The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1900-04-05
TROUBLE HAS BEGUN.
Labor Federation Begins Its Fight
Against the Building Con-
tractors in KenOsha.
CONTRACTORS MAY COMBINE.

But Five of the Twenty-Five Are Reported
to Have Signed the Scale = FIRST Strike
Occurs Among the Men at Work for
Harff & BaIcom on the Frost Residence
on Pleasant Street, but General Lockout
Expected Soon.
Four carpenters employed by Harf
| q Ba1Con, contractors, building the
new residence for G. N. Frost on Pleas
ant street, quit work Monday, and this
is the beginning of fight between the
| Building Trades Council of Kenosha
and the Kenosha contractors which
threatens to tie up all building in
Kenosha for some time. The grievance
is practically the same that has caused
the trouble in Chicago for so many
weeks and the contractors and 1aborers
are alike expecting a general strike.
The men who quit work had been
working for Is cents an hour up TO
Saturday evening but the agreement
recently made by the Council demands
! that after April the wages should be
80 cents an hour. Work on the build
ing was at once stopped and will not be
resumed again until after some agree
ment has been made between the men.
The carpenters have held a meeting
and resolved to stick tothe Federation,
and from the present indications the
contractors have expressed a willing
ness to fight the matter out right at the
opening of the building season.
Mr.. Balloon was seen this morning
and when asked in regard to the strike
he stated that the men had gone out
and that there was little prospect of
their returning to work. In regard to
the trouble that is anticipated Mr.. Bal
com stated that at present there were
TWENTY-FIVE contractors in the city and
that only five of them had signed the
agreement presented by the Federation.
He said that the contractors were not
Directing to paying the men thirty
cents an hour (a11 were willing to do
this) but the objection came when the
Federation asked them to sign an
agreement which is very distasteful to
the contractors. The contractors who
have not signed the agreement met a
short time ago and decided to fight the
Federation. All are ready to pay the
wages, but they refuse to sign the
agreement. In regard to the matter
Mr.. Balloon stated that it was probable
that all the contractors in the city
would combine together and do the
work themselves. Of course this plan
will greatly reduce the amount of work
to be done in the city during the COM
ing season, but it is the only solution
offered to the men who refuse to sign
the contract AS far as can be learned,
no other building in the city has as yet
been affected, but more trouble will
come as soon as the season opens. 1t
is to be hoped that the union men and
the contractors will get together and
arrange some settlement of the affair
before any general strike or lockout is
inauguTated.
Of course the work of the Federation
will affect all the building in the city, |
as the unions interested in the agree
ment are, The Sheet Metal Workers, |
Carpenters and Joiners, Plumbers,
Painters, and Hold Carriers. While the
Masons union is not among the unions
who have signed>the agreement, Con-
tractor Balloon reported this morning
that the contractors had received
notice from the Masons that they would
join the Federation in demanding that
the contractors sign the agreement.