Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-05-07
THE LABOR SITUATION.

Result of the May Day Dem str at1ons i'm
the West.
The following summary of the labor
situation up to the I'd inst, is received
from Chicago: The threatened strikes
in this city, which may be said to have
technically begun Yesterday, when or
ganized labor took its holiday, were not
made apparent until this morning, when
the men failed to resume work at many
shops. The Black Road in the vicinity of
McCormick's Reaper Works had much
the same appearance, this morning. as
it had four years ago to-day. None but
strikers could be seen, and they had
entire possession. Every man, boy and
girl employed in the malleable iron
works, corner Twentv-sixth and Rock
we'll Streets, is out. The total number
of employees is 1000. at the great
Mccormick Reaper Works about fifty
molders went out, but work was
progressing as usual One nun
dred and fifty men in the foun-
dries of Barnum q Richardson, and
like number in that of the Alex Forge
Company went out, and those concerns
are closed. AS elsewhere, no formal
demand was made on the employers.
At the Chicago Car-wheel Foundry, and
the Wells q French Car Company most
OF the molders also went out. At the
Wells & French Car Company's shops
every one of the 1000 employees went
out and the shops were closed.
The 2U0 blacksmlths were the only
enc who made known their demand,
which was for eight hours as a days
work. At f. E. Roberts foundry it was
said that the men seemed anxious for
either a strike or a vacation, SO the
works have been shut down till next
70 1of0 10
make repairs. Over 100 men are idle
here. Nearly all the moulders at the
Chicago Car-wheel Companv's foundry
are out. The entire number of en-
ployes of the N. K. Fairbank
company, about 500, will 60 out Mon
day. The coopers, numbering eighty,
struck this morning. From 5000 to f.
600 sash, door and blind men walked
out of the various factories in the south
west lumber district this morn
ing. The action was apparently
without warning. Four hundred
men. in Denman d Durka's
furniture factory struck 60 for eight
hours this morning, and 700 employees
of the Chicago Cottage Organ factory
did the same for like cause. Several
thousand lumber showers in the lumber
district, along the Back Road, are dis
satisfied, and strike is anticipated
among them.
A strike of miners throughout the
Northern and Middle Illinois coal-felds
was decided upon after midnight to-
night.
At Kansas City, Mo-, the coopers, ten
in number, employed i'll Swift's pack
ing-house, struck for an advance in
wages from $3.50 to 1915 per day.
At Minneapolis about $50 laborers in
the employ of the street railway COM
pany on the Riverside Avenue line,
near Twenty-fourth Street, struck. They
wanted $3.50 instead of slips day of
ten hours work. The men accordingly
refused to go to work until the COM
pany, herring of the situation. acceded
to their demands. The men were only
out for two hours.
At Detroit, late this afternoon, rep
resentative of twenty-five of the largest
building contractors in the city met a
delegation of the unionist carpenters
strike committee by appointment, and
it was then agreed that the strike diff
Guilty would be submitted to arbitration
tomorrow on the basis of eight hours a
day at 80 cents per hour. The mems
original demand was eight hours at 80
cents.
The carpenters at Duluth seem to be
gradually attaining success In the eight
hour movement. Up to the present
time it is known that about dozen
contractors have signed the agreement
presented by the union men. The total
number of men now out is probably
about 800. All but one or two firms
have granted the advance in wages and
deducting Of hours asked by the paint
eTS.