The herald., 1896-08-31
IN THE FIELD OF LABOR
A Uniform System of Car
penters' Wages
The RATE FINALLY AGREED UPON
1t Will Be So for Eight Hours
WILL TAKE EFFECT TODAY
A List Of the Contractors Vino viii
Fall Into Line
The Agreement Will Be Open for Further
Signatures This Morning
Preparations for this Labor Day Exercises-A
List Of the Bicycle Prizes-Proceed.
ings of tho Council Of Labor.
Trades Union Notes
The Agreement VIII Be Open for Further
Signatures This Morning

| Today the new scale of wages that has
been agreed upon between the Carpen-
| ters' union and the building contractors.
representing at least 80 per cent of the
work being done in the city. will go into
effect. Under this agreement the pay
of journeymen carpenters is SO per day
of eight hours, and this will be the rec
ognized scale of wages for Los Angeles.
| The Carpenters union notified all con-
| tractors on June ! that the scale would
be sS for a day of eight hours on and
after August /, but afterward, at the
request of a number of contractors. the
| time was extended to August 81, on
which the $3 scale should take effect.
A large majority Of the contractors
| heartily indorse this movement as it
will establish a standard of wages on
| which they can figure and know that
| they will secure first-class mechanics.
Contractors deem it as essential to have
an established price on wages as upon
| lumber, hardware or any material that
| enters into the building. The contrac-
| tors know also that the price at which
| they can figure their own services de-
| pends upon the price of labor, and as all
| contractors have at some period been
| journeymen carpenters, they know both
| sides of the question, and are ever ready
| to render impartial justice to the me-
chanic who performs the manual labor
| To the three or four contractors who
are not in sympathy with the carpen-
ters' demand, 1t is h.nted that the Car
penters' union, numbering 600, have
=. IL L.
mand of the general executive board Of
the Carpenters and Joiners of America
| which board has granted them what
financial aid they may need
| The first installment of money has
| been received to pay weekly strike
| benefit to all men whom it may be neces-
| sary to call off their jobs. The union also
| has the assurance of all assistance re-
| quired from the Building Trades Council
| of Los Angeles, and all building trades
will positively refuse to work for any
contractor or on any work which any
contractor may be conducting on which
he shall have any trouble with any car.
penters.
The following contract has been signed
by the contractors representing at least
90 per cent of the work done in the city:
Los ANGELES, July. 1896
| We, the undersigned contractors of Los
| Angeles, Cal, agree to pay three. go dol
| lars per day of eight hours to the jour-
| enymen carpenters in our employ. begin
ming Monday August. 81, 1895, (Sgned).
John Rebman, c. ]. Kubach John Handon
". S. Mills & Co. A. Giilard, j. T. VIII
liams, W. S. Daubenspeck. Robert Jordan
Theodore Strangman. Frank Graves. J.
| G. I,eonardt, A. c. Hinters, Henry Auf-
| 6emkanp, John Poghn & Sons, Sylvester
Grant, .. fl. Woodaman; Il c, Fink, w.
| q. McGinty, Frankland Williams COM
| pany.
Others have put themselves on record
in the following forms to suit them.elves
Whenever the union carpenters will de-
m&nd three t3) dollars per day and refuse
| TO work for contractors who don't paw it,
| viii pay my carpenters three (3l dollars
per day GODFREY FRITZ.
I will pay three dollars as soon as other
! contractors do.
WI. SCHOLL.
GUSTAV KOCH.
In addition to the above, w. S. Ar
mold of the Alta Mill Co., Schuldt &.
Sears and Antoine Swenson say that they
| will pay the scale just as soon as the
| others do, and the business agent of
| the Carpenters union will be at the
| builders exchange today. where any
contractors wishing to sign the agree
| ment may do So
| A Well-hnoWn journeyman carpenter
| thus states the situa ton:
1t is easy to hold and establish
wages at So day as it would be to cut
any price under that. There is only a
| certain amount of work to be done, and
| II labor viii refuse to do it for less than
any established price. they will get that
price a man working for less than an
| established price, does not in any in
| stance cause more work to be done, but
on the contrary the cheaper you offer
| your services the less work there will
! be for you or anyone else to perform,
| for when man gets a decent wage he
| can rent or buy home, buy clothing,
buy shoes, groceries, meat, and the SELL
| ers of all these products will make a
| proht and can rent or own a store rent
| or own house, and so one hand washes
| the other all the way round If YOU
| don't get wages enough to live decently
! you can rest assured that the majority
| of the people will suffer from the effect
| of what causes you to accept a low wage.
! Journeymen carpenters are driven to
| contracting for themselves, and the
| fierce competition makes them take work
| That in some instances does not pay one
| dollar day. When the legitimate con-
| tractors shall have all agreed to pay
| the scale of wages, this insane compe-
| lltlUu lOI dCLS III tS2SS. ana IL
| it does not cease, those row living in
rented houses along with the majority
| of merchants will of necessity be found
| camping on the river bank and building
| of all kinds except jailS and county
| houses will stop entirely.
| When q great many men are out of
| work, they should receive greater rather
| than less pay, for no man will be idle
| all the time, so all will necessarily be
| idle some OF the time, and we ought to
eat every day, SO if We only work
| one-half the time that is when we can
| least afford to submit a cut in wages.
| And it is the cut in wages tina
| has made it necessary for the build
ing trades to organize and the carpen-
| ters TO demand the adoption of a mini
mum scale of wages for all carpenters.
| LABOR CELEBRATION.
The principal events that will take
place at Agricultural park on Labor day
September 9TH, in the way of sports will
be the contests in the bicycle races. Or