il In this emergency the committee DD O AElE SRRt AN walted upon the president of the country and being cognizant of the policy of the employers, which is to disrupt labor organ- izations on the ground that they are interfering with and die- tating to them how they should run their business, the Federa- tion claims the right for its members to organize for their mutual benefit and improvement, a right which the laws of our country give to wus; we further claim the right to say how much our labor is worth and the condi- Steamship Managers’' Assoclation, the president of the Chamber of Com- merce, the Mayor of this city, the priacipal shipowners and others and urged upon them to use their In- fluence to have the difficulty ad- justed. It has exhausted all its means to reach a peaceful settlement of the difficulty and was not successful be- cause the Employers’ Assoclation re- fused to meet and discuss the trouble which they werednstrumental in pre- cipitating. - The committee then" laid be- tions wunder which we will | fore the Mayor, in the presence L of the president of the Chamber The Employers' Association, com- of Commarwe and, a mumber of posed of the prineipal importing and concerns of this city, to whose s it would be to destroy the ifacturing industries of this State 7, has stated that it would dis- e labor organizations of this They have tried with more or success to destroy some of the smaller organizations, and as their minor successes give them confidence they reached out further with the idea that ultimately their plan would be successful. The lockout of the team- sters and the circumstances which brought it about have been through- 1y explained in the daily press. The federation knows that the draymen ere a very important factor in the handling of freight for transportation, more so here than in any other city in the United States, inacmuch as less others, the following proposition in the interest of peace: “We desire the employers to concede the right of employes to organ- ize, and the employers agree not to discriminate against an em- ploye. or a man because he is a member of an organization; the employers to establish the status quo ante, and the employes on their part will agree not to en- gage in a sympathetic strike un- til & conciliation committee com- posed of members of both sides to the controversy failed to set- tle the differences. “The employers agree not to order a lockout under the same conditions; that a reasonable time will be given the commit- tee of conciliation to adjust dif- ferences, and that no attempt be made to strike, lockout or other- wise interfere with the status so established until a settlement be made. After having walted feur days for a definite reply to our request for a con- ference, the Employers’ Association steadily refuses to do anything to ad- Just the difficulty; they refuse to meet us; they refuse to continue te employ the men now in their employment ex- cept upon the condition that they are to®uit their unfon and cut themselves loose from all affiliation with their fellow-workmen. . The federation has exhausted all honorable means to have the difficulty adjusted, but have failed in its efforts, and finds that there is nothing left but to appeal to its membership to be true to the cause for which organized labor stands. Much as it is to be deplored, we are satisfied that we have done everything we could to avert this eri- sls, but arrogant and designing capital willed it otherwise. Those individuals in soclety who would use their indus- trial power to rob us of our right of organization granted to us by soclety as a whole must bear the responsibil- ity for whatever may now take place. JOHN KEAN, Acting President. The leaders in the strike movement are confident that the managers of vessels will not be able to move them and that the tie-up will be most complete. Their hope of ultimate success is based upon this con- e ESOLVED, That the full membership of the City Front Federation refuses to work on the docks of San Francisco, Oakland, Port Costa and Mission Rock and in the | city of San Francisco, but that the steamships Bonita and Walla Walla, with mail and passengers, are allowed to go to sea.—R:solution adop.ed by ihe City Front Federation last night. =1 W i A ] / SIS A " i i Y mfl" N \ ‘ NG Y NN W\ \ S T l SRS SESTT ZAT 3 | N — | +- ‘fidence. Many of the managers, however, assert their confldence in their ability to hearts are not in the strike in sufficient number to load and man thelr vessels and get them to sea on scheduled sailing dates. The leaders of the striking .em- ployes say that these assertions are only bluff, and that they believe the policy of the managers will be tc tie up the ships and close the gates of the wharf, tempor- arily at least. In fact, they say that no other course will be open to them. . get non-union men and union men whose < ~ & o TWO MEN PROMINENT IN THE PRESENT LABOR STRUGGLES; ALSO SCENES SHOWING TROUBLES OF THE POLICE AND A GROUP OF MEN ON THE WATER FRONT DISCUSSING THE SITUATION. About the only lines that can come go without serious will. be the Pacific Mail. Occidental and interference at least and Oriental, Kosmos, Pacific Steam Naviga- tion, Compania Sud Americana de Vapores and the California- and Oriental. The Kosmos liners are manned by Germans, who ship in Hamburg for the round the Pacific Steam Navigation and trip; the Compania Sud Americana de Vapores' vessels are manned by Chileans, who ship - Continued on Seventh Page. Managers’ offices of employes that recognize the authority the City Front Federation. A meeting policy will doubtless be adopted. terday the following: D. Spreckels, Captain Goodall and E. Dimond. tion and its action. of the unions sels out on scheduled sailing dates. agers’ Association,” F. F. Connor, not members of the Employers’ tion. employes have no grievances causing them to strike. to make good, dollar for dollar, out upon their employers. If the fight forced upon us it will be a fight to the finish.” The longshoremen have been receiving HE directors of the Steamship Assoclation met at 3 o’clock yesterday afternoon at the the Panama Rallroad and Steamship Company to con- | sider steps to protect the members