The morning times., 1895-09-17
iron Builders on the Printing Of
flee Work Twelve Hours.
SOMETIMES EVEN LONGER
Refused Yesterday to,Continue Their
Labor-Pay Held Back-Men IgnOr-
antly Signed an Agreement Waiv-
ing Rights Under the Law-Col. j.
NJ. Wilson Doesn't Care.

| easily serve as q lest OF the eight-liour law.
as stated exclusively in The Evening Times
yesterday.
Frank NJ Mcvaugh, of Philadelphia, in
charge of the structural iron work In the
addition to the Government Printing Office,
has been working bis men twelve hours
day and paying them for only eight hours
The effect OF this is to reduce the pay for
the eisht-hour day by one-third and to
leave the men with a mere pittance for
hard, dangerous work. Mr.. McVaugh has
endeavored to evade the law by a contract
by which the men reiinquished their
rights.
The contract for the structural iron work
was originally awarded TO the fhoenix
Company, who in turn sublet it to Nc
Waugh s. Co., of Philadelphia. Frank NJ.
Mcyaugh Is a member of the firm, and Is
experimenting the work now being done
at the Printing Office.
The men claim that they have been paid
insufficient wages for the character of the
work they are doing, McVaugh only agree
ing to pay them seventeen cents per hour
as against twenty-fi cents, the regular
price paid by all other companies for simi-
lar work
In addition they are compelled to work
from four 10 five hours over the regular
time with no additional wages over the
| regular prices A great many OF the work
men also state that they have not been
paid for two weeks, and find it impossible
| 10 get the contractor TO adjust their ac-
counts
When Times reporter visited the building
! yesterday there were fifteen or twenty men
standing around, refusing TO go TO work
They bitterly denounced Mr.. McYaugh and
his treatment of them.
M'VAUGH WAS SHARP.
McVaugh when seen made the following
statement:
Il pay the men Just as much as / intend
to pay them, and II they don't like the
wages they are getting they are at liberty
| 10 find something else to do. A great many
of the men have refused to go to work this
morning, and | will supply their places
with other men"
lis 1t true asked the reporter, that
you owe some OF the men for back work."
..Yes, owe some of the men who have
topped work, hut as they did So OF their
own accord they will have to wait until
Saturday week, The regular pay day, TO
get their money. When discharge man
Ipay him up In full, but when a man leaves
me have a Fule not to pay him until our
regular pay day.
1.-The men have no grievances whatever
that 1 can see, as they all signed an
agreement waving their rights
Mr.. Mcvaugh produced the agreement,
which reads as follows:
TEXT OF THE AGREEMENT.
I'VE, the undersigned, employees ofFrank
NJ. McVaugh, agree to work twelve hours
per day, or more, in the erection of the
| structural ironwork for the new building
| for the Government Printing Office Of
| washingto ton, d. c., and hold the said Frank
| VI. Mcy aUgh entirely harmless against the
provisions of the law which specifies eight
hours as a days work; we waiving all
right to claim under said law that eight
| hours are To constitute a days work: IL
being agreed that we are TO be paid for the
said work at the rates agreed upon for
tue number of hours worked each day"
This agreement was signed by nearly
ali of the men employed on the iron work
at the building. Mr.. McVaugh has in this
| way eDdeavored to evade the law which
names eight hours as a days work, and thus
seeks to compel the men to work overtime.
WILL FIGHT IT OUT.
A great many of the men state they did
| not know what they were signing, some
of them being unable to read, bat being out
of work at the time they signed the paper,
not knowing, however, that they were
signing away their rights.
The men are determined to fight it out
and the war promises TO be quite bitter.
The matter will be brought to the notice
of the labor uDions and it is thought they
will take action on the matter at once.
HOW THE LAW READS.
The law which the men charge the con
| tractor with violating reads as follows:
That the service and employment of
| all Iaborers and mechanics who are now
| or may hereafter be employed by the Gov
| ernment of the United States, by the Dis
| trict of Columbia, or by any contractor or
subcontractor upon an y of the public works
| of the United States or of the said District
| of Columbia, is hereby limited and restricted
| to eight hours in any one calendar day, and
| it shall be unlawful for any officer of
| the United States Government or Of the
| District of Columbia OF any such contractor
| or SubcontractOr whose duty il shall be
| to employ. direct or control the services of
! such laborers or mechanics to require or
| permit any such iaborer or mechanic to
| work more than eight hours in aa calendar
| day. except in case of extraordinary emer-
| gency.
THAT any officer or agent of the Gov
! ernment of the United States or Of the
| District of Columbia, OF any contractor
| or subcontractpr whose duty it shall be
| to employ, direct or control any laborer or
mechanic employed upon any nf the public
| works of the United States or of the Dis
| tTict of Columbia, who shall intentionally
violate any PROVISION of this act shall be
deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. and for
each and every such offense shall, upon
conviction, be punished by fine not to eX-
| ceed 81 900 or by Imprisonment for not
| more than six months. or by both such
| fine and Imprisonment. in the discretion 81
the court having jurisdiction thereof"
| Col. John n. Wilson, Superintendent of
Public Buildings, I'm charge of the work,
was asked if he bad anything to say on
the subject. He replied that he had not.
1t was, he ,said, a matter of difference
between the contractor and his employees,
over which he tCol- Wilson, had no control.
His time, he said, was taken up with more
important business, and he could not under
take the adjustment of these minor differ
ences.