Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-02-23
NO STRIKE FEARED.
Sentiment Among the Majority of the
Carpenters Against
THE AGITATION FOR EIGHT HOURS.
Railroad Hatters So Far Quiescent, but the
Matter May End In
A GENERAL TIE-UP OF THE PENNSY

It is stated with positiveness that the
coming building season will be inaugurated
withouy any fear of disturbance from strikes
in the trade. From information obtained in
athoroughly trustworthy quarter there is no
longer any fear that the carpenters will pre-
clpitate a struggle for an eight-hour day, at
any rate this year, and as already stated in
The DISPATCH, it depended on the action
OF the carpenters as to how other trades
would be affected.
The question of moving for an eight-hour
day has not been finally decided, one way or
other, among the carpenters, but it is known
for certain that more than two-thirds of the
trade are opposed to demand an eight-hour
day, and expressed their views so by
their'votes. As the matter stands to-day,
the trade is divided. One faction, a radical
one, is seeking to push the eight-hour de-
mand against the sentiment of the majority.
and the latter oppose the agitation, not be-
cause they object to working eight hours,
but on grounds of unconstitutionality in
the methods by which the demand is sought
to be made.
Must Decide Between the Factions.
The National Executive Council has yet
to decide between the two parties. Should
it decide in favor of the minority and pre-
cipitate a strike against the sentiment of the
bulk of the trade, it is positively stated that
such action would result in the disruption
of the unions in Allegheny county, for the
simple reason that the tradesmen claim to
reserve to themselves some semblance of
personal freedom of thought and action, and
because they have already voted against the
proposition. There is no intimation of
what the council may do. but it may not be
too wide guess to predict that they will do
nothing against the wishes of the majority.
The advocates for the eight-hour demand
are seeking to carry ON the agitation until
May l, hoping, in the meanwhile, to effect
change of sentiment in the other side. The
opponents of the proposal, on the other
hand, are pressing the council to decide the
matter at once, and for the following
reasons:
Holding Back Building Prospects.
They hold that the uncertainty regarding
the action of the carpenters Is tending to
keep back the prosecution of building enter
prises which would be put under way if the
matter was satisfactorily settled, and since
they believe there is no occasion this year
for any alteration in the working hours
they argue that the settlement should be
effected at once.
One reason, why the carpenters will not
strike is because if they do so they must
stand alone. The other trades with one or
two exceptions, have already signed their
new scales, and as these all call for hours
work, they could not consistently support
the carpenters in their demand for hours.
Thev would give them their moral supper,
but moral support has never yet supplied
the sinews of war.
The bricklayers will, as already stated,
ask for an increase of 80 cents day, and
this the employer are prepared, it is said, to
grant. So that it can be safely said that the
building season will commence with every
promise of success and indications of ex-
ceeding, in the number of new structures, all
previous years.