The evening world., 1888-06-27
PAPER
Struggles and Triumphs Of the Trade
in This City.
Their Local and District 0rgani-
Zation.


WRITTEN RxPREssLy FOR TIE EVENING WORLD
The very novel idea Of The EVENING WORLD
in having labor tell its own story is indeed
commendable. There are in the ranks of
labor men who, in one page. could lay before
the public Of this great land through your
valuable journal more interesting facts rs to
the condition OF the toiling masses and more
valuable deductions and suggestions as to
how best to remedy existing evils than many
pretentious economists could do in O larger
volume teeming with quotations and Stats.
tics.c, Hoping that, in the interests of labor.
EXAMPLE may prove better than precept, /
proceed to give you a very brief history OF
the Paper-H Hangers Union of New York.
WHEN ORGANIZED.
The Paper-H Hangers Association of New
York was founded Feb. 1S, 1854. by a few
men who ut that early date appreciated the
necessity of organization as the only means
of mutual assistance and protection, and for
twenty five years the union has been to the
er-hangers of New York what the armed
fort is to the besieged.
Tine and again st has demonstrated its
power in n small way in resisting the inroads
sought to be made upon it by a few unscru-
p"aoNp VI osApVA wa"
at the same time the hangers can boast
Of some of the most generous employers in
the country, notably one who, when asked
to join in an effort to reduce the wages of our
trade, replied: mo, I will not. desire
honest workmen, and If I redib5 their wages
they cannot live respectfully and be honest"
Would to God that all employers of labor
thought as he did. What untold misery and
want would our people be spared, without
employers feeling the least Inconvenience.
TRIALS AND
From its foundation TO the fall of 1882 the
union suffered during many trials and exulted
in many triumphs- Some Of the progressive
men of the union suggested Ntreorganization
on q national basis, A Temporary committee
was formed and invitations sent to all parts of
the country inviting all paper hangers unions
to send delegates to q convention to be held
In New York.
The convention was we'll attended and
largely representative, and from it emanated
the Paper-H Hangers, Union OF, America. a
strictly secret and independent organization,
with headquarters in New York.
In 1888 l joined the Local Section 10, and
from that on, being generously promoted to
several offices in the union, I thereby had
ample opportunity to study the organization
in all its details; and to the men Of our trade
who conceived the Rspsr- Hangers Union Of
America l will ever aecOrd the highest praise
for their perception and foresight. 70 those
men are due the salvation of our trade. l
mightusay, in this country.
~ BENEFITS OF THE UNION.
Attached to our union was a benefit n
which provided for illness by accident or
otherwise, for death or incapacity and in old
age. As another induoement. and hoping it
would make our interests mutual and enable
us to get employment for our own men, we
established q labor bureau. At the start it
fourished beyond our most sanguine hopes,
but owing to many causes, mainly attributa-
BILE to over confidence in some of our officials,
our efforts to maintain 1t were unsuccessful
Through the failure of our bureau our union
became somewhat disorganized.
]sTRuooLEs FOR FAIR WAGES.
We still struggled along and maintained
our union without any notable event until
some of our employers on TIL 2ls, of March.
1885, presented TO us a price list considerably
below tho one we were then working under.
On Sunday, March %, n special meeting was
held, every member on our books being
present, and it was unanimously resolved
not to accept the reduced list. The five firms
were notified and u committee appointed to
wat on the other decorating firms Of this
city and request them to maintain the old
prices. and in every instance they agreed to
do so.
A LONG AND BITTER FIaHT.
Thus the fight was left between the FIVE
manufacturing firms and the union. and
a long and bitter one 1t was. lasting from
March 23 to July 10, 1888, when, through the
mediation of the Building Trades Council OF
New York. o new price list was made out anG
accepted by both parties, which brought to 6
close the most hotly contested strike in the
modern labor movement in America.
Without aid from any outside source forty
six men were partially supported for over
four months. Fifty of our members willingly
sacrificed their savings of years aud sub
scribed 81, LAG. so, the funds OF the unior
supplying the balance of "a, 900.
Our strike ended in settlement which
might have been reached in the beginning
had we the opportunity of dealing direct,
with our employers. The superintendent
( in the several firms being responsible for tn,
trouble, it was left in their hands to tn,
. end.
COST OF THE LONG STRIKE.
8 The loss in time and money to the unioi
and men, calculating the value of forty -fiv
mems time ut $50 per month, for fou
months, and adding at least 81. 600 unioi
, funds and subscriptions from individual
n members not on strike. could no
have been less than Sl7. 500. The loss t.
n our employers must have been equally large
6 The strike very nearly cost us our union
The only thing which saved il was reorgani
Q cation. 1t was resolved upon and carrie,
= out. A local union was again resorted "a