St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-05-01
LABOR'S BIG BREAK.
The Eight-Hour Movement
Leads to a Mighty
Crisis.
Thousands Of Trades People
Will Cease to Labor
To-Day.
The Strike Is Not So General
as Has Been EX-
pected.,
Probabilities That 5000 Men
viii Quit Work in Pitts
burg.

PIrTSBURG, April 3O.-This city is
now fairly started in the eight-hour
movement with 5000 carpenters out and
placing other trades in such peculiar
position that 10000 members of other
building organizations Will soon follow
The last and decisive meeting that
forces this struggle was held late to-
night, when the Master Builders asso
citation met and decided positively not
to grant the carpenters demand for
eight hours and an increase of five
cents per hour. AS decided upon by
the carpenters, 5000 Of them quit
work tonight for their demands.
The act of the master builders, in de-
Gliding to do actually nothing in regard
TO the other building organization,
places the latter in a queer position. In
order to back up the carpenters, the
other building trades had decided to
strike for eight hours per day, providing
only that master builders locked the
carpenters out. If they did not lock
the carpenters ont, the other trades
were simply to ask for certain local
adjustments and demand a fair average
Of wages. ignoring entirely the eight
hour day. Tonight the master
builders concluded they viii not
lock out the carpenters and the result
Will be that 10000 men, comprising
stOnemasons, rOofers, marble cutters,
planmg mill men, etc, win work on
present contracts until they have gone
as far as they can without the carpen-
tiers, when they will find themselves
simply worked out Of job-not locked
out. The master builders were a unit
in coming TO this agreement tonight and
say they have done this to
Protect Master Builders
in other cities, in order that other build
ing trades outside OF the carpenters
could not have a preteXt for striking
for eight hours and thus causing the
movement to spread The bricklayers,
numbering !, 300 are also brought into
the fight, owing TO a refusal of their de
mands for a uniform wage of $40 per
day, the masters having decided to pay
uniform rate of but 81 per day. The
plastereIs, another independent or
ganization, VIII also be forced
INTO idleness as soon as they
have completed their work to
where the carpenters left Off
tonight Altogether it is hardly likely
that less than 1900 men, comprising
all builders within radius of 70 miles
of this city, will be idle, as a result of
the move tonight. The building trades
being by all odds the most completely
organized in this section. will 90 out
almost to a man, and say they will re-
main out. On the other hand, the
master builders say they have
had ample warning and have
their contracts in such shape
they can be idle all summer But one
firm. the Ballinger Brothers, of Phila-
delphia, are willing to grant the eight
hour move, but are unable to do so.
This firm is building the Davis alvin
JOsllm theater and master builders have
so tied up all material, they cannot go
on with the work. Reports from Nc
Keesport Braddock and other surround
ing towns, say carpenters generally are
striking for eight hours, and indications
rather point to the strike spreading rap
idly.