The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-18
Labor Union Boycott
Two Worcester
Doctors.
A STRIKE MAY Be ORDERED.
Plumbers Union Grievances
in the Fight With Dele
hanty and Kelley.

The labor unions of this city have
instituted boycott unprecedented in
the history of labor troubles.
The men placed under the ban are
Drs w. j. Delehanty and J. w. Kelley
each having large practice and scores
of influential friends.
When the contract was awarded for
their building in Trumbuu square, the
owners gave the preference to union
men ana firms. Everything progressed
smoothly and satisfactorily until Ashley
y Horan were awarded the contract
FOR plumbing work. The firm has not
been in good standing with the union,
and has not clasped hands with the
Master Plumbers Association. Drs.
Kelly and Delehanty have conferred
with representatives from local labor
organizations, and have already dis
charged non-union carpenters and
hired in their places members, of the
Carpenters Union.
Last night the matter was brought
before the Moulders' and Coremakers'
unions, and resolutions declaring the
owners and plumbing contractors I'M
talr 20 organized labor, were adopted.
In the event of prolonged fight all
the Workmen on the building who are
members of local unions, will be order
ed out on strike. At present the fight
Is confined to Ashley & Koran and the
owners officers of the carpenters I'M
ION seen by the Spy man last evening
sad that although matters had been
adjusted to the satisfaction of the car
penters' union the carpenters on the
building will cease work if ordered to.
The determination of the plumbers un-
ION to force settlement is of more
than ordinary strength. While the
american Federation of Labor has not
been called upon, its local leader, j. d.
Pierce has been enlisted in behalf of
the plumbers and the fight against the
doctors and the non-union plumbing
firm will be hotly contested.
Last night the committee which has
acted for arbitration in behalf of the
plumbers union gave a statement to
the Spy man. 1t is the first statement
| made by the officers of the union re-
garding the inside facts of the case
and the relation of the plumbers union
to the Master Plumbers Association,
1t reads
After spending much time and effort
trying to reach a satisfactory settle
ment of the difficulty existing between
Doctors Delehanty and Kelly and the
Journeyman plumbers union, all of
which efforts have failed, the commit
tee in charge of the affair, believing
further efforts useless, has declared
that the doctors are not favorable to
organized labor and that work on the
building now being erected by them is
unfair.
when the attention Of the union was
| first directed to the fact that the con-
tract for plumbing on the new block
had been given to non-union firm,
committee was sent to confer with
| the doctors. aa
| .'At that interview it was stated that
| the contract called for union help. and
as the job was not started, it was inn
possible for the doctors to do anything
in the matter, but they declared that
| if the firm attempted to do the work
with non-union men, it would be in
violation of the contract, and the firm
would not be allowed to continue, the
doctors stating very emphatically that
none but union men should do the
work.
THE committee had faith in the
promises and came away satisfied that
the matter was as good as settled
! Nothing more was done until men were
put at work doing the plumbing, and
as they were non union men, the COM
mittee Immediately notified the owners
| agreement Much to the surprise of
the committee, they found that the doc
tors Were trying to hedge and were
| trying to find some excuse for allowing
the non-union men to continue.
1.-THE doctors went so far as to try
to convince the committee that the
plumbing firm employed union men.
This the committee denied, and ex-
planned that possibly the doctors might
/ i ,11,. !,
ers, James Parrett, who, although an
expelled member of the union, did have
card in his pocket which was OBJ
! tanned by fraud and was worthless
"Dr Delehanty again promised 10
keep the men off the work until this
trouble had been settled. He kept the
promise Saturday, but Monday morning
the non-union men were allowed 10
work again. He was Immediately wait
ed upon again. and he tried to justify
his course by claiming that the man
who had been expelled from the union
had union card. 1t had been thor
oughly explained how the card was So
cured. Deeming further talk useless
and much against their will, the COM
mittee has declared both the doctors
and their block as unfair and shall
nlace the matter before every union IN
the city.
Now for few words as to why the
union is at loggerheads with the firm
of Ashley & Koran. Mr.. Horan up TO
last spring was a member of the union,
but one of those members who believe
in taking all the benefits to be derived
from such utilization, but unwilling to
nav dues which all other members were
having. After having run over the
time limit allowed, he was notified that
he must pay or be suspended. No
notice was paid to that, and suspension
took place, and then expulsion.
"He then took out a license to do
plumbing. and felt that he was so big
4 fellow that he did not hesitate to say
that he was going to break the Plumb
ers' Union. When he saw what a
spectacle he had made Of himself in
his first attempt, he began to cry baby
and pose before the public as the mar
tyr who was being sacrificed to satisfy
the greed Of that terrible organization
known as the Master Plumbers AS
sociation, and that the organization he
intended to break was driving him out
Of business.
1--WE venture to say that he will be
as unsuccessful in his efforts to pose as
martyr as he was in his attempt to
disrupt the union The union wishes it
thoroughly understood that the state
ment that they have an agreement with
the Master Plumbers Association which
governs their trade and prevents
Trouble is true. Be that agreement
good or BAD. 1t will not be broken by
the union, and especially not for man
who was false to the union Of which
he was one time a member. The com
mittee will begin visiting the organi-
cations tonight, and they will be re-
cuested not only to handle the doctors
and Ashley & Koran, but also any per-
son or firm who may occupy said build
ing when finished Committee
MINOR GAMES.