The sun., 1890-10-12
LABOROUTLOOK IN THE CITY.
ACTUAL CONDITION OF WORKERS IN
NEW FORK TO.DlE.


OF KsIGhts-FederatIoA Growing.
Tho actual condition Of workinGmen who can
get work In New York city TO-DAY Is generally
better than ever. They arc better fed and
clothed aud housed and have more holidays
than ever before as body They are more
thoroughly organized than ever, and the work
OF perfecting their organization is constantly
going on. The tendency is TO the decrease OF
the knights OF Labor, the local ORGANIZATIONS
of which were largely made up OF men OF DIFF
ferent trades In one body. In place OF the
Knights has grown up Spowerful body. the
American Federation of Labor. organized each
trade BY itself At the last report there were
sixty two national and international separate
trades, comprising $4,000 members, DelonG-
ing TO the Federation, OF which Samuel Com
pers Is President In the last six months about
800 local organizations haVe been added to the
Federation. The plan Of keeping the affairs oil
each trade as much rs possible in the hands OF
men belonging to that trade which is the pc
culiar feature OF the Federation, works we'll
New ORGANIZATIONS are constantly sprinRnR
UP. Trades that were never before organized
are coming in aud getting the benefit
The building trades are practically united
and work In sympathy with each other, 1t is
practically impossible to build house In New
York city now without paying union wages to
ali the men employed on 1t in the city, working
union hours There Is q tendency to shorter
hours and increased wages for the men who
belong to the unions.
The pressure Of the trade unions for higher
wages has undoubtedly contributed to drive
great deal Of work out Of the city and to the
adoption Of new methods OF work Book print
ing is now largely done outside Of the city In
places whore the unions have not got control
In the building trades. whore tho dictation
OF the trade unions Is most strictly enforced,
the amount Of work that ia done outside the
city and brought here to he put together Is
simply enormous. Doors. sashes, window
blinds mouldinRs. and even trimmings are
made In great factories In various parts Of the
country by non-unlon labor, and brought here
to be put together in buildings. This Is also
true Of immense quantities OF iron and stone
work which is got ready elsewhere and merely
put together here.
The city contractors for large buildings find
1t very difflcult TO compete with out-of-Iown
contractors who come here and underbid
them by means of facilities TO do the
greater part OF the work elsewhere. Among
large buildings thus erected by out-of-town
contractors may be mentioned the Times build
ing, the new Manhattan Athletic Club
building. the Imperial Hotel, and the Kelly
building at Temple court, and many others.
In most such buildings trouble comes when
the union men OF the city are brought In con-
tact with the work OF out-of-town non-union
men. There has been q good deal of effort on
the part OF trade unions to prevent union
mon from aiding In the construction OF build
ings thus mainly CONSTRUCTED by non union
men, but it has not been found practical to
prevent 1t entirely.
Twenty years ago carpenters in the city were
,t0r- 4.
now they get $3.50 day for eight hours The
means OF transit are such that there are many
carpenters and other day laborers who live In
the suburbs in their own homes and come to
the city to work every day. Many iourneymen
carpenters have been able to buy land cheRply,
and to erect homes for themselves in spare
hours and dull times. Most of this has been
done In suburban New Jersey and Long
Island but latterly, since the elevated rail-
roads have brought the annexed district into
use, o good deal Of this sort OF thing has been
going on in the city limits. Even the poor
workman who is building his house In the
suburbs finds 1t cheaper to buy his doors,
sashes, and window frames ready made. as
they como from New Hampshire, Connecticut,
or elsewhere. The time has gone by when It
is profitable to do this sort Of work In the city.
Machinery is used more in house building.
good carpenter and bad car
penter. The union says the wages shall
be $3.50 for all, and the boss pays 1t, al
though one man may be worth S. and
the other only &2. The good workman has.
however. this advantage, he is the last one to
be discharged. and the boss will give him
work all the year round il he can, or put him
In as foreman. with half dollar day more
The eight-hour system works we'll with the
carpenters but the bosses say that 1t came
upon them too suddenly, and caught some Of
figured at nine hours day. The trainers, who
are distinct body from the carpenters, could
promised on 40 cents an hour There are
many carpenters and trainers out Of work at
this season, as outdoor work cannot go on In
cold weather.
Tho stone workers and masons generally get
the best pay In the building trades. They ap-
their numbers by limiting the number Of APP
prentices The marble hnishers get IS to 81 q
day: The stone cutters and caryers get about
10 day. and have Some OF the strongest
unions. Tho host paid men In the building
trades are the front bri Ok layers, who get So so
SS bFsS by The they used to %
pess Wien they ask I'd h4 to Join the union
re said; What. do want 70 put myself @ on a
iGvs WITH gith manT no sa6 2ny Sy oRO brick
want to work at II now he would be com PEELED
to work at the union rales or not at all Lay
Ors OF rough brick get a. 50 q day.
There ts growing tendency to lessen strikes
and keep the men more steadily at work by
agreements beween the bosses and the union
mon for certain scale OF wages to be renewed
qvery year. The men Tx the scale and the
bosses agree to 1t and really do not care mu' n
what the scale is so long as all the bosses are
eompeIied TO pay alike, Tho stone cutters,
maBons, plaste, ers. and tin roofers have
adopted the plan with gratifying success
speaking OF the equity Of this plan of fixing
the wages for given time. Mr.. James ".
ElRar. one oi a family OF builders who have in
thelAs half century constructed many public
Hld Eriyate buildlnGs IN this 9ity. sid this:
II 10 simply impossible to eitimate the cost
Of erecting building now. We must guess at
the price OF labor In most cases. II we guess
too low We lose money. IL We aurss too high
we arc underbii By the out t-ol-town con-
tractors. who eVRde the payment Of union
wages on largo part oil their work. A year
ago the carpentOrs gave US notice that tho
wages would be $3.50, for nine hours, lot
yithin few months they took on an hour.
One nrm got caught with contracts for Sl65.-
200 worth OF work large part Of which was
OarpOnt0r work. Tie bosses would not care n
we were all compelled To pay the same wages
but the way the thing works now there II q
constant tendency TO Y Ry0 contracts u ut-oi-
town employers. who viii not pay for any work
10 be done In the city II they cap help II Long