St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-06-17
Employees Standpoint,

The lock out OF the iourneymen paint
erS and decorators is growing in prOpOr-
lions and the indications now are for
determined contest over the number of
hours constituting days work. The
journeymen held prolonged session at
labor hall yesterday and discussed their
plan of action. A circular was issued,
the substance of which is as follows:
We want to correct the statement as to the
differences between us and the employers
and especially the firm of Bazelle IL Part
ridge, who have locked their men out. When
work was quiet last winter the journeymen
asked that after March Is the nine-hour sys-
TEN be adopted, and the request was
conceded. Now the bosses demand
return to ten hours. The journeymen
believe the only object of the present move
bv the bosses is to disorganize the journey
mons union. The object of the nine-hour
move is to give others who are out Of employ
ment an opportunity to work. The Brother
hood of Painters and Decorators paid 81, $50
death claims and $500 sick benefits last
month, and we think that such an associa-
ton ought to be encouraged and no attempt
made to break it up.
A regular meeting of the union was
held last evening, at which there were
seven applications for membership,
making an addition of twenty-seyen in
two days. 1t was stated that there are
about $50 nOn-union men who are CO.
operating with the union in the eff
fort to establish nine hours, and
who attend the special meetings
This is large majority OF the same FOO
house painters i'll the city. The shops
of &. j. Cassels, p. f. Fitzgibbons, a.
Asmussen, Charles Lindman adhere to
the niDe-hour rule. 1t was also stated
that the bosses held a meeting yester-
day and determined to enforce the ten
hour rule. The meeting was business
like and orderly.
A project to start a cooperative shop
met with general approval. Several
men pledged means for the purpose and
$500 was subscribed for the purpose,
with promise gilmore money if needed.
A committee of eight was chosen to i'll
vestigate the project and to arrange for
establishing cooperative shop to en-
brace all painters and decorators who
will cooperate with the union. This
committee will report to meeting to be
held to-day.
The men, in speaking after the meet
ing of the establishment of the cooper
tive shop, seemed enthusiastic in favor
of the project. One man said:
We had better work for enough to support
ourselves and families even ii it is not az
much as 81 day, for time until we can
MAKE the venture profitab le rather than Law
| think we can earn better wages in time
than we can by working for the Bosses
What Employers Say.
The master painters are resolute in
their first position against the demand
of the journeymen painters for nine
hour-a-day system, They met yester-
Gay and the subject was discussed in all
its varied phases. The members philos-
ophized that the painters are very closely
associated with the carpenters, and
the latter are laboring ten hours day.
The fact was also enlarged upon that
the season for painting is very short in
this climate. and, in view of these rea-
sons, it was decided to insist upon the
ten-hour schedule.
The master painters reported that
some journeymen painters have left
their places because the employers re-
fuse to concede the shorter day, but
new men are being engaged and the
places made vacant are fast filling up
by men who are anxious to work the
stipulated ten hours day, Statistics
were presented to the meeting, showing
that there are some 700 Or 800 painters
in the city.