Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-05-07
THE LABOR CRISIS.
A Great Movement Throughout the
Land for a Shortening Of
Hours.
Extensive Factories in the Leading
Cities Deserted by Their Dis
satisfied WOrkmen.
AT GRAND RAPIDS.

AT GRAND RAPIDS.
A dispatch from Grand Rapids, Mich.
| says: None of the furniture factories
were working on May 1st, the men max
ing holiday celebration. of the inaugura-
tlon of the eight hour movement. All
factories have made amicable and salts
factory arrangements except Kent and
the New England companies, who refuse
to make any terms, insisting if eight
hours work is adopted eight hours pay
will prevail, even to the 81 men. The en-
ployes have decided to strike unless bet
ter terms are offered. They tried to start
Saturday morning, but no men responded.
| The basis of settlement in most cases in
| conceding eight hours is no cut for 81
| men, a shilling reduction for S1.25 men,
and a revision of wages of others, slight
| ly increasing and promising further in
crease later. A crowd of German and
| Holland labOrerS out of job attempted
to force men employed on the Bridge
street grade to quit working, and there
| was danger for a short time of serious
row. The police arrived and dispersed
the crowd. The ringleaders of the mob
| howled for eight hours and no reduction
of pay. About one hundred laborers and
teamsters in the three brick-yards struck
| for an advance of % cents in wages. They
claim they had been cut that amount un-
der last years price, and that brick has
! advanced.
AT CINCINNATI.
! The great furniture factories. employ
| ing 12,OOO workmen, are quiet, nearly
| every one being closed down for an in
| definite time, to await settlemet of the
! struggle for shorter hours. The Phoenix
works Is the only establishment not af-
fected by the situation, they have conced-
ed all that was asked intimating that
they wGuId do even better if others were
brought to it. Although a formal strike
has been inaugurated at most shops there
has been nothing approaching disorder at
any place.
No order has been given by the unions,
the movements in all cases coming from
the shop organizations on their own re-
sponsibility and as individual organiza-
tiOns.
Proctor Gamble, soap manufacturers,
have voluntarily offered their men half
holiday on Saturday, which was was well
received.
Seventy-fve carriage makers of Ander-
son, Harris & Co., struck for eight hours,
will be closed, unless they concede the
eight-hour day. George Enger d Co.,
gave an answer, declining, and their
TWO HUNDRED MEn WALKED OUT,
as was the case at Marcy d Knoblaugh's.
The hod carriers have fixed on $3.50 for
nine hours and eight on Saturday. The
carriers demand So a day. The master
plumbers offer $3.50 a day of nine hours.
The men want eight only.
AT ST. LOUIS.
The eight-hour movement here re-
suited in the closing of several manurac-
tories and the stopping of work by a
large number of mechanics employed, as
a rule, on contract work. They made
demand of the bosses that they adopt the
eight-hour system. and that they increase
the wages 80 cents all around. The en-
plOyers refused, and the men quit work
About fifty laborers employed by Kenneh
Brothers the contractors for the improve
ments on Market street, struck, demand
ing eight hours and the same pay they
are now receiving for eleven hours, 81 80
a day. About seventy-five wrappers and
machine workers employed by the Lig-
gett d Meyers Tobacco company went
out. Morning when the thirty carpenters
employed by the Pullman company put
ting in the interior wood finishing in the
Roe building, corner of Broadway and
Pine street, presented themselves to an
swer their demand and in consequence.
WORK WAS ABANDONED.
The building is being constructed by
the Roe estate, which contracted with the
Pullman company for all the wood finish
ing. The major portion of the work is
done in Pullman and shipped here. The
carpenters are employed to set it in. They
quit work. The employees of the Glen
dale zinc works went out to dav, but re-
sumed work again temporarily, agreeing
to finish up the work now on hand at an
increase of Is per cent. in their wages.
The Provident Chemical works Caronde-
let granted the demand of their men,
some sixty in number for the eight hour
system at ten hours pay, with an extra %
cents when ten hours work should be done
At the sheet iron and zinc cornice works
of Mesker & Brother, where seventy men
are employed, demand for eight hours
was granted after a short consultation.
At Schulenberg's planning mill. one of the
largest mills in the city, the question of
| eight or ten hours was submitted to a
! vote of the workmen and the ten hour
! system was adopted by large majority.
! At the other mills the demand has been
! granted. Cole j. Glass and Philbert d
| Joahaning have posted notices to the
| effect that in the future ten hours will
! constitute days work, but all who desire
to quit after eight hours pay. A canvas
| of the men showed that with but one or
two exceptions they would work bat eight
| hours. No disturbance has been report
ed and none is anticipated. An eight
! hour demonstration is being held tonight
at Lucas market square, The square is
| packed with Knights of Labor and mem
bers of labor unions who are being ad-
dressed by prominent labor men of the
city.