The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-10
UNION MEN ARE KICKIIG'
The Big Iron Block Is tho Cause
Of It.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Iron Workers Must Join a Local Union
or Work on the Building VIII Be
Immediately stopped The
Orders Given.

There was a little friction yesterday
over the big iron block which is going
up at the southeast corner of Main and
Granite streets. The friction a arisen
over the fact that the iron workers en-
ployed in putting up the building are
not members Of any local union.
Yesterday morning a committee Of
union workingmen called on the. man
who has charge of the iron workers and
told him that the unions did not APP
prove OF any men working in Butte
who do not belong to the local unions.
and they asked that the iron workers
be required to join unions at once. The
delegates were told hat as there Is no
union Of iron workers in Butte the men
could not reasonably be expected to
join a union The delegates replied
hat the iron workers could join n
Butte union they chose, but must be-
come affiliated with some union or all
other workmen would be ordered off
the building. The delegates We're then
informed that the iron workers were at
liberty to join n those in charge
would be glad to nave them join. but
they were not disposed to compel them
to Join.
The delegates then interviewed the
workers and most of them declared
they would not join a union in Butte.
The delegates then declared that the
bricklayers and all other local workmen
would be called off:
One of the iron men said yesterday in
explanation of his opinion:
II think the demand made on US is
very unreasonable and unjust. We are
not interfering with any local lnion.
We are doing work which no men in
Butte car do and none pretend tn do II.
We are here only temporarily. IL there
were an iron union here we would join
it at once. but I cannot see why We
should Join a Plumbers. OF Bricklay-
ers' or Carpenters union when we work
on iron and iron only. There are no
iron unions outside of New York and
Chicago, and il seems very unreason-
able to expect us to join any but an
iron union.
W. have worked all over the coun-
try in putting up iron buildings ana
have never been interfered with before.
We put up buildings in Buffalo and Gin
| cinnati and no union raised the slight
est objection. We travel from one
place to another putting up iron build
ings and never have had trouble before
with the local unions. We have never
been required before 4. to Join local
unions The demand seems to us very
unjust" /. r
One OF the union men Sdlu Yesterday .
81 am free to admit that there Is no
union of iron men here. but it Is the
custom i'm Butte for everybody Who
works to belong to a union and we
cannot work on the same building with
men who can't show a union card. II
may be true that these. iron workers
are not interfered with in other cities
but Butte is different. 1t Is an init .xi-
BILE rule with us that our union ,nef
cannot work side by side with mer
who are not union men. We never LAD
iron men here before, this being the first
iron building to be erected in Butte
and we considered the matter very
carefully. We finally decided that they
must come under the rule and join SINE
union" -.
The iron men employed on the '.uild
ing come from St. Paul n Minnrapo
lis. They were not brought to Butte es
pecially to erect this building. Tire!
were first employed on iron work II
connection with the Montana Rowe
company's plant at the Big Hole. '.hel
they worked on the iron brid yes Nhici
the street railway company has beef
erecting on it's Walkerville line, AM
now have gone to work on the lrcl
block. They had not been before Mttr
fered with in Montana.