St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-04-26
IN MINNEAPOLIS.
Items OF Interest,

A call has been issued for a meeting
of all building trades to meet at Labor
Temple this afternoon to organize a
building trades council. An invitation
has been extended to every union in st.
Paul and Minneapolis to send delegates,
and large attendance is expected.
The promoters of the plan propose to
organize central body which will have
charge of all the affairs Of the various
building crafts. and bear about the
same relation to the journeymen as the
builders exchange bears to contractors.
This scheme. in view of the several
be especially timely, as one of the main
reasons for the proposed combine will
be to settle all disputes directly by ar
bitration. There will be about sixteen
trades unions represented, and the
meeting is called for 2 p. m.
The plumbers union held its regular
meeting Wednesday evening and re-
ceived report of the legislative COM
mittee upon the failure of the legisla-
ture to pass law to license practical
plumbers. Considerable discussion fol-
lowed as to the causes of the inatten-
ton of members of the legislature, but
as all labor measures met "a similar fate
tons for another effort at the next seS-
sion. A committee was appointed to
make arrangements for picnic to be
held some time in June.
The board of directors of the Labor
Temple met Friday evening and dis
cHSsed several measures to secure the
adjustment OF the liabilities which yet
remain pending. A Series of enter.
tainmeuts will be arranged during the
summer and considerable funds are ex-
pected to be raised in this manner.
The plasterers' union decided last
week to adopt an aggressive policy aud
induce the contractors to compel one
of their number to employ union men
and pay the scale of wages. 1t ap-
pears that A. p. Rushton. contractor,
had been employing several non-unlon
plasterers at lower wages than was be-
ing paid by other contractors. AS this
would tend to reduce the rate Of wages
paid by others, especially as some of
the contractors were aiding in this
scheme, the union called out all its
members until an agreement could be
reached. The union has been holding
daily meetings at Labor Temple, but
thus far no adjustment has been
secured. Friday afternoon the bosses
were asked to submit the matter to an
arbitration committee, but they failed
to meet at the appointed place. The
members of the union also claim that
attempts have been made to employ
men in Chicago to fill the strikers
places, but this has proved unsuccess-
full, only two men having been thus
secured. The union includes all the
practical workmen in the city and is
conceded to be one of the best organ
lied in the Northwest.
A meeting was held at Labor Tenn
pie Friday evening to organize union
of steam and gaSfitters. Several we'll
known speakers addressed the meeting,
and number of applications for mem
bership were received. Another meet
ing will soon be held, when it is intend
ed to apply for a charter to the national
organization.
An attempt is again being made to or
ganize the clerks into union and Sc
cure the adoption of the early closing
plan. a large number of the retail
clerks are quite anxious as the warm
season approaches to establish the
plan that has proved successful in st,
Paul and other cities. Unfortunately
the average clerk has but little faith in
the means adopted by mechanics to OBJ
tain shorter hours, and, as a result, the
clerks find that though the wages they
receive are not higher than those paid