The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-11-01
NALKOUT OF CARPENTERS
UNION MEN QUIT WORK ALL
OVER THE CITY.
Refuse to Work More Than Eight
Hours and May Formally Order a
Strike Tomorrow.


All the union carpenters in Honolulu
laid off work today, on account of yes
| terdays refusal of the contractors to
inaugurate the eight-hour system. The
men say that it is not strike" and
that they are opposed to strikes, but
they have stopped working. They de-
clare that this is only to await action
to be taken at a regular meeting of the
union tomorrow evening.
All the local contractors are effected
by the walk-out with the exception of
E. o. Hall & Sons, who granted the
eight hour day demands of their men.
Work on the big buildings including
the Post Office building, was prac-
tically at stand still today and will
be tomorrow
The contractors met yesterday in the
former United States consulate, with
George Lucas in the chair. The meet
ing was called to consider the action
taken some time ago by the carpenters,
who notified the employers that after
November l the eight-hour system
would be asked for
The employers discussed the matter
at some length and agred to postpone
| to January l.
This was not satisfactory to the men
and this morning most of them left
! their work. There are 126 men in the
| carpenters union, constituting, it is
stated, almost the entire force of car
! penters here. The men claim that
there are not 20 non-union carpenters
| in the city, and the walk-out this
morning resulted in fairly complete
stoppage of carpenter work in all the
shops.
! The carpenters appeared to be an
xious today that their action should
| not be considered as a strike. 1t was
stated that they had given notice that
! eight hours must be a day after Novem-
| Der l and when this morning came and
they found that their employers had
not met the demand, they decided to
stop work until they had considered the
situation in regular meeting.
/ The union will meet tomorrow eVen-
| ing in it's rooms on King street, and
the decision of the contractors will be
the principal business for discussion.
AS a result of the meeting a formal
strike may be ordered, or a new pro-
posal may be made to the employers.
In the meantime. up to tomorrow night
there will be little carpenter work done
| in Honolulu.
1--WE are opposed to strikes and think
| they work great injury to all parties"
said one of the leaders of the men this
morning, "but we decided this morning
not to work iii the interval until we
have acted as body upon the counter
proposals submitted to us by the con-
! tractors. We do not think there is
going to be any struggle over the mat
ter, but at present we are not work.
ing"
TITS not strike" said another man
at the meeting on King street, but we
| have all taken holiday"
Some of the men say that the action
of the contractors is designed to job
them. They declare that the two
months that will elapse before next
January will put the contractors in
condition to dictate terms, as they will
then have some of their big contracts
out of the way and will moreover, have
had time to prepare for walkout III
we wait till January" said one man,
they will be for cutting our wages to
$9,5 day, on the strength of allowing
us eight-hour days"
The carpenters now get $4 per day.
! Their demand is for an eight hour day,
beginning at eight in the morning, and
no change in the rate of wages.
eff it isn't strike, I'd like 70 know
what it is" said one of the contractors
today. The men have all quit work
without any notice. They are not on
the sick list. AS far as l know, when
men walk out like that because things
don't suit them, they are striking, and
this is a strike.
"If the men were going to wait till
tomorrow evening before they decided
whether to strike or not, why did they
not work till that time? They seem to
have gone on strike before they decided
whether they were going to strike or
not At present there is strike on
whatever the men say"
The builders andcontractors meet
again next Saturday, to further con-
slider the demands of the men. BY that
time they will have received the decl-
sion of the union as to what course the
men will pursue.