Mill Owners, Strikers End Dispute, June 11, 1919

From the Hickory Daily Record, June 11, 1919

The Mill Owners and Strikers End Dispute

Concord, June 11—Yesterday at 4 o’clock at a conference held in the office of J.W. Cannon, the mill troubles in Concord and Kannapolis were settled satisfactory to all parties. Representing the unions were J.H. Monroe, president, and L.M. Barnhardt, secretary and treasurer of the Concord union, and Otis A. Menton, president, and Charles A. Luther, secretary and treasurer of the Kannapolis union. Representing the mills were M.L. Cannon of the Cannon, Cabarrus and Gibson mills; L.H. Webb of the Locke; F.J. Haywood of the Brown and Norcott; and D.B. Coltrane of the Kerr bleachery. The settlement is entirely satisfactory to all parties and work will begin tomorrow and all people will be ordered out at once. An open shop policy will be pursued and no discrimination will be made. This ends the great turmoil of the past eight weeks.

The mill owners will make no discrimination between union and nonunion employes. Mills are to be operated on the principle of the open shop. Mill owners will cheerfully meet with committees of their own employes at any time for the purpose of adjusting any matters of mutual concern that may arise and grant them a 55-hour week and a basis of pay for 60 hours’ work and in addition to this cancel all obligations during the 10 weeks the mills were closed down. These were accepted by the representatives and there appears now to be nothing but harmony between mill owners and employes. 

A big jollification meeting was held at the courthouse tonight. The wires are busy calling union people to work.