St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-04-10
Nearly 5000 Workmen to Lay
Down Their Tools at the
Worlds Fair.
The Big Strike Is Ordered to
Occur at s O'Clock This
Morning.
A Row Between the Men and
the Fair Council Of Ad-
miniStratiOn.
Director General Davis Talks
About the Trouble at
Sem3 Length.

CHICAGO. April 9.-At o'clock to-
morrow morning every union man
working for the Worlds Columbian ex-
position is expected to lay down his
tools and quit the company's employ.
1t is estimated that between 1000 and
5000 men Will be affected by the order
to walk out. Among the number
will be carpenters. iron work
ers, painters, GLACIERS, staff work
ers, plain and ornamental plasterers,
engineers, steam and gas filters.
marble workers, roofers, lathers, tile
layers and settlers, and all other men,
berS of the building trades. 1t has re-
quired four meetings of the business
agents of the union to decide the Ques-
ton 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
organizations to
Acknowledge Defeat
and quit the field as gracefully as pos
sible. Not one of the delegates would
allow this, and the order to strike was
the result. The building trades council
which passed the order calling out the
men addressed long communication to
the council of administration, declaring
that the laboring men had been friendly
to the fair, aud then the address con-
tinues:
after much discussion you finally
agreed:
First-That eight hours should constitute a
days labor.
Second-To establish arbitration to settle
all disputes between EN- ployers aud employed
on exposition work.
I'VE do not mean to charge any one
with bad faith, but we do mean to say
that the two points of concord have
never been fully adhered to by you, and
now at this time, as we look at it, this
council of administration are about to
finally refuse to live up to the cardinal
principle of our agreement, and to
Decline to Arbjtrate
a difference between organized labor
and the exposition. The building
trades council of this city. representing
more than score of labor organiza-
tions, amicably arrange agreements
every spring between themselves and
their employees 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 1S93-94. Their requests and
propositions have been received with
favor by almost every employer of labor
in the city Of Chicago and its environS.
with the exception of one, and that one
is the exposition company, and this
company is now, at its crisis, taking a
position of hostility and animosity to-
ward the very men who, of all others,
have made the existence of that cOmpa-
possible, and whOhave done more than
any other interest in the community to
make its success assured"
The address then asks the council to
submit the matter to three arbitrators,
the decision to be not later than Wednes-
day next. both parties to accept the de-
cision beforehand. 1t is probable that
all 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
difficulty. Most of the men who will
leave the grounds tomorrow will report
at downtown headquarters, but some
will report at the general headquarters
to be selected by the joint strike COM
mittee.
Il do not know exactly what is to be
DONE" said Director General Davis to-
night; "but one thing is certain, the
work must be finished. My own opin-
ion is that the contractors will be more
affected by the strike than our own
construction department. The trouble
was this: The union demanded that
we make a two years. contract on a
scale based on 40 cents an hour for
carpenters, giving an eight-hOur day,
and discharge all non-union men.
"Well. the council of administration
agreed to the scale, agreed to give an
eight-hour day and to pay 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 unions [ cannot tell just now how
much the thing is likely to delay the
work.
Mr.. Davis was asked whether it was
the intention to attempt negotiations
with the unions or whether men would
be put to work.
Now, 1 can't tell about that" he
said. THAT is out of my immediate de-
partment. 1t is for the council of ad-
ministration to decide"