PUBLIC DOCUMENT No. 46 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE State Board of Mediation and Arbitration ΤΟ THE GOVERNOR For the Year ended September 30, 1905 PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE LEGISLATURE MIDDLETOWN, CONN.: PELTON & KING, PRINTERS AND BOOKBINDERS. 1905. REPORT. To His Excellency Henry Roberts, Governor of Connecticut: SIR: A brief history is herewith given of the different cases of labor difficulty of which the Board of Mediation and Arbitration has taken cognizance since its last report. The Board was convened at Hartford, December 27, 1904, in response to a letter to its President, of which the following is a copy: Honorable J. Hurlburt White, Dec. 22, 1904. State Arbitration Committee, Hartford, Conn: MY DEAR JUDGE:-My men and myself are liable to get into a bad snarl here and there will be a strike or lockout undoubtedly, and I ask as a personal favor that your Committee take this under advisement, hear both sides and advise us what to do. You can see me at my house, 286 Farmington Avenue, and I have a telephone. We are very anxious to get this matter settled before the 1st of January, if it is possible. I think the men would listen to your Committee, as I certainly would be glad to. Very truly yours, F. H. WHITTELSEY. Mr. Whittelsey operates a paper mill at Windsor Locks, Conn., and the Board proceeded to that place in order to view the works and confer with representatives of the workmen. The situation, as developed by investigation, was as follows: Mr. Whittelsey's product consists of tissue and copying paper, copying books and books of forms, designed especially for railroad service, in the production of which he is in direct competition with two other mills, one at Rainbow in this State, and one in New Jersey. In both these mills it was stated that the paper making machinery is run thirteen hours longer in each week than at Mr. Whittelsey's mill, thus giving them an advantage over him in production of goods which effectually wiped out his profits. In Mr. Whittelsey's mill, and in paper mills generally, the paper making machinery is run continuously from 7 A. M. on Monday until 6 P. M. on Saturday of each week, and is operated by two sets of hands, one set remaining from 7 A. M. until 6 P. M. of each day, the other set taking the run of thirteen hours from 6 P. M. until 7 A. M of the next day. The work was equalized between the two sets of hands by alternating so that the set which had night work one week would have day work the week following. In the two mills which were in direct competition with Mr. Whittelsey, it was stated that the weeks' run of the paper making machinery commenced at midnight Sunday night and continued until midnight Saturday night. It was Mr. Whittelsey's wish to run his mill on the same schedule, and he was perfectly willing to pay his men for the extra service. He explained that the working of the paper making machine was so nearly automatic that but few hands were required to operate it, but that practically the working of this department controlled the output of all departments of the mill, and that the extra thirteen hours run would add to the output without adding proportionately to the cost of production. In his judgment it made the difference between conducting his business at a moderate profit or without any profit, if not at a positive loss. Mr. Whittelsey's employees were members of the Local Union of Paper Makers, affiliated with the International Brotherhood, and while averse to undertaking the additional night service asked of them, agreed to refer the matter to the international officers and a conference was arranged for and held in which Mr. Whittelsey's side was represented by himself and that of the workmen by Mr. George Mackey, President of the International Brotherhood, and Mr. Boyle, President of the local Union. The situation was canvassed thoroughly and frankly, and considerable divergence of views was developed. A proposition was finally made by Mr. Mackey, on behalf of the men, to operate the paper making machinery for twenty-four hours longer each week if Mr. Whittelsey would divide the time into eight-hour shifts and employ three sets of hands. Mr. Whittelsey declared that he would be glad to accept this proposition but for the fact that the water power used by him was controlled by the Windsor Locks Canal Co. and his contract did not allow of its use on Sunday. It was suggested that perhaps the Canal Company would consent to a modification of the contract in this particular, but upon application being made for such modification, it was refused. The correspondence herewith given followed and completes the history of this case. Mr. Geo. Mackey, President: MIDDLETOWN, CONN., Feb. 8, 1905. DEAR SIR: I learn from Mr. Whittelsey that the parties who control the water power at Windsor Locks refuse to permit him to encroach at all upon the twenty-four hours of Sunday, and that in consequence thereof your suggestion of eight-hour tours of work to include both Saturday night and Sunday night, is defeated. Is any arrangement possible by which the machine might be run from 6 P. M. on Saturday until midnight, thus adding six hours to the weekly run? What are the objections to this, provided the men are paid fairly for the additional hours? Yours very truly, J. M. HUBBARD, Secretary. WATERTOWN, N. Y., Feb. 13, 1905. Mr. J. M. Hubbard, Sec. Board of Mediation and Arbitration, Middletown, Conn.: DEAR SIR:-Your letter of Feb. 8th at hand and contents very carefully noted. I note what you say in regard to the parties not allowing Mr. Whittelsey to run his mill Saturday or Sunday night, which defeats my proposition of the eight-hour system in his mill. But will say that I went to Windsor Locks and looked Mr. Whittelsey's mill over, and I don't see how we can give him any other conditions than his neighbors in that place have. You know it would not be fair for us to work for Mr. Whittelsey Saturday nights and refuse to work for others. I find Mr. Whittelsey has as good conditions in his mill as any mill in Windsor Locks. The mill in Rainbow that Mr. Whittelsey spoke of I find only runs day times, as they use the water for the electric light plant at night. This shuts the paper mill down, as they do not have water power enough to run both. |