of the association in the event of their important interests being placed in jeopardy by a strike of longshoremen, firemen and other members of ‘the assoclation will be held at 3 o'clock this afternoon and a definite There were present at the meeting yes- R. P. Schwerin, president; F. F. Connor, secretary; John Various matters pertaining to the labor situation were discussed, and the effects and best methods of meeting a strike of their employes were considered. The en- tire matter, however, was left open pend- ing the meeting of the City Front Federa- The directors were a unit in determina- tion that if a strike were ordered the | steamship managers should go into the contest to fight to the finish. The con- sensus of opinion was that ocean-going vessels could be moved in spite of a strike affiliated with the City Front Federation, and that owners would make every exertion to send their ves- “The members of the Steamship Man- secretary, said after the meeting, ‘“are Associa- They are innocent of any connec- tion. with the teamsters’ strike and their that are In view of this, 1 their longshoremen, firemen and other | employes go out in a sympathetic strize to-aid the teamsters and porters and packers, the managers as a unit will re- gard it as a breach of good faith, and in the end the striking laborers will have their wages all of the loss they inflict b3 of of R. its of is Continued on Seventh Page. office president, the Teamsters’ Union, and Andrew Furu- seth, secretary of the Sailors’ Union, were presaat. o'clock, but to little purpose, as no one had authority to speak for the employ- ers. afterward, the city. ly. ‘You" may come back to work under the old conditions.’ they will not recognize our committees or delegates or agents. give the individual employment, but they are determined to crush the unions. They had no representatives at this afternoon’s meeting in the Mayor's course there could be no results.” HE Industrial Conciliation Committee of the Municipal League made strenuous efforts yesterday to avert the threat- ened strike, but without avail. Two meetings were held in the course of the day. noon at the Mayor’s office in the City | Hall and another at 6 o’clock in Mayor Phelan’s private office in the Phelan building. One in the after- Labor leaders were present at both | meetings, but the Employers’ Asso- | ciation was not represented. At the | second meeting a statement from the Employers’ Association’s attorney embodied in a report by Mayor Phe- lan was read and approved by the committee as the best it had to offer to the dissatisfied workingmen. concessions to the strikers and other | union men interested were contained | 12 it and at the meetings of the City Front Federation night the report did not receive seri- cus consideration. No and unioms at The committee met at Mayor Phelan's at 2 o'clock. Michael. Casey. and Secretary McLaughlin of Discussion lasted until 3:30 The labor leaders present explained that the teamsters demanded that they be al- lowed to go back to work under the con- ditions that existed before the lockout. In the way of concession they would agree that in future should be declared until the questions at issue should first be submitted to a con- ciliation board of three. consent to surrender the right to declare sympathetic strikes whenever such arbi~ | tration should fail. no sympathetic strikes They would not After more than an hour's conference it was agreed that Mayor Phelan should | 2o before yepresentatives of the Employ- | ers* Assoclation at Attorney Michael’s of- | fice and give them whatever information he had gained as to the present attitude of the teamsters and other union men af- fected. | present at again at Mayor Phelan’s private office in the Phelan building at 6 o’clock to learn the results of the Mayor’s conference with the employers. It was agreed further that those the conference should meet Furuseth, Casey and McLaughlin left the meeting very much discouraged and evidently convinced that no hope remain- ed of concessions on the part of the em- ployers. “It s not the unions,” Furuseth sald “that are bringing this upon The employers ignore us entire- They say to the individual workman, But as for the unions, They are willing to office, and of Mayor Phelan having conferred with the members of the Employers” Associa- tion again met the committee of the Mun- fcipal League in his office in the Phelan building at 6 o’'clock, when he submitted the following report: I had a conference with the board of directors of the Employers’ Associa- tion, at which they delivered to me the letter of their attorney, dated July 29, as follows: “SAN FRANCISCO, July 29, 1901. “Hon. James D. Phelan, New City Hail, San Francisco—Dear Sir: The proposition for a settlement of the present trouble between the Dray- men’s Association and the Brother- hood of Teamsters submitted by you to the Employers’ Association for their good offices this regard has received the careful consideration demanded by the nature of the trouble and the im- portance of the interests at stake. “I am instructed by the ex- ecutive committee of the Em- ployers’ Association to advise you that the proposition thus submitted appears to the asso- ciation not to present a satisfac- tory solution of the present dif- ficulties; furthermore, that the association is of the opinion that an agreement in the shape pro- posed could not be adequately maintained or enforced. “In response to your request for a suggestion from the association as to what may serve to overcome the pres- ent difficulties, already so serious to the employer and threatening disas- ter to the community, I am instructed to say that the policy and determina- tion of this association is to ‘live and let live.’ Its declaration of principles contains among other things the fol-_ lowing: “We recognize the right of labor to organize to ameliorate its conditions, and we, as em- ployers, will not trespass upon that right by refusing employ- ment to any one solely because he does or does not belong to any labor organization; and we also denounce any coercion om the part of any employer where- by employes are compelled against their free will and voli- Continued on Seventh Page.