The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1886-05-07
rHELABoR rRousLns

THELABoR TROUBLES.
Many Thousand Men ON . Strike IN Chi.
| cAgo-Itsms from 0thsr Points.
The Chicago Times OF May Let says;
Twenty-Five thousand u a fair estimate OF
the number OF mon who quit work Fridav
and walked out Of the various shops and
factories In Chicago because their employees
! would not consent to an eight-hour work.
ing day and the same wages which have
been paid when ten hours were the rule,
| How many will do the same to-day
b problematical, but the prospects ior
. repetition Of the performances oi
to-day are exceeding brilliant. The trades
most affected are tile furniture manuiact.
urers, the lumber interests In all their mum.
erous ramifications and the iron men.
With the furniture people it was practi.
cally q general lockout all over the city,
and all the 1900 mon employed in the
various Chicago factories are today idle,
and probably will continue 90 for some
time to come. Every furniture factory in
Chicago, including Brunswick 4 Bake
and Rothschild Bros, where strikes were
already in progress, 10 practically in the
association, and will not be reopened until
1t SO desires. Asomewhat similar situation
exists in the lumber trade, including the
planning mills and the box factories No
concerted action was had among the ON.
plOyes until to-day, but all except three re-
fused the demands OF tho men, and in a
NEE ting aiterward decided to stand by cne
another and not to take their mon back ex-
cept at the bosses terms. The number Of
men in this trade out Of employment in
but 5000 is a low figure. With the IRON
people the idea OF running only eight
hours day could not be entertaine ed
Tor moment by the larger concerns,
and in consequence all who were waited
on refused their mems demands, and Crane
Bros, with their 1900 employees, set the
example Of closing down, and with the ex-
ception OF the rolling mills, where no de-
mands were made and no trouble 10 antici.
pated. The majority OF the large iron
works OF Chicago are to-day closed. The
railroads have, with one exception, so far.
escaped trouble, but their time will come
to-day, and it is feared that when it does
come, the extent cannot be forctold. The
packers will probably suffer little The
employera are somewhat disposed to yield
In part the demands Of the men, while the
latter are not at all disposed to strike
Still, it depends good deal on "what Ar
mour will do" Every business in the city
is more or less implicated. and this morn.
ing the general unrest among the working.
mon ia exactly balanced by the anxiety
among the employers.
Bradstreet's Journal OF New York, on
Saturday, printed an extended review OF
the eight hour labor question, saying:
mand for reduced hours OF daily labor
among the trades unions. 1t 10 probuble
that tie larger proportions OF the en-.
ployes' demands will be settled by com.
promise or mutual concessions. In others,
to significant degree. the demand for
eight hours with ten hours pay will be
pressed with strikes. The nine hour com
prises have generally been based on ten
hours wages, amounting to an advance OF
promised by many manufacturers to pay
ing 20 per cent. advance in wages, or ten
hours pay for eight hours work. Brad
streets reports 1O5, 900 men who will strike
so, 600 for eight hours and 10000 for
nine hours; 5000 mennow on strike for
eight hours, and eight hours have been
granted to $4,000 employees at various
points: There are additionally $4,000
men who have asked for the eight-hour
will strike. At leading centers alone, it is
probable that over two hundred and twen-
ty.five thousand industrial employees are
actively interested in this movement.
The New York Tribune sayr: 1t is hard.
ly expected that the short-hour movement
will cause many strikers or lock.outs just
at present. In most cases when an amica.
ble arrangement cannot be made. between
tho employers and the men the matter will
complished within the last month in the
way Of shortening hours Of labor. In all
the building trades, which are tho most
perfectly organized, an agreement has been
entered into between the men and the boss
es making nine hours days work, and
eight hours on Saturday. The system OF
paying by the hour instead OF the day has
also been introduced. In these trades
there will certainly not be any trouble.
The trade in which trouble is most likely
to take place is the piano making industry.
The grand jury OF the court Of general
sessions at New York WAS disch argetl after
Foreman Brown had handed to Recorder
| Smythe presentment cOndemning boy
cotting. The presentment severely con.
demns Police Justice Weide who, when
boycotters were arrested and brought be.
fore him for annoying Cavanaugh, Sanford
q Co., the tailors, promptly discharged
lated the law. Police Captains Williams,
Mccullough and Copeland had confessed
that they were powerless to relieve the
boycotted firms from the nuisance ms long
as the police justices failed to commit the
prisoners.
The movement OF the labor unions in
Pittsbure for reduction in working hours
; is confined almost exclusively to building
trades. Those trades which have do.
manded a reduction in hours generally
show disposition to compromise on nine
hours, and no extended or general strike
to-day is anticipated. The plumber
bricklayers, hod carriers, plasterers, stone
! cutters and stonemasons have already
settled with their employers on the nine.
hour basis.
At a recent meeting the 5000 employees
OF the large Milwaukee breweries decided to
strike unless the wages were advanced $40
per month. The companies have made
large concessions in the way offewcr no urs'
work but they will not accept the terms
proposed.