The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-05-11
MORE MEN QUIT THEIR WORK
All the Local Brick-Layers Strike for
Fewer Hours and Increased Pay.
The Night Switchmen in the Vandalia Freight
Yards Quit Work. Meetings ofFurniture-
Workers, Plasterers and Painters.

Inc Drlck- layers IN the employ OF Jonn martin,
on the new Baldwin building, at the corner of
Market and Delaware streets, assembled at that
place yesterday morning and agreed not to 60 to
work. Sef-constituted committees visited brick
layers at other places and induced them to quit,
and in short tins about all the brick layers
In the city were on strike. No demand
was made upon the employees. In the afternoon
a meeting was held at Workingmen's Hall, at
which about fifty brick-layers were present.
Committees from the workmen were appointed
to confer with their respective bosses and report
at meeting to be held this morning. Their de-
1nand was formulated in the following document,
q copy Of which was served upon each boss
INDIANAPOLIS, May IL.
'To the Boss Brick Of Indianapolis:
'You are hereby notified by the journeymen
brck-layers Of Indianapolis that they have agreed
to,work from and after this date, for the balance
of the year, 1885, at the rate of DO cents per hour
and that nine hours shall constitute days
labor, except Saturday, which shall be eight
hours, at the same rate per hour
''GILBERT SEIBERr,
Chairman of Meeting"
The brick-layers now receive 40 cents per.hour
and work ten hours day, which makes their
daily wages 81 each per day. Under q nine
hour day and pay at As cents per hour they
would receive s. day. The men say they
will have no difficulty in getting work else
where, unless the concession is made, and that
they intend to stay out until it is made. John
Martin employs from twenty five to thirty
men. He said last night that
the strike would not seriously delay the COM
pletion of the buildings no was at work on. lie
had just received the notice from the brick-lay-
CTS, and did not know whether or not be would
accede to their demands He supposed the boss
es would hold conference some time to-day to
decide what should be done. The bosses in this
city, he thought, were paying the highest wages
paid in the State
STRIKE OF vANDALIA swITCHMEN
A little strike for a cent was made in the Van
dalia yards last night the night force, consisting
of six switchmen, quitting their places and
walking out of the yards. at $50 o'clock They
made no demand for higher wages or shorter
hours, and have held no communication with
their employers. The cause of the strike is said
to be the transfer to this point yesterday of
switchman named Hill, who has been working
for the road at ST. Louis having refused to be-
come Que of the strikers at that place. He is
not ''scab,s but incurred the displeasure of
his felow-workmen by refusing to join the
strike. He was spotted on his arrival here, and
his going to work the signal for the strike
mentioned. The road, it is claimed, will not be
disconnected, and the day force of switchmen
will be able TO let all freight through. The
places of the strikers viii likely be filled to-day.
OTHER LABOR MATTERS.
The boss plasterers met at the Circuit Court
room last night and effected permanent organ
izatior by electing Joseph Dunlap chairman and
Jesse DeHaven secretary of the organization.
Committees were appointed to draft bylaws
and constitution, and to inform the lime.
dealers of the permanent organization, and
to invite them to attend the meetings 1t was
generally agreed that prices were too low
One speaker expressed the opinion that not a
man present was making an honest living"
The necessity of organization and scale of
prices from which none should depart was urged
by several speakers. TO this end committee
was appointed to fix a scale OF prices, composed
of David Sanders. Matthew Hartman and Cas-
sius Cornelius. The committee will report at
the next meeting, to be held week from last
night
The journeymen painters to the number of
twenty EIGHT, met last evening in the Mayors
court and organized with W. j. Smith, president,
III. o. johnson. secretary, and Robert Merits,
treasurer The object of the meeting was to
settle the question to what number OF hours
would constitute days work, and to what point
wages might be advanced. Nothing definite
was done, and after authorizing each member
present to act committee of one to secure
the cooperation and attendance of other jour
neymen painters the meeting adjourned until
Friday evening to meet at the same place.
About a hundred furniture workers held
meeting at Mozart Hall last night, through
Misunderstanding, as it was the intention to
hold it tonight At the beginning the reporters
were requested to get out, the meeting was
to be a secret one. and only Knights of
Labor were to be allowed to remain. Furniture
makers who were not Knights of Labor were re-
Quested to leave and after q number had with
drawn, the officers, to make assurance doubly
sure, went through the audience and ousted all
who were unable to give the password The
piece-work system and the matter of wages were
then discussed. This evening another secret
will be held at the same place.
The members of the journeyman plumbers
organization struck yesterday for eght-hour
day at the present wages. They have been
working ten hours per day for $3 so, and they
want that amount for eight hours work.
THE CITY In BRIEF.