The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-09-27
FAIR NOTICE.

Mr.. CUSHING, the president of the brick
layers union, has again shown that he is
the right man in the right place. In his
official capacity he has given contractors
AMI employers notice that beginning on
May l next, members OF the union will
work only on the basis of an eight-hour
day, the wages to be s. a day. There will
be plenty of time to discuss the hours and
wages question during the next seven
months. Now it is enough to say that the
course of the union is fair and lust to all
concerned. The men have done what a
good many workingmen, under the ad-
vice and guidance of unwise and incon-
siderate leaders, fail to do-they have taken
into account the fact that there is such a
thing as justice, and that capital, as well as
labor, is entitled to its full exercise.
We believe that fully four-tifths of the
labor troubles, four-hfths of the
strikes and disputes and lockouts,
would be avoided if such a course
as Mr.. CUsHING's union is pur-
suing were always followed, and
sense of right were permitted to control.
The bricklayers could have adopted the
eight-hour rule and made it go into effect
next Monday or next month. 1t was in
their power to have demanded 6215 cents
for every hour they worked, beginning
this morning. They could have stopped
work on every brick building in course of
erection, or compelled compliance with
their demands to the ruin of contractors or
the owners of the structures 1t was DOS
sible for them to have paralyzed the build
ing industry, and thrown thousands of
men willing and eager to work out of en-
ployment for the winter OF course the
bricklayers themselves would have suf-
fered, perhaps more than others, but some
men would not have stopped on that ac-
count: they would have gone ahead infiict-
ing injury upon themselves for the de-
light it would give them to see
others squirm and suffer. We saw the
union has taken the wiserand better course
They have been manly and considerable an q
can now proceed with the consciousness of
having been fair aid square in their treat
ment oil employers.
BY May the work now in hand viii be
out of the way. Having been notified in
time contractors can estimate according to
the increased scale of prices Those
who were contemplating building will
know whether or not they can afforl to go
ahead with the work. So far as the brick
layers are concerned there will be no TAX
ing advantage of contractors circum-
stances to squeeze him into compliance
with unreasonable demands. The proprie.
tor Will not be nervous, lest his building
being partly erected the workmen will
strike unless he adds a percentage to the
wages which ne agreed to pay, and which
induced him to put his money into a
house. 1t is almost crime
for worhingmen to get an employer
into tight box where he cannot move and
then squeeze him. 1t is as close to a crime
as 1t would be for an employer to cut down
the lair wages Of his men at time when
they could not obtain work elsewhere. An
employer who would take advantage of
workingmen to put them on starvation
wages when they were powerlesa to helm
themselves merits the execration of all de-
cent people, and he usually gets what he
deserves; and workingmen who oppress
because the circumstances permit usually
suffer on account of their unfairness. pub-
lie sentiment running against them.
We congratulate the bricklayers on the
course they are taking. AS to the merits
of their demand, we do not pretend to saw.
That is a matter which will have to he de-
cided by the men who are thinking of
building We only know that the manner
of giving the notice is commendable.