Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-29
LABOR SHARES PROSPERITY
Employment at Good Wages Abounds for
industrious Workingmen.
CONDITIONS STEADILY ON The UPGRADE
Every Branch of Labor Has Been
Greatly BENEFITED by Returning
Prosperity of the Inst Two
or Three Years,

Tho past year has been an accession OF
prosperity to the worhingman Of the middle
west such as has probably never before taken
place In so short time. Contrasted with
the idlencss and low wages that prevailed
generally four or nve years ago the Indus
trious workman's lot at present is all that
could reasonably be expected.
And the workman himself readily ac-
knOwledges that this Is so. The assertions
90 freely made OF late that prosperity has
entered tho homes Of the laboring classes
docs not depend on observation from afar.
Nor les II conclusion deduced from noting
a few stray facts but IL Is the word OF the
toilers own mouth. Idle men can hardly be
found and when found they generally belong
TO tho shlftless few whose idleness Is thing
of their own choosing.
Tho history OF unIonism, when rightly
understood, is faithful reflection of the
ups and downs OF the laborng men. The
union movement in and about Omaha was
never so strong and so nearly triumphant
over all difficulties as 1t Is at present. To
be sure the unions have many things they
are stll working for, they always Will,
but In almost all lines their recent demands
have been complied with and they WELD an
influence none the less real because not
easily estimated or measured.
Omaha is now practically controlled by the
unions In all the important departments Of
manual labor, and especially s this the case
In the trades followed by the largest numbers
of men. Within the past year fully twelve
trades have been organized or rcorganized
and unions started in them on a solid foot
ing. The activity Of workingmcn here in
the city has led to the organization Of sew
oral unions In South Omaha and few in
Council Bluffs.
The following trades have been organized
into unions within the past year: Roofers,
woodworkers, bartenders. confectioners,
brickmakers broommakers, boilermakers
(reorganzed), brewery workers (reorgan-
ized), bakers. leather workers on horse
goods. In addition painters local union
has been organized and union has been
formed among the building mechanics labor
ers. including such workmen as hod carriers,
brick hauers. and others
Convincing Interviews.
w. II. Bell member OF the Building
Trades council, says: "The issue Of mem
bership cards October / showed that there
were 1,200 men in the building trades or
ganizations, OF which about $50 are car
penters, bricklayers and painters. Among
these 1,20O there is practically no idleness.
OF course there are few ldlers, as there
always will be. but there Is no idleness
for any who want to work. In regard to
wages, the hricklayers and pasterers are
getting about the same scale as has pre-
vailed for four five years. They have
gained in the amount OF work there is to
do. The painters have advanced their scale
cents per hour within the last year and
the carpenters the same. The electrical
workers have advanced their wages from 81 SO
for ten hours work to 80 or more for eight
hours. an advance from % to 311k cents
per hour. The woodworkers, or mechanical
workers in wood. have organized and es-
tabished scale within the last year and
made the town solidly union as far as their
line Is concerned. They have reduced their
day one hour and increased their wages
s cents per hour. The roofers have adopted
a scale and are making the town union.
There used to be a prosperous union
among the stoneCuters, but they have been
troubled a great deal by the Italian cut
ters, who have come over OF late years and
work for 81 n day or some such figure. Oi
course the unions that have dropped in OF
late years have been able to take advan-
tage OF the work done by the pioneer unions
and have had much easier time Of 1t than
those that came In first
"The outlook for the building trades is