New York State Board of Mediation and Arbitration Crucible Steel Company Records, 1913
Collection Number: 5101
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Cornell University Library
DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY
Title:
New York State Board of Mediation and Arbitration Crucible Steel Company Records, 1913
Repository:
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation & Archives
Collection Number:
5101
Abstract:
Transcript of hearings of the New York State Board of Mediation and Arbitration concerning
the lockout of employees of the Syracuse Plants of the Crucible Steel Company of America.
The hearings were conducted June 17-20, 1913.
Creator:
New York State Board of Mediation and Arbitration
Crucible Steel Company
Quanitities:
0.33 cubic feet
Language:
Collection material in English
Pursuant to Section 141 of the State Labor Law of the State of New York, a State Board
of Mediation and Arbitration was appointed to investigate the lockout of employees
of the two Syracuse Plants of the Crucible Steel Company. Hearings were begun on June
17, 1913 before a Board composed of the following men: William C. Rogers, Chairman;
P.J. Downey; and James McManus.
About the first of April, 1913 approximately 1,000 of the 1,500 employees of the
two Syracuse plants joined together to discuss the formation of a union. On May 10,
1913 a notice was posted by the employer in all of the departments stating that the
two Syracuse plants would be closed indefinitely. The notice further stated that any
employee who wished to remain at work could do so by signing a statement that he was
not a member of the union. The obvious intent of the company was to break the union
through a lockout of union members. At the time of the hearings, over 900 men were
still out of work.
The union was formed to improve the wages and working conditions of all employees
at the two plants. For the most part, wages had not risen for 20 years. The physical
working conditions were bad, and the men often had to pay for their tools, and equipment
under the sub-contracting system which existed in some parts of the plants. The employees
wanted to establish a departmental shop committee system, which would allow them to
present their grievances and demands as a group, rather than as individuals. The employees
did not ask for company recognition of the union, they asked only for recognition
of the shop committee.
The company refused, as a matter of policy, to allow its employees to organize a
union. The company stated that it would not consider dealing with shop committees
unless the employees returned to the plants as non-union employees. Upon satisfaction
of that condition, the company stated, the question of shop committees would be considered.
This collection consists of a transcript of hearings of the New York State Board of
Mediation and Arbitration concerning the lockout of employees of the Syracuse Plants
of the Crucible Steel Company of America. The hearings were conducted June 17-20,
1913.
Witnesses included (in order of appearance) Martin Lundrigen, William Hardman, John
Figi, John Lawler, Frank McLaughlin Jr., Joseph Santiff, Edward Moore, John Rumvek,
Bartholomew McNamara, Michael Wolek, John Davidson, Daniel Madden, Joseph Tywczynski,
Bronislaw Sielewski, Francis Rudzinski, Stanislaus, Filipkowski, Thomas Slowacki,
Vadislaus Manelskik, Joseph Werpachowski, Antone Pawlewicz, Paul Krwczyk, Szozephan
Turkowski, John Fox, Carl Rudiger, Thomas Slacke, Alexander Travis, Frank McLaughlin,
Mathew Snyder, David Hobbs, Alfred Hobbs, Thomas McLaughlin, Arnold Burkinshaw, David
Burke, Edmond French, and Dr. John A. Mathews.
Access to the collections in the Kheel Center is restricted. Please contact a reference
archivist for access to these materials.
This collection must be used in keeping with the Kheel Center Information Sheet and
Procedures for Document Use.
INFORMATION FOR USERS
New York State Board of Mediation and Arbitration Crucible Steel Company Records #5101.
Kheel Center for Labor-Management Documentation and Archives, Cornell University Library.
Related Collections: /4128: Vernon H. Jensen Additional Papers 5096: New York State Board of Mediation and Arbitration Smith, Gray and Company (Brooklyn,
NY) Records 5097: New York State Board of Mediation and Arbitration Transcripts and Exhibits 5099: New York State Board of Mediation and Arbitration Yonkers Railroad Company
Records 5100: New York State Board of Mediation and Arbitration Glove Manufacturers' Association
of Fulton, New York Records 5100 mf: New York State Board of Mediation and Arbitration Glove Manufacturers' Association
of Fulton, New York on Microfilm 5619: ACWA Records 6460: New York State Board of Mediation and Arbitration Collections
Names:
New York State. Board of Mediation and Arbitration
Crucible Steel Company of America
Subjects:
Unfair labor practices -- New York (State) -- Syracuse
Iron and steel workers -- New York (State) -- Syracuse
Iron and steel workers -- Labor unions -- New York (State) -- Syracuse
Wages -- Iron and steel workers -- New York (State) -- Syracuse
Work environment -- New York (State) -- Syracuse
Collective labor agreements -- Iron and steel workers -- New York (State) -- Syracuse
CONTAINER LIST
|
Container
|
Description
|
Date
|
|
| Box 1 | Folder 1 |
Transcript of proceedings [folder 1 of 2]
|
1913 |
|
Scope and Contents
June 1913; pages 1 to 230.
|
|||
| Box 1 | Folder 2 |
Transcript of proceedings [folder 2 of 2]
|
1913 |
|
Scope and Contents
June 1913; pages 231 to 493, includes index.
|
|||