Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-17

ended the first effort Of the bricklayers
to maintain an eight hour day. AT this
| time the membership was reported at 1859.
| and there was nearly 500 in the treas
| ton to 1874. $15,470 had been paid for ben
| efits.
A New Organization.
Immediately after the disarmament Of the
| organization wages declined. Those who
| could procure work labored ten hours
| at a wage of 81 and $3.50 per day. This
| was the condition Of the craft through a
period Of five years.
Though the condition of trade generally
had much improved and the members of
the craft were generally employed. the
wage of the skilled mec hanic remained at a
rate very much lower than had prevailed
| In Washington for twenty-five years be-
fore The old membership of the Brick
layers Association remembered the days of
organization, and quite early in 1881 suf-
hcient number became interested, and after
several preliminary and informal meetings
a permanent organization was effected
| under the title of Bricklayers' Union, No.
/, d. C..
For awhile the organization labored under
adverse conditions Without a treasury
the necessary incidental expenses were met
by passing around the hat" But the con-
tributions were always generous and suf-
| fcient to enable the organization to tide
| over the critical period.
| On April 1. 1881, the first working card
was issued over the signature Of Joseph
Armand as president. and Of James
O'Brien as financial secretary. The rate of
wages " as established at $3.50 per day of
| ten hours and the eight-hour Saturday was
| secured. Amicable relations were estab-
| lished between the employers and the men,
bership, and the union advanced to the
! front Of the labor organizations Of the Dis
| trict.
Though the organization was compare
| cOmnOSad
veterans in the ranks Of trade unionism.
| Though laboring ten hours they were eight
hour men. The sentiment which had con-
| troiled the old organization and for which
they had persistently struggled again
| found expression in 1856.
| In February of that year the union de-
cided to demand, after May l, $3.50 per day
of eight hours, maintaining the ten-hour
! rate of wages with two hours loss of SER
vice, which was virtually an advance of
| wages and met with the opposition of en-
] ployerS The latter concluded to resist the
demand and lockout was the result
At this time the demand was made by all
| the building trades and the lockout became
| general. After forty-two days, during
| which the organization determinedly and
| unanimously maintained it's position, a
compromise was finally reached by the men
| accepting a nine-hour day at $3.50. While
| this was not what they wanted it was a
was maintained and the men were one
| hour nearer the goal.
| For an Eight-Hour Day.
The determination, however, to secure
| eight hours was unabated, and the organi-
cation to man was willing to make the
demand at any favorable time.
! In 1891 it was resolved that the rate Of
wages should be fifty cents per hour. and
| that eight hours should constitute days
| work. This action, it was maintained,
could not be objected to by the employers,
| as they were paying fifty cents per hour,
! and the former objection THAI the men
| wanted less hours and more money could
not be made
A committee was appointed to confer with
| the employers the result of which was an
agreement to which all employers assented
but one. Thus eight hours were secured
without the loss of day. The member
ship of the local union is now 100, and
there are abundant funds in the treasury.
An increased demand for labor enables
the bricklaynrs to maintain the wage Of
81 per day, but organization is regarded
as necessary to maintain a satisfactory
trade condition in the future.
The present officers are: Thomas Levy,
president; Thomas Sullivan, vice president;
NJ. P. CAVITY, treasurer; Robert McMakin,
financial secretary; c. c. Hessler, record
ing secretary; +. ]. McLane, corresponding
secretary; Larry ODea, sergeant-at-arTns;
P. Bolland, assistant sergeant-at-arms
Mr.. Walter p. Dodson, who, as above
stated, was the first president of the or
ganization, is a native of Baltimore, Nd,
where he learned the trade of n bricklayer.
He came to Washington in 1919, and has
resided here ever since. He served as
president of the local union seven terms,
and was treasurer of the rational body FIVE
| terms. He is now a contracting bricklayer.
Mr.. Thomas Levy, the president elect,
chief executive Mr.. Maghan, was born. in
| Fredericksburg, Va. He came to Wash
! ington many years ago, and learned his
| trade with the late Augustus Davis. He
has previously, for seven terms, served as
| president CT the union. He is journey
man brickiayer.
| Views of n Bricklayer.
1.-THE bricklaying trade" said a leading
| bricklayer to a Star reporter, 'fs one of the
| few that the Introduction of machine
| methods of labor has not seriously inter-
| fered with, other than by the substitution
| of steel construction in large Office buildings,
| and by the efforts of these who have been
displaced in other trades by the substitution
! of machinery to get chance to learn the
| bricklaying trade.
"a great grievance of the bricklayer is
| that of laying off, The ordinary con-
tractor does not steadily employ half of the
men that he hires. He will often rush the
| work between stories, and then lay off all
hands, perhaps, while the carpenters are
| placing the joists. The lay Off may take
place at any hour during the day, and is a
| prolific cause of intemperance.Th men may
not want to go home at such an early hour,
! and the proposition to have a glass of beer
! is often accepted. This wouldn't be thought
| Of but for the opportunity.
THE brichlayers and stonemasons are
now. as they always have been, among the
| best organized of craftsmen. There Is a
| close relationship between the trades of
| bricklaying and stone masonry. In some
places there are many who lay both brick
| and stone, but the best mechanics are usu-
| ally those who follow either one exclusive
| ly. Where the same men follow both trades,
| the bricklayer is apt to infringe on work
| that rightfully belongs to the stonemason,
| a fact which is great grievance to the
stonemason.
Conditions in very large cities develop
variety of qualifications in the bricklayer.
The trade is very much specialized. The
man who lays rough brick on interior walls
| seldom gets chance Of developing the orna-
mental, while ne that lays pressed brick
may follow that almost exclusively.
THE ordinary procedure in erecting wall
after the stonemason has finished the base
| ment is for the foreman to select man for
each corner, or lead, whom he knows to be
competent to build both plumb and level.
They will then Law I'm their leads or cor-