The Dickinson press., 1891-05-02
An Expected Lockout.

PlTTsBURG, April 3O.-The programme
for long threatened strike is that the
carpenters shall quit tonight for $3.50
per day of eight hours. They now re-
ceive 1915 for nine hours work. The
stone masons of the city who are not now
on strike will also go out for an eight
hour day and As cents per hour. The
members of the Builders Exchange
signed iron clad articles to refuse the
demands of the carpenters, and when
the strike occurs, lock out every carpen-
ter who strikes. They have agreed to
lock out all other branches of building
trades, because they are all closely allied
and work under system of federation.
The situation is not nearly so alarming
as many bushes men would believe. It
Is estimated that there are about 1900
workers in the various building trades.
The marble cutters believe that their
scale will be signed. They have agreed
to extend the time until next Monday.
WILL FORCE THE ISSUE.
PITTsBuRG, Pa, April 3O.-This city is
now fairly started in the eight-hour
movement, with 5000 carpenters out and
placing other trades in such a peculiar
position that 10000 members of other
building organizations will soon follow.
The last and decisive meeting that forces
this struggle was held late tonight,
when the Master Builders associ-
alton met and decided positively not to
grant the carpenters demand for eight
hours and an increase of five cents per
hour, it was decided upon by the car
penters that 5000 of them quit work to-
night for their demands. The fact of the
master builders in deciding to do actual
ly nothing in regard to other building
organizations places the latter in a queer
position. In order to back up the car
penters, other building trades lad de-
clded to strike for eight hours per day,
providing only that master builders
locked the carpenters out. If they did
not lock the carpenters out, other miners
were simply to ask for certain local ad-
justments and demand fair average
wages, ignoring entirely the eight-honr
day. Tonight the master builders con-
cluded they will not lock out
the carpenters and the result
will be that 10000 men
compring stone masons, roofers, marble
cutters, planning mill men, ETC., will work
on the present contracts until they have
gone as far as they can without the carp
enters, when they will find themselves
simply worked out of job-not locked
out. The action of the master builders
was intended to prevent the strike
spreading. The brick layers, numbering
1000 are also brought into the fight,
owing to the refusal of their demands
for uniform wage of $3.50 per day, the
masters having declined to pay q UNI
form rate of but 81 per day. The plast-
ers, another independent organization,
will 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 more
than $1,000 men comprising all
the builders within radius of
- miles of this city, will be
idle, as result of the move tonight.
The building trades being by all odds
the most complete organization IN this
section, they will go out almost to man
and say they will remain out. On the
other hand the master builders say they
have had ample warning and have their
contracts in such shape that they can be
idle all summer. But one firm, Ballinger
Brothers, of Philadelphia, are willing to
grant the eight-hour move, but are un
able to do so. This firm is building the
Davis (Alvin Joslin) theatre, and the
master builders have 30 tied up all the
material that they cannot 90 OIL with the
work. Reports from McKeesport, Brad
dock and other surrounding towns say
the carpenters generally are striking for
eight hours, and the indications rather
point to the strike spreading rapidly.