The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-04-09
sRIckLAYEas woN'r WORK.

They Decline 60 Accept Reduced Wages
From she City--Labos Unien Notes.
The union brickiayers will not work on
the sewers for the city Ut the wages deter
mined upon BY the city council, which cut
the wages from s. TO "a per day in the tun.
mel, and from IS to 50 per day in the open
sewers.
Some surprise has been expressed that
no action whatever in the matter has been
taken by the Bricklayers' Union. but as q
mstte- Of fact there 10 no action which
could be taken at the present stage Of the
game. Under the constitution Of the
Brick!syers' Union the scale Of wages
must b liked 1t the last meeting in De-
cember of each year. and cannot b
changed during the succeeding year. The
Seattle union fixed the scale last Decem-
Der at IS per day, and each member Is
bound not to work for less than that
amount. They are simply declining to
work for the wages proposed by the coun-
ell, and those of them who can be induced
to say anything affirm that they will con-
tinue to do %. One Of the msmbe of the
union said yesterday:
1--WE shall not work for any s. or 81 per
day or for any other sum less than s.. and
the international union will uphold as in
il for two years. if necessary. There are
100 brickiayers IN the union and there is
not competent mechanic at the trade in
the city who does not belong to the union.
We torn one of the strongest labor organ.
izations in the country and the scale oil
wages IL less In Seattle than in any other
city OF its size. Ii there 10 . strike the
international union will stand by US and
paw strike benefits il the men need them.
hAx xutt Hu ahi a. a. Ill 4,
truth, the strike tax would afford the boys
about as much rs they have been able to
earn tho past year. the way work has
BEEN"
At the last meeting Of tho Western Cen.
trail Labor Union q circular was received
from the Sioux City Trades and Labor As.
sembiy asking Endorsement Of . petition
which wishes big Job undertaken. The
project IL nothing less than to petition the
American Federation of Labor to call q
labor congress whose duty IL shall be to
ascertain the actual amount of cash neces.
sary in the construction and operation oil
railroads and other cooperative works
and as to the tariff question, by appoint.
ing . committee to ascertain the cost OF all
raw materials; also the cost of manufac.
turing the same into the different articles
w WhiSh ~ poAobk1, 10 ascertain the
amount of labor performed by the Amer,
lean mechanics as compared with the me.
chanics OF other countries, and the other
questions Of interest to the wage workers
of this country. II the expenses of such
congress should be too large the petition
requests the American Federation of Labor
TO investigate the question. The Western
Central Endorsed the petition.
Circulars hare been sent out to iaho,
organizations by Mrs. Margaret F. Nc
Ciennan, OF Roslyn, asking contribution,
to the fund for the widows and orphans oil
the miners killed by the plosion in May,
1892, as the money 10 much needed for the
prosecution Of damage suits. The money
originally raised for this purpose was los,
by the failure OF Ben E. snipes' bank.
Secretary W. ID. Wood. Of the univer.
sity regents, has notified the Western
Central that the request that eight hours
be fixed as a days work on the new uni.
versity building would be considered a,
the meeting to be held Tuesday of this
week