“Exhibitors Confident in Twin City Strike”

Headline: “Exhibitors Confident in Twin City Strike”

Minneapolis — “Everything is great.” This is the terse manner in which W. A. Steffes, president of the Northwest exhibitor association, sums up the strike situation in the Twin Cities.

All crafts, to a man, have walked out at theaters of the two cities, which are lined up solidly to “throw off the shackles of unjust union demands.”

Steffes declares that no settlement is in sight, and that none can be until the unions back down from their demands. Business at the theaters, now being operated on an open shop basis, has not suffered materially, and theaters are prepared to continue under the present system, unless the unions yield.

Theaters are 100 per cent organized and Orpheum and Pantages houses of the two cities are prepared to close in event effort is made to extend the strike to other cities of the circuits.

Steffes is a fighter whose activities have won him the nickname of “Fighting Al,” and with the 100 per cent backing given him is confident that exhibitors will be victorious. The showmen’s side of the present controversy is being told the public in newspaper advertisements, posters and slides. Previous to expiration of the labor agreements, Steffes had requested the unions to accept a reduction in wages, on account of adverse business conditions in the Northwest. Despite this, however, operators were granted a wage increase, but went on strike two weeks ago with stagehands whose demands were refused. The musicians went out a week later.