Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-05-27 | Page 1 | Winnipeg Strike Still Continues

WINNIPEG STRIKE STILL CONTINUES Plan of Collective Bargaining Bargain-ing Rejected by Committee Commit-tee of Citizens, Trouble Extends to Other Cities in Western Canadian Cana-dian Provinces WINNIPEG, Man., May. 26. The Winnipeg city council tonight, despite de-spite vigorous opposition from the labor members, voted, 9 to 5, to reorganize re-organize tho municipal fire department depart-ment along lines that will forbid the firemen to join other union forces in a sympathetic strike. WIXNTIP3SG, Man., May 26. Despite the fact that the Winnipeg ' general strike lias been condemned by leading officials of every branch of governmental authority, author-ity, the union forces made no move toward to-ward Industrial peace today. Announcement Announce-ment that general walkouts took place today to-day at Edmonton and Calgary and that unions at Saskatoon and Regina consider similar action tonight, seemingly strengthened strength-ened the morale of the ioeal labor contingent. con-tingent. un the face of the ultimatum issued last week by Gideon Robertson, federal minister min-ister of labor, a large majority of Winnipeg Winni-peg postal clerks were today automatically automatical-ly ousted from the federal service. Robertson Rob-ertson gave the workers until noon to return re-turn to work or to stand discharged. Only a few went back. A similar order by the provincial government to provincial telephone tele-phone operators received tho same response. re-sponse. The city council met tonight to consider a communication made public last night by Mayor Charles F. Gray requesting that no city, employee who joined the sympathetic sympa-thetic strike should be taken back unless he signs a written agreement not to leave his post in the future. The question of operating street cars tomorrow also was before the council. Mayor Cray stated today that the city would furnish "adequate "ade-quate protection" if car service, suspended sus-pended since the strike began on May 15, is resumed. I Robertson's Statement. The Winnipeg citizens' committee, which recently indorsed the principle of collective bargaining between employers and union men. but which refused to agree to the plan submitted by the labor leaders as a basis of strike settlement, today to-day received the formal support of the government. Minister Robertson Issued this statement: state-ment: "Conditions for the right of collective bargaining which are stated to be the cause of the Winnipeg strike seem to bo generally misunderstood. The employers, parties to the original dispute; the president presi-dent of the Canadian Manufacturers' association, as-sociation, and the citizens' committee as constituted since the strike occurred, all agree to the principle of collective bargaining, bar-gaining, as it Is interpreted, nameljf the right of any individual to belong to a labor la-bor union if he so desires and the right of employees to bargain with their employers em-ployers concerning mat ters affecting any Individual plant or industry. Principle Is Rejected. "The central strike committee, however, interprets the right of collective bargaining bargain-ing to mean that the central body shall have power to approve or rHec. any agreement that may be satisfactory to the employees or classes of employers and ! their employees, which, if granted, would j have the result of enabling any centra' committee entirely outside the industry or craft affcted dictating the acceptance or rejection of any agreement. It therefore, there-fore, instead of giving to the workmen work-men in any individual plant or industry the right of collective bargaining with their employers, deprives them of the right and places them entirely in the hands of a central body, whirr, principle the citizens' committee of Winnipeg provincial pro-vincial and federal governments agree cannot be accepted." Mail Sorting Begins. i lV.stribution cf vast quantities of mail stored in the Winnipeg rostffice beran in earnest today under the direction of federal fed-eral officials. The posioffice. guarded by so'.diers. was the mazr.ct fur hostile, carious cari-ous and interested pedestrian?. Men with (Continued on Page 3, Column 3.) WINNIPEG STRIKE STILL CONTINUES (Contiuod from Pago One.) unioif buUons on their coats made caustic remarks, but no disturbance of a serious nature took place. There has been a fuclins that so far as local Issues of the Winnipeg strike are concerned, the test of strength and control con-trol might not take place unless the street cars ucre put Into service. Mayor Urav said today thai he hoped to have cars running tomorrow and that he "was golns to keep them running." Mayur Uray rea J with Interest a dls-palch dls-palch that city policemen and firemen and postal workers would not ioln the sympathetic strike at Calearv. The Winnipeg Win-nipeg walkout involved all public utilities Wnrl.-Mr