The San Francisco call., 1899-07-28
WAGE REDUCTIONS
At MARE ISLAND
Cut in Earnings of Navy
Yard Employees.
PROTESTS GO TO WASHINGTON
MEN DECLARE THE SCHEDULE
IS UNJUST.
The Government, Which Should Keep
Up the Price of Labor, Places
It Lower Than Does
the Civilian.
PROTESTS GO TO WASHINGTON
MEN DECLARE THE SCHEDULE
IS UNJUST.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

VALLEJO, July 27-There has been a
cut in the wages at the Mare Island
Navy-yard-the biggest in years-and
storm OF protest has gone up from the
1900 men employed there. Not that the
cut includes all the men. but the ten
dency of wages has been steadily down
ward. ard the men feel that every cent
taken off the scale Of any man is an in
Jury 20 them all. Appeals have been made
to the officers at the yard to the admiral
and to Washington, but so far all that
has been promised is that the board OF
wages will investigate the matter again
and will reCtify any mistakes that have
been made The cut has caused a great
deal Of feeling and the officers supposed
. to be responsible are being bitterly de-
nounCed by the men and by the Vallejo
papers.
The wages paid a. the yard are fixed
every six months by a board known as the
board of wages. 1t is composed at present
Of Captain Trilley. chief engineer OF the
ward and president Of the board; Com
mander Drake, head OF the ordnance de-
partment Lieutenant Commander Bow
man. head Of the equipment department;
Lieutenant Hibbs. head of the department
Of construction and repair, and Lieutenant
Holiday head of the department Of yards
and docks This board met toward the
end of June and decided then upon the
new schedule.
ment requires that the board Of wages
shall investigate the rates paid by private
firms in the vicinity Of the yard that do
work similar TO the work done in the
navy-yard and that the men in the yard
shall get the highest rate so paid. These
inquiries. the board claims, were duly
made. and upon the information obtained
th- new schedule was based. The changes
IN the wages decided upon are as follows:
Sparmakers and shiPwrights-First class.
81 so 10 81 "a second class, 81 "A TO s. IS; third
fls X 70 O
Blacksmiths-First class, 81 10 50 76; second
fourth class. 81 SIS TO 81 So
Fiange turner's and heavy forgers-First
class. "a 16 to 81; second class, 50 50 10 8 ~;
House joiners-First class, 53 IS 50 "A;
ond class, 80 a to 50 u; third class, 50 y
House carpenters-First class. 50 A to sS %;
second class. s. Y 10 81 s6; third class. 81 80
Drillers-First class SO 20 TO 50 o4; second
class g IS to 81 50; third and fourth classes,
Riveters-First class. go IS to 50 60; second
class. - a. to 50 35; third and fourth classes.
reduction
shipsmlths and shipftters-First class. 81 to
SO 10 second class. IS 60 TO SO II; third class,
s. % to 50 l2 fourth class, 81 50 ono reduction)
BIockmakers-First class, 81 16 to So 70; sec
50 y: fourth class. g sS to 81 50.
The men claim there has been even yet
no official announcement of the cut, but
they are not allowing that fact TO pre-
vent them seeking to have the old sched-
ule restored. AS soon as IL became nOised
abroad that wages were TO go down, the
men affected met and organized and a
protest from each trade was drawn up
and preser-eti-by some to the command
ant of the yard, by others to the board
Of wages and by several to the Navy De-
partment direct. The blacksmithS went
so far as to send a committee down TO
San Francisco TO investigate wages from
the standpoint Of the men and the rates
the committee brought back were much
higher than the new schedule: 1t was
claimed that in investigating San Fran
cisco rates the board went no farther than
the Union Iron Works and the men say
the rates there are lower than anywhere
else on the coast They claim Investiga-
ton will show that 81 30 is not high pay
for good blacksmiths, and the navy yard
wants only the best
When the committee returned with its
facts the blacksmiths met and drew up
the following protest, which was sent to
Washington after it had been submitted
to Admiral Kempff and he had told the
men that Washington was the only place
where the matter could be settled.
VALLEJO. July Is. 1899
Hon John D. Long. Secretary of the Navy.
Washington D. C.-Slr: The undersigned ship
sr1ithg and blacksniths now employed at the
vard Mare Island. do most earnestly and
RESPECTFULLY protest against the action OF the
board appointed by the honorable Secretary
pIoyes at this station for the ensuing six
months.
,,1a enclosed and we claim that the reduc-
tions are not to the best interests OF the Gov
stderatlou and most earnestly petition that you
NAV see fit to restore the old rate OF 81 As for
the following reasons;
The wages we have been receiving not
as high as those paid by outside firms. and
Ne are entitled by law TO equal pay with out
side firms
est nor the average.
enclosed we send rates OF wages paid i'll
San Francisco to hrst-Class smiths.
In the next place there is demand for
frst-cIass mechanics at trade, and during
the late war the list at the Labor Bureau was
exhausted repeatedly. Smiths could not be
procured when they were badly needed. At
the present time. then. many are called. but
few are able TO do the work required and
many quit of their accord when they find
that they not only have to do a good days
work but that they have to be hrst-class me-
chanics to perform good days work
None but first-class mechanics can do the
work required Of and that we can and do
perform Witness the Monadnock, our steel
snip built here entirely-huli, engines, boil
ers and equipments. We win place the No
nadnock alongside any ship in the navy and
defy comparison as TO expense for repairs
and durability of workmanship.
Witness the report Of every constructor and
every chief engineer attached TO this station
for years past up the last reports.
Finally, wages the advance all over
our common country. Labor is more in de-
mand than for years past, and 1t is not to
the interests Of Government that its Of
fcers should be the first to stem this tide by