The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-03-01
ALL BUILDERS orT,
Tho liuiltllns Trades Council Stops Al
Work-Action Of the Exchange.

ALL BUILDERS OUT
Tho building Trades Council Stops All
Work-Action Of the Exchange.
At q special meeting Of the Building
Trades Council, an organization com.
posed OF delegates from the various
building trades unions, held Thursday
evening, resolution was adopted call
ing all workmcn or OF all buildings now
erectiRgin this city by members OF the
Duildcrs' Exchange. Tho various stages
through which the matter leading up to
this action has passed, have been noted
from time 10 time, but brief synopsis Is
given below for the benefit OF those who
have not followed it. n
Some weeks ago tho stoncmasons dc.
manded an increase oftwenty.lve cents
a day, making the wages asked IS 80.
They made further demand TINT eight
hous should constitute a days work on
Saturday. Their demands SO far rs
wages arc concerned were acceded to by
some OF tho stone contractors. but those
who are members OF the Builders Ex.
change held out against the against the
advance and discontinued their work.
Complaint was made that the notice,
being ono OF only three days, was too
short, but the stonemasons say that
there was M understanding between
them and the contractors TINT the eight
hour demand was to DO made and
granted, and that the contractors reck-
oned their prices with that in view, and
that the twenty-five cents advance was
asked in lieu OF the eight hour day, thus
simply evening things.
Sometime after the strike was begun,
Louis Hartong, a general contractor who
had stone foundation partially built
for house on the Island, put in locust
posts to support tho building until the
strike Of tho stonemasons was settled,
or the foundation could be finished
This action the Building Trades Council
looked upon as an injury to the striking
stonemasons, and accordingly called oil
the carpenters who were employed or
Hartong's house. The carpenters assert
that after they had left the job, Hartonl
attempted to 30 on with 1t by putting
apprentices to work on tho house, anG
experimenting the work himself. This
they saw in the light OF an injury tc
themselves, and accordingly called out
the carpenters ut work for Hartong or
the new Madison school building, where
Hartong has a sub.contract from the
Wheeling Mining and Manufacturing
Company. "a
The carpenters also went to Wilson &
Co., who furnished the lumber for Har.
tong's Island house, and asked them te
sign an agreement to sell no more ma
tericl to uarttong, which they refused
to do. The carpenters at Wilson
4 Co.'s mil, and those employed by
TINT firm on outside work, were
accordingly called of. None OF these
measures apparently had any effect to
wards bringing about settlement OF the
stone masons strike, the action Of the
Building Trades Council noted in open
ing this article, was taken.
At tho last meeting OF the Builders
Exchange, communication was sent tc
tho Building Trades Council asking that
n committee OF one from each trade bt
appointed 10 confer with like commit
tee to be appointed by tho Exchange
with the view Of settling the stone
masons strike, md arranging uuy further
difficulties which might arise, without
such disagreesbla measures as strike
As soon as this communication was re-
ceived by the CouEcil, special meeting
was called, and the Executive Commit
tee OF the Council was empowered to ac
in the premises. ~
Yesterday morning all the workmer
employed on buildings for which the
contractors are member OF the Builders
Exchange, were notified OF the Councils
action, and they at once quit work
Every trade employed on building worl
from the foundation builders to the
painters and decorators were included il
the call, and they all promptly laid down
their tools and went home. g.
Last night ut a regular meeting OF the
Builders Exchange there was appointed
n committee. composed OF Bernard kle
Wis, Louis Hartong, T.W. Jackson, Jane!
Mckinley, Joseph W. Bier, B. r. Cald
we'll. Alex. Kemple and John S. Trim
BILE, to confer with the Executive Com
mittee of the Council, which, as before
stated, was empowered 10 act, a. thu 8 },
cial meeting. The Exchange did nothing
else which they would make public, bu,
member said that the temper OF the
meeting was to deal fairly and equitably
with the workmen, and try to settle uI
all differences and not allow them tc
hinder the building boom which seems
about to strike Wheeling.
The Building Trades Council seems Of
the opinion that the Exchange is or.
ganized solely fol the purpose OF thwart.
ing any move they may make and iol
that reason, they direct all their de.
mands at the Exchange. There are
however, several palpable instances
wherein shots at the Exchange and its
members, have struck innocent end dis.
interested persons, notable among which
is the case Of Benedict ImhoT. Imhof]
is n contractor, aud is not member oil
thu Exchange. He did. however, some
time since buy some lumber from Will
son & Co., and have it dressed and made
into frames, mantels and other shop
work articles by union men in Wilson's
mill.
These things he claims to have paid
for, and he now needs them in . build
ing he is putting up on the Island, but
the carpenters refuse to allow him to
take them from Wilson's mill because Of
the trouble there. Fl
The Council asserts that it, has no
malice against anyone in the whole dii-
ficulty, and the President said last night
that the heroic measure Of calling OF all
workmen was resorted to simply to
bring the strike Of the masons to crisis,
and have it settled one way or another
at once, before its complications draw
other trades into thu tronhle and scnre