The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-11-15
Working Plumbers
Have Their
Trust.
REFUSE A LIVING
TO A MECHANIC
Despotic Actions Of .Iourneymen's
Union of This
City.

trust has been broken. Plumbers
who had all the work they could
attend to when the Advertiser began
it's crusade against the illegal acts Of
the combine, are now idle and some in
tend to leave Honolulu for the Coast.
This was one of the main reasons why
the demand for $6 day wages came to
naught and was withdrawn by the
Journeyman Plumbers Union. The
plumbers wages went up steadily after
the Board of Healths plumbing regu-
lations were adopted and enforced, ad-
| vancing from 81 to IS day for eight
hours work. The demand for $6 came
at the time when the Advertisers fight
against the Vaccinations of the COM
| bine was at it's height and the result
was that the Union was compelled to
withdraw it.
The plumbers are glad to get work at
s5 a day and the entry of new men in
the city in the same trade is now op-
posed The union organized for social
intercourse and to preserve a uniform
wage among it's members and TO guard
the interests of plumbers, is sometimes
blind to it's own interests.
| The case of T. A. Dranga, a plumber
recently arrived from Oakland, shows
| that the Union can be a pitiless organ
ization unmindful of the cry of distress
| which comes from a fellow workman.
| Dranga is a Union worker. Wherever
| he has lived on the Coast he has been
a member of the Journeyman's Union
in good standing. In Oakland where
he engaged in business for himself re
was not member of the Union. He
came to Honolulu with his wife in the
latter part of September and quickly
found work. He was a good mechanic
and the master plumbers wanted such
men.
| ION the first Tuesday after my ar
rival" said Mr.. Dranga, 'and just be-
fore 1 went to work, 1 put up my $40
initiation fee for entrance into the local
lJourneyman's Union. My application
of course accompanied the fee. 1 was
told that my initiation would take
place the following week. 1 went to the
headquarters at the time specified and
was told to wait outside and out of
hearing of what was going on in the
hall. I waited until o'clock and al
though 1 was in a position where !
could have been found by any one who
came out, yet no one came for me to
tiation. This wait outside was done
according to the instructions of the
trustees.
| Before the next meeting I went to
the trustees and asked them why my
application had been slighted and L
was told that as I had missed one
meeting my $40, which had put up in
good faith, had been declared forfeited.
1
feet. 1t is not customary in Unions af-
ter one has put up his fee to keep him
out of the social organization of the
Union. but even in this was not noti-
fled that 1 had the freedom of the
rooms. l was told to wait until my. in
itiation night arrived This came all
right but 1 was not initiated.
Last Thursday, after lapse of
three weeks, 1 went to see the COM
mittee to prepare myself for going to
work and getting their sanction. They
, said that on my guaranteeing S25 In
, case the union should demand such a
, fee I could do that 1 went to my
| Iplace of business and arranged for the
: payment as demanded. 1t was tender
I led last night but the shop steward to
whom 1 was told to give it, said ]
was good for it, and did not take it.
THE first thing this morning the
shop steward came and notified my
employer that L could not go to work
and if I did the other men would quit
was, of course, fired, and another
u man put in my place to finish up the
&c work / had begun. My employers did
It not like this action on the part of the
Journeyman's Union, for my work has
lproven acceptable to them right along
It am an able-bodied man and believe
'el that my work is up to the best stan
: dards known in the trade. Yet by this
action / was absolutely deprived OF
% the right to earn bread and butter fol-
a myself and wife.
- II have complied with every require
. ment of the union, paid in my fee OF
- $40 which they forfeited, for what rea
:. reason I am at loss to understand
- and now after telling me to put up So
=, as a. second fee, refuse to accept it.
- know L am a union member in good
~ standing on the Coast and am qualified
- to become attached to the local organ