Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-10
All Electrical Workers Stopped Work
This Morning.
ASK FOR HIGHER WAGES
A Statement of the Case From
Each Side.
CORRESPONDENCEIN NATTER

| Workers struck this morning for So a day
| for eight hours work. The union has, it
| is said, about 100 members and contains
| nearly all the electrical workers in the
| District.
The striking men say that they have been
| dissatisfied with their wages and hours for
| scme time past, and that while there was
| uniformity in the number CT hours-nine-
| in their day, the wages ranged from 81 to
| $50 for the same period. After much con-
| sideration of the matter committee was
| appointed to prepare a statement of what
| was wanted from their employers and a
| letter in the form of an agreement, of
which the following is copy, was sent to
the Contractors Associa ton, to which all
| the employers of the union belong:
The Provisions.
! "A working day shall consist of eight (S)
hours reckoned between the hours of a m
and pm.
| The rate of wages for all work DONE
except as provided in the foregoing section
| of this agreement, shall be paid at the ra te
| of time and half time; double time to be
paid after Il pm, also Sundays and legal
hOlldayS, VIZ: New Years day, Washing
| tons Birthday, Decoration day, Fourth of
| July Thanksgiving day and Christmas day
| or days celebrated for the foregoing
| 1T is distinctly agreed and understood
| that no member of the n. B. E. w. shall
do any work on the first Monday in Sep
tember Labor daO, and that all electrical
| work ON which the parties to this agree
! ment may be engaged shall cease on that
| day.
Each member of this union shall receive
| the minim i'm scale of three c5) dollars per
| day Wages shall be paid weekly and no
| man snail be paid less than four "a hours
wages Tor any one day or portion thereof,
| except he quit of mis- own accord
/ wv hen is 1iScbarpaG Ioi6 ff bo
snail be paid in full at once, or paid the
| regular wages for all time he is kept in
l waiting for his money.
| NO individual agreement between any
| member of this union and any party sign
/ ing this agreement shall be allowed which
| VIII IN any way alter or modify any of the
| terms of this agreement.
| NO individual, firm or corporation sign
| ing this agreement shall employ more than
| one apprentice or helper to every four
journeymen electric workers or portion
| thereof.
| NO individual firm or corporation sign
| ing this agreement shall employ any one in
any part of any electrical construction or
| any repair work who is not entitled to or
| not in possession of a paid-up monthly
| working cacd of this union or an unex-
| pred permit signed by business agent of
| this union.
| "An differences arising between the mar
| ties of this agreement shall be referred for
| settlement to an arbitration committee
/ This arbitration committee shall consist of
one member of this union, one of the con-
| tractors and third party who is not di-
rectly interested the latter to be selected
by the first two. 1t shall he the duty of
this committee to Investigate all questions
referred to it. and to report its decisions
and recommendations. II is also agreed
and understood that none of the specific
| articles OF this agreement shall be subject
TO arbitration.
| "A sympathetic strike. when ordered by
| the Building Trades Council or its business
| agent, shall not be considered a violation
of this agreement
| 1T is distinctly understood that no men,
| bers of this union shall contract for or do
| work other than for his employer while
| regularly employed by any individual firm
! or corporation signing this agreement ex-
| cept by permission from said employer"
Not satisfactory.
In reply to the communication the men
| state the contractors informed the former
| that the proposed agreement was not it's
| factory to them. A communication was
then sent to the employers asking that the
members of the union be informed as TO
| the portions of the proposed agreement
| which We're Objectionable. There was no
| answer received to the latter, and at a
! meeting of the union Saturday evening the
| strike which went into effect today was
| ordered
| The Strikers Side.
The members of the local union held a
meeting this morning at their hall, corner
lOf Pennsylvania avenue and 18th street
northwest. Upon adjcurning it was stated
that several electrical workers who had
come from Baltimore in response to tele-
grams from contractors here reported at
the headquarters of the strikers and were
admitted into the membership of the local
union, thus joining the ranks of the strlk-
ers- 1t was also stated that the apprentice
boys in the various shops where the MEM
bers of the union had been. employed like
wise quit work today and will refuse to re-
turn until the demands of the strikers are
compiled with.
/ The folio 5ring statement was prepared for
The Star by member of the local union
and indorsed by the organization as its SEN
timents
For this great age of invention men are
so likely to be dazed by the material Splerl-
dor which surrounds them that they forget
the wageworker, whose labor has produced
u, and as q consequence the men who have
placed our country foremost in material
and intellectual progress are poorer today
than ever before, and in this respect none
has Suffered more than the electrical work.
TIE men who have carried the tele-
graph lines from ocean to ocean, who Woye
| the web OF telephone wires in every CITY
and town, who erected the lights that
transform hight into day and instruments
by which this has been accomplished who
rlSk their lives daily that the community
may have light news. easy communica-
tlon ah1 protection, have been reduced
year by year from their rightfui position
among mechanics. until today. both in
wages and social standing, they are lower
than any other trade requiring no greater
amount of skill or manual effort and for
want of 4 strict apprentice system the
trade literally swarms with unskilled men,
: while everywhere, in the blind senseless
! competition for work, cheapness has al
most become the prevalent rule. to the
detriment alike of the employers and the
journeyman. to the injury and danger of
! the public and to the ruin and degradation
of our trade"
The strikers express themselves as con-
fident of victory, and say that within a few
days all their demands will be granted by
the contractors.
Contractors Side.
? The electrical contractors seem to be as
confident of carrying on their business
! without the aid CT the members of the local
union the latter are that their demands
Will be complied with.
! A number of the contractors who were
| seen by a Star reporter today said IL would
4 | be impossible for the contractors to grant
what the men asked. There was, they