The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-04-10
Skilled Employees Insist that the Council Of
Administration Has Failed to Keep the
Contract Made with Union Men.
Tables Turned on Railroad Corpora
tions by Georgia Court Ruling.
Senator Morgan, in Paris. Gives the Opinion
that Judge Ricks's Toledo Decision Will
Not Hold Water-0ther Labor News.
Organized Labor VIII Play It's Trump CARD


Organized Labor VIII Play Its Trump Card
at Chicago To-Day.
CHICAGO, April 9.-At 8 O'clock, to-mor-
row morning, every union man working
for the Worlds Columbian Exposition Is
expected to lay down his tools and Quit
the company's employ. 1t is estimated that
between four thousand and five thousand
will be affected by the order to walk out.
Among the number will be carpenters. iron
workers. painters. GLACIERS, staff workers.
plain and ornamental plasterers. engineers,
steam and gas filters, marble workers.
lathers, tile layers and settlers, and all
other members of the building trades. It
hes required four meetings of the business
agents of the union to decide the question
of ordering out all the men. but it is
said to have been made plain to all that the
only other recourse was for the 0rganiza.
tions to acknowledge defeat and quit the
field as gracefully as possible. Not one of
the delegates would allow this and the Or
der toetrike wac the result. The Building
Trades Council. which passed the order
calling out the men. addressed q long COM
munication to the council of adminlstra-
ton, declaring that the laboring mensh ad
been friendly to the fair The address con.
tinues:
After much discussion you finally
agreed that eight hours should constitute @
days labor. and to establish arbitration to
settle all disputes between employers and
employed on exposition work. We do not
mean to charge any one with bad faith, but
we do mean to say that the two points of
ell a %
by you, and now. at this time. as we look
at 1t. this council of administration
is about to finally refuse to live up to the
cardinal principle of our agreement and to
decline TO arbitrate difference between
organized labor and the expOsition. The
Building Trades Counoil of this city, repre-
eenting more than q score of labor organ.
izations amlcably arrange agreements
every spring between themselves and their
employers to govern both parties in their
mutual relations during the ensuing year.
The time has come for them to make
their agreements for the year 1893 81.
Their requests aud propositions have been
received with favor by almost every en-
ployer of labor in the city of Chicago and
its environs. with the exception of one.
aud that one 10 the exposition company,
and this company is now. at this crisis,
taking position of hostility and animos-
lty toward the very men. who. OF all others,
hsze made the existence of that company
yossibie, and who have done more than any
other interest in the community to make
its euccess assured"
The address then asks the council to su b.
NIT the matter to three arbitIators. the de-
cision to be not later than Wednesday
next, both parties to accept the de-
cslon beforehand. 1t Is probable
that ell the unions involved in
the trouble will hold special meetings
during the next two or three days TO
voice their sentiments in regard to the diff
ficulties. Most of the men who will leave
the grounds tomorrow will report at down
town headquarters. but some will report at
the general headquarters to be selected by
the joint strike committee.
Il do not know exactly what is to be
done," said Director general Davis to-
night, "but one thing Is oertaln-the work
must be fn1bhed. My own opinion Is that
the con ntractors will be more affected by the
strike than our own construction DEPART
ment The trouble was this: The union
men demanded that We make two
years contract on scale based on
40 cents an hour for carpenters, giving
an eight-hour day and discharge all non.
union men. Well, the council of admins
tration agreed to the scale, agreed to give
an eight-hour day and to paw the required
overtime, but we refused to discharge some
of the men We have employed for two
years, and who are not members Of the
union. ! cannot tell just now how this
thing 10 likely to delay the work."