The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-03-28
LABOR'S STRONG VOICE
Raised Against the Position Assumed
by Employers.
THE COMPLICATIONS AT BOSTON
Threaten To Involve All the Building
Trades Unions-The New York Cloth
Ing Troubles May Affect the Entire
Country.

BOSTON, March 2S.-A gigantic strike, In
fact the largest in the history of the build
ing trades of this city, is imminent. The
trouble Is all over the strike of the plas-
terers' tenders, or the lockout, as the
onion claims. which occurred yesterday
morning In case the matter reaches a
crisis this week 1t is claimed that 5000
members of the building trades unions Of
shis city will strike
The plasterers tenders want s2.5 per
day OF eight hours work and seven hours
On Saturday" said Secretary O'Brien Of
Plasterers' Tenders union. Last Thurs
day we decided To make the demands and
we should have done so before but for the
fact that 1t would injure some of the small
trms. The demand read that on Monday
morning March ~, every firm would be
Expected to Grant the Demand.
Imagine our surprise then when on
Saturday night the men were told that
hey need not come TO work on Monday.
They locked our members out and what
IAN we dop The matter was brought up
at a meeting of the Building Trades
council Sunday, and they voted to stand
by us. So you see we are backed up by the
entire building trades of Boston and vicin-
ity. The men held meeting yesterday
and each was for holding out to the very
end"
Clerk Supple of the state board Of arbi-
tration was admitted TO the meeting, and
he offered the services of the board TO try
and effect settlement. The strikers were
given an idea Of the power vested In the
state board, and the matter will again be
placed before the men, but IL is doubtful
II they will agree to any such move.
Committees have been appointed and
the pickets are all placed Yesterday after
noon five firms conceded 10 the demands
Of the union.
In many of the shops the proprietors ire
fuse to grant the demands and are en-
deavoring TO fill the places of the locked
out men
With Non-Union Men.
This is just where the trouble Is going TO
be, for il is claimed that IL these men are
hired the other men on the job will not
work. This is where the union working
card is of great advantage. In order for a
bricklayer, a stonemason, a carpenter, a
plasterer or lather to get work on a
union job he must produce union work
ing card.
Nearly all the places where the men are
locked out are union jobs, and IL will be
impossible TO continue unless the plaster
ers' tenders return TO work. The plas-
terers back up their helpers, and so these
men cannot work without their helpers
IL these contractors hire non-union men,
there is no alternative but for all union
men in this city to strike.
Carriage Workers Gaining Ground.
Fully 300 men started to work this morn
ing In Is carriage and wagon factories un-
der the sytem OF nine hours with 10 hours
pay and an advance of 10 per cent in wages
for the pieceworkers. Yesterday, the first
Of the nine-hour strike OF the Carriage
and Wagon Workers union, was red
letter day for the strikers, and they now
feel confident that victory will perch upon
theft banner
Never before in the history OF the labor
movement in Boston have so many firms
capitulated on the first day of strike of
equal magnitude, The workmen have sue
ceeded so far beyond their most sanguine
hopes. They did not anticipate that any of
the manufacturers would yield until the
contest had lasted for week at least, and
1T was not thought so large number of
uon-union men would conclude to join In
the strike.