Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-12
GIVING UP THE GAME.
The Journeymen Bricklayers Make
0vertures to the Masters, and
WANT TO CALL THE STRIKE OFF
President Barnes Answers Agent 0'Brien in
Full Statement.
WHAT THE MASTERS REALLY MAKE

The end of the long drawn out strike of
the bricklayers has come. The men have
practically surrendered unconditionally.
AT the meeting of the Master Bricklayers'
Association. on last Monday night a COM
munication from the journeymen's union
was read requesting a conference, and in
timating plainly that the men would
accept last years wages, which
the masters are now paying; and
modify their apprenticeship rules in con-
formity with the wishes of the bosses, pro-
vided the latter would recognize the union.
The masters are willing to grant confer
ence, but there must be an acceptance by
the men of the rules laid down by the bosses
for their government. The masters assert
very positively that none of the men who
have come to the town to work and are now
employed will be dismissed at the behest of
the union, and in future no distinction will
be made between non-union and union men.
The journymen expect q recognition Of
their union from the masters, but this is not
likely to be granted. The masters say they
are not warning against the union or the
principle of unionism. but they insist they
must occupy ground necessary to enable
them to control their business.
The employers maintain that the question
involved in the fight is not so much one of
wages as with regard to,certain rules of the
union. They say that these rules had be-
come so aggravating and burdensome that
coalition to resist them was necessary. The
present was considered a good year in which
to made this effort, because of the grievances
general in the building trade, because if it
were to be done at all it should be done in
one season for the benefit of all concerned,
and not cause disturbances spreading over
other years.
PATIENCE DREW THE LINE.
The masters say their refusal to grant the
demands of May was not because of an
unwilliness to grant the increase of so cents
per day, but because they had arrived at the
union there was limit to their patience in
order that they might continue in business
with profit
The rules which the masters resent are
substantially those which prohibit master
from teaching his son his trade so that he
may succeed his father in business; that re-
quire poor workman shall be equally paid
with good one; and the secret ukase
enacted by the union subjecting a workman
to heavy penalty if he lays more than
certain number of bricks in the day, or
works so much faster that he gets ahead of
fellow worker and calls for the raising of
the line before the other is ready for it.
Another assertion made by the mas
ters in excuse for their position is
that BY the ~highhanded'' regula-
tiops which the unions have established
payments were frequently withheld for
months for work done, owing to differences
between contractors and architects in conse-
quence of badly executed work by the
.journeymen; which the master was power
less to require his men to make good.
There is reason to believe that if the
iourneymen had shown disposition to re-
lax instead of Tightening their rules they
would have received the increase. But
they lost their heads in confident belief
in their strength, and the result was that
their employers quickly coalesced in resist
ing every and all demands and proposed to
make fight once and for all for the privi-
lege of conducting their own business in
their own way. The result was the solidi-
fication of the masters in the Builders Ex-
change.
LAUGH AT AGENT o'BRIEN'S FIGURES.
The masters smile very grimly at Agent
O'Brlen's figures as to the profits of the
masters on each bricklayer's work per day
In this connection Mr.. Barnes, President of
the Master Builders Association, said yes
terday:
81 read O'Brien's figures He puts our
profits at $3.50 a day, which L wish they
were, but they aren't so by any means He
says our profits amount to Sc. 80 when
man lays 9, 800 bricks day.
This is absurd There isn't a hrickIover
in Allegheny county who will lay 1900
hricks in a dav. The average number of
bricks laid in day is 1,150. AT 81 80 per
thousand that number will cost So So; the
br:cklayer receives 81; the hod carrier 50 so:
mortar will cost 81 05 and the water 10 |
cents; this totals up SIC 81, and the master
bricklayer receiving SIS per thousand for
the job draws S17 25 for the days work
Where is the enormous profit in
by these expert arithmeticians of such
expenses as taxes, insurance and discounts
on paper to enable us to pay for labor and
material. Neither is any account taken of
the large outlay on buildings outstanding
until they are finished, nor for bad work
manship and the materials destroyed. There
is not master bricklayer in the city that is
not ready to pay S. and Sc per day to men
who can lay 9, 500 bricks in day in work
man]ike manner.
81 know master bricklayers who have
trained young men up to business, built
them houses and advanced them monsy,
some of whom are still in debt on account
thereof, and these men are now on strike
involuntarilyI think, against those en-
ployers."
One of the regulations upon which the
masters will particularly insist at the forth
coming conference is that all the appren-
tices to the trade shall be indentured under
the laws of the State and that the union
shall have no influence over them.