After deciding to resume production in spite of the strike, the company recruited and hired strikebreakers. The company justified its attitude in various full-page advertisements in the newspapers. Under the heading, "Que se passe-t-il a Asbestos?" (What is happening in Asbestos?) Johns-Manville denounced the strike as illegal. It also announced that when a settlement was reached, the "new employees" would have priority over the strikers. The company contended that the strike was instigated by a minority of union leaders and invited the strikers to return to work on their own.