Hellraisers Journal: Pickets Organized at Hibbing, Miners Pour into Union HQ for Membership Cards

Wednesday June 28, 1916
Hibbing, Minnesota – Striking Iron Miners Issue Demands

From today’s Duluth News Tribune:

Much to the displeasure of the Tribune, striking miners continue to sign up with the Industrial Workers of the World despite threats of violence from company gunthugs:

STRIKE LEADER PROMISES
VENGEANCE
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SPEAKERS AT HIBBING STIR LARGE AUDIENCE
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HIBBING, June 27.-Questioning the right of mining company officers to interfere with their street meetings, striking miners, at a demonstration at Workers’ hall this morning entered into the second stage of the strike by voting to enter upon picket duty. Two or three squads of 10 men each will be organized to guard the entrances of the Hull-Rust, Mahoning and other mines and keep non-union men from working.

George Andreytchine, leader to the miners, made a stirring appeal to the men. Placing his I. W. W. membership card over his heart he called to his followers to stand by the cause and give their time and efforts to the picket work.

We shall keep the scab out of the mine. We shall not use force, but we shall make him afraid to work. If a hired deputy interferes with you in the exercise of your liberty, arrest him.

“Don’t arrest him, attack him.” shouted some one from the right hand side of the hall.

No-arrest him. We shall try civilized methods if possible, but if they attack us they shall pay dearly. For one of you killed, there shall be 100 of them. For a stone thrown at you, there will be 100 hurled at the heads of the bosses.

The time now is not to sleep, but to work. If we can’t make the scab quit at the mine, we’ll go to his home. We’ll have our wives go, and our children cry at him in the street, until he is ashamed of himself.

Other speakers made addresses to those in the hall, men of practically every nationality.

Miners continued to pour into headquarters signing membership cards.

Coincident with a parade to be held on Third avenue tomorrow, strikers from mines around Hibbing have prepared a set of demands that will be presented to mining companies officials during the course of the day.

Headed by a 10-piece band and marching with full numbers, the striking laborers will parade tomorrow morning along the principal street of the village starting from Workers’ hall, the I. W. W. headquarters, and countermarching at Pine street. The society emblems and the I. W. W. banner will head the parade, I. W. W. leaders declare.

Demands to be made upon the mining companies, in an effort to bring the strike to an issue will incorporate the provisions usually found in localities where miners are affiliated with the I. W. W.

The seven points asked for are as follows:

1. Minimum wage of $3 per day for dry places and $3.50 per day for wet places.

2. Two dollars and seventy-five cents per day for surface workers and eight hours constituting a day’s work.

3. Eight hours constitute a day’s work for all men (this to include the men working in open pit mines), miners to go in and come out of the mine on company’s time.

4. Pay day twice a month.

5. Saturday night shift to be abolished and miners to receive full pay.

6. Abolition of the contract system.

7. Miners to be paid as soon as they quit serving.

The demands have been drawn up by the strike committee, who place especial emphases upon the sixth demand.

Mining company officials refused to consider any possibility of acquiescence to any demands until the matter is brought up by the miners. W. J. West, superintendent of the Oliver Iron Mining company for the Hibbing district, declined to state that a committee of miners would be received. Any course, he said would be decided after the men presented themselves.

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[Emphasis added.]

SOURCE
The Duluth News Tribune
(Duluth, Minnesota)
-June 28, 1916
-page 10
(Also source for image of FW Andreytchine.)
http://www.genealogybank.com/

IMAGE
MN Iron Miners Strike, IWW Cards, DNT June 28, 1916
http://www.iww.org/content/red-card