The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-12-04
Labor Unions Will Ask It Of
the Legislature.
AN EMPLOYERS LIABILITY ACT.
Western Central Labor Onion To
Hold an Open Meeting Wednes-
day Evening for Discussion OF
2 Proposed LegislatiOn-subsfa nffal
Benefits Ia he Derived by La
b0r Through an Eight-Hour Act.

Labor union men IN Seattle viii get to-
gether or "Wednesday evening and formu-
late a programme for the presentation OF
certain bills to the legislature Of interest
both TO organized and unorganized labor.
AT the hal! os the Western Central Labor
Inien on the evening named the union viii
hold an open" meeting for the purpose
81 discussing measures affecting labor.
The meeting will be open to this extent,
that admission 10 IL can be secured By al
members OF unions affiliated with the cen
trail body. Both tie delegates comprising
the central union and the members Of sub
ordinate unions present viii participate IN
the discussion
Two important measures will. il is now
certain. be presented 20 the Legislature
on behalf OF organized labor in the state
In Western Washington, the Western Cen
trail Labor Union has charge Of the work
OF framing these measures and OF seeing
that they are introduced In the legislature
and their passage urged by members OF
that body friendly to organized LABOR In
fact, the central labor union is father-ng
the whole movement 10 secure legislation
beneficial TO labor In this state. although
active corporation has been EXTENDED from
the labor organizations Of other cities.
The main tgh; TO be made by the labor
examinations will DC TO secure tho passage
OF law for an eght-hour day. The initi-
alive In the work Of securing an eight-hour
Aay In this state was taken by the build
Ing trades which have been successful in
securing their ends In practically all OF
the building trades OF the city. Carpenters.
brick-layers. masons. plumbers and other
trades work eight hours as rule or most
AZ the large building contracts In Seattle.
Said an official of the Western Central
Labor Union Yesterday: THE fight for
shorter hours for the working man Is one
Of long standing. IL has been In progress
longer than | have lived. The time Is not
Out Of memory however, when people used
to work from dawn 10 sunset Then
twelya-hour work day was established and
this was finally reduced to eleven and then
To ten hours and later to nine hours per
das. Ia most OF the Eastern states We
have the elght-hour day and the federal
law compes a restriction OF the hours OF
laborefs government work 10 eight
hours per day.
I'VE have 4 city ordinance governing
the hours of labor In line with the bill
which will be presented 10 the legislature
backed by the organized labor Of the state.
Our object IN getting the measure passed
by the legislature is 10 provide that on ali
state, municipal and county work the
hours Of the laborer shall not be more than
elght per day.
III will be readily conceded that the ad-
vantages secured TO the workingnan II this
bill becomes i law will net be restricted
10 those who are members Of organized
labor unions. Uuorganized labor viii reap
the same benefits as Il does from the fight
made hv the labor unions for better pay.
More than that the influence OF such an
act as s. CONTEMPLATED will be widespread
ard CALCULATED 70 henefis bread winners in
every walk Of life. Where civilization has
gone there YOU Will lind the tendency To
shorter hours for labor. The influence OF
= state eight-honr law viii reach the pri-
waite business mar and labor employer
until Sc VII he brought TO see the wis
dom. justice and utility OF adopting It In
his own affairs"
II Is said that OF TIE Western states,
Utah. Colorado and Montana have the
siGht-hour law In effect.
x <
Second in Importance only 10 the eight
hour bill which the legislature will DO
asked 10 pass by the organized laborng
men. viii be bin changing the present
law in this stale relating 10 the liability
OF the employer for injuries TO his en-
piove A measure OF this nature was IN
iEoduced at the last session OF the leg.s-
nature and the labor union men made a
strong effort 10 obtain its passage The
bill was killed IN the senate however Tn
der the present law, The negligence OF a
FELLOW servant" the law words H. Is
taken into consideration by the courts in
damage suits. Ia be the benefit OF the en-
pI0yer, the theory OF the law being that
MI employer Is held blameless fof the In
jury OF an esnncye caused by the negli-
geace or careessness Of a fellow employa
o. the injured party.
Secretary Middleton. ~ The Western Cen
tral Labor Union. said yesterday that In
ncst If the Eastern states the law did not
project the EMPLOYER ia damage suits
where the injury wss caused by negii-