, 1880-08-01
THE BRICKLAYERS.
No Advance in Wages.to Be Con.
is ceded by Their En-.
p1oyers.

ceded by Their En-.
p1oyers.
4 Meeting Of Builders at Which the
| Subject Is Fully Dis
cussed.
oatslda Talent limited to Come Heze At oace-
Wages to Remain ut s. Ptr DaJ.
"A special meeting of the Master Masons'
and Builders Association was held last even
| Ing at their new Exchange, Room II, in the
National Life Building, for the purpose Of
deEsing plans to counteract the influence Of
2 few maleontent bricklayers who are en-
| deavorlnG to compel the contractors to pay
more than the Union rate, So day, and are
also attempting to prevent bricklayers in
other places from coming to Chicago and
| getting all the work they can do during the
present building boom. The attendance was
quite large and the proceedings decidedly in
teresttng to the representatives of so inl-
portant branch OF the building trade.
! In the absence Of A. B. Cook, the Presi-
| dent Of the Exchange, who was detained at
| home on account OF sickness in his family,
| the meeting was called to order By c. G.
Trieglan, the Secretary, and Thomas E.
| Courtney chosen to preside. In explaining
! the objects Of the meeting, Mr. Courtney re-
marked that certain mechanics had taken
| very peculiar course in the matter Of wages
OF late,-a course which tended greatly to
retard the interests Of building In this city.
The Exchange had assembled to take action
in the matter and the meeting was ready to
receive suggestions.
Slr. George C. Prusslng remarked that the
difficulty was one very easily undersroo cd.
There was an abundance of work to be done
In Chicago at wages not exceeded anywhere
In the country. In fact. better wages were
paid bricklaycrs in this city than anywhere
else In his opinion the time had come when
the Exchange should take decided action III
the matter, and stand up to it. Early in the
season, at the demand Ut the brielzlayers,
wages were advanced to S3 per day, and
there was no sense or reason in making
further advance, especially when the brick
layers had agreed to abide by the present
rate
E. Earnshaw said there had been good
deal Of trouble, owing to the fact that certain
brfcklayers outside the Union had been go
ing around privately a1ld trying to work upa
demand in favor OF more wages. lie could
see no reason whatever that would justify an
advance, particularly after tho brieklayers
had stated early yin the spring that they would
not ask more than ss day. For the purpose
GETTING TIE SENSE OF THE MEETING,
however, he would move that wages be adj
vanced to 3.2ss1 u day,-the rate which was
being quietly and pS{yately demanded by
few VINO progressed to be WORKING OUTSIDE fhe
Thomas Nicholson cited the fact that Ger
tain individual members III the Union
Tad demanded more t wages, .,i baslag 4 that
DAY was the minimum rate established
By the Union, while, as they claimed,
individuals We're at liberty to ask whatever
they chose to. The increase had been given
The result was that building cost more, and
the trade was III = fair way OF being perccp-
tibly retarded. He could see no justice in
advancing WAGES, which were now fnll ly Is
Or 90 per cent higher here than elsewhere.
The 1ricklayers were also making better
time than they had made in years gone BY,
and had only one excuse for demanding in-
creased wages the excuse that certain cou-
tractors we're paying certain other br1cklay-
ers more tl1a. IS a day.
The stone-cutting trade, he added, had al
ready been badly demoralized by repeated
advances III wages, and the same thing might
be looked for In the bricklaying trade II the
present demands were listened TO.
Mr. Trieglaf read q communication re-
ceYed from the Bricklayers' Union in Feb
ruary last-before the beginning of the sea-
son-demanding s. q day from the 1st Of
April for the year 1sso-ten hours day
and promising not to ask for eight hours.
Mr.. Prussing remarked that the Union, to
save itself. did not engage as such in this
demand. It was only the individual menl-
bers ostensibly who were cla1norlng for more
j. c. Robinson said the question was one
which greatly affected the interests of this
city and the territory surrounding it. The
e9aa NJ + SO
standing around the street-cOrnerS, monu-
ments OF idleness. 1t was their Interest to
invite capital, and capital would not come
sT Rsgs Ese + soud o s besf
He was opposed to making concessions to !
class OF men the great majority OF whom
were young and indiscreet, and who travelled |
about the country with sachel and trowel !
and
ATTEMPTED TO DICTATE TERMS
and force people to submit to them. !
G. Il. Fox went back two OF three years |
after tho IRE and pleaded III behalf OF the
poor bricklayer, who then and for some time |
thereafter gut 81 Is and .sl.5o a day for his
skilled labor. III his opinion the men were
now simply demanding wages IN proportion |
to the advance In everything under the i'll |
tiuences OF the present boon. In short, he |
was in favor OF Mr.. Earnsllaw's IN motion: . .,,o+
bootns not infreQuently went to eternal |
smash, and, in short, were apt to be very de- !
ceptiye. There. was bricklaylns boon
affair the fire, and the reaction was only . |
matter Of time. Wages were now up to the |
times, and here In Chicago they were ahead t
Of those III any other city, in the country. Il
there was any reason for an advance he
couldn't see it.
ness interest should be guarded with care, in
order that capital would continue to seek In