The Irish standard., 1900-05-05
TOII.ERS STOP WORK.
May Dag Witnesses the Inaugural
tion Of Many Strikes.

A Total Of More Than $4,000 Men
Become Idle-President Gompers
Urges violation of an In
Junction.
New York. May 2. - Samuel Com
pers, president of the American Fed !
Grafton of Labor, has taken specialpains
to violate the injunction issued by JUS
tice Freedman, of the supreme court,
prohibiting officers and members of
the Cigarmakers' International union
from paying benefits to the striking
employees of S. Levy & Co.
In letter to Morris Brown, secre-
tary of Cigarmakers' union No. 444, Mr..
Gompers advises that the injunction be
absolutely disregarded and incloses a
check for SIS to be used in paying man
to picket Levy & Co.'s shop and to in
ducing Levy g. Co.'s employees to re-
main on strike.
"Of course you understand" he con-
cludes. "that although the headquarters
of the American Federation Of Labor are
in Washington. my legal residence Is at
No. I'll East One Hundred and Tenth
street, New York city. I shall be in New
York on May ~
Over $1,000 on Strike.
Chicago, May 2.-More than $4,000
men went on strike Tuesday in vari-
Gus cities of the country, the demands
i'll most instances being for an eight
hour day and higher wages. In some
cases recognition of the unions is the
issue. The building trades are most
seriously affected, particularly in the
east, although the railroads center
ing in Buffalo are threatened with
general strikes. "A conference will be
held at Buffalo to-day, at which it is
hoped settlement can be reached.
In some cities the demands of the la
Dor unions are still pending, while in
Others sympathy strikes are being
discussed.
Fight for Eight Hour Day Begun.
Philadelphia, May 2.-.The struggle
for an eight-hour work day which has
been under consideration by the labor
unions of this city began in earnest
Tuesday, when, according to Secretary
Joseph B. Allen, of the Allied Building
Trades council, workmen representing
i every branch of the building trades
went on strike to enforce by a con-
certed movement the demands of the
unions. Nearly 5000 men are reported
to have quit work, and this number is
but small representation of the total
membership of the Allied Building
Trades Council, which embraces about
95 per cent. of the men employed in the
building trades. The fact that so few
workmen were compelled to strike is
considered. by the union as favorable
to their cause.
> The movement for working day of
eight hours and a general increase of
wages, averaging about rs percent,
began some months ago. At recent
meeting May was decided upon as the
day for presenting the demands.
Eight-Hour Day In New England.
Boston, May 2.-The eight-hour day
was established Tuesday, in almost
every district in New England where
journeymen of the building trades have
organized, and the concession was obs
! tanned with little friction and only
!, few strikes. The most widespread de-
mand for the eight-hour day was made
some weeks ago by the granite cut
tiers throughout New England, and.
while at most places the demands were
granted, there were few echoes of that
contention Tuesday. The most i'm
portant of the strikes in this industry
was at Barre, VT, where the granite
polishers went out, and conference in
the afternoon failed to bring about
settlement. At Lowell an incipient
strike was settled, but small strikes at
Milford and Manchester, N. H.; Sulli-
van and Franklin, Me-, and at Fall
River, Mass, are still in force. In
Quincy, where the cutters have been
out for three months, a conference
brought no result. Norcross Brothers,
.of Worcester. also We're unable to set
tie with their cutters at the Milford
quarries. Otherwise, the indications
were that nearly every strike would be
!, settled with little delay. In Provi-
,dence, Pawtucllet and Boston there
were strikes in other trades, chiefly
samong painters, carpenters and kin
.dred branches, but the numbers out
are not large. No May day in the rec
collection of labor leaders in New Eng
land has been SO full Of encourage
ment and success as that which ended
Tuesday night.
The New York Central Strike.
Buffalo, N. Y, May 2.-Approximate-
-ly 200 more car repairers have Joined
the strike which was begun by the men
of that craft employed by the New
York Central railway, and this consti-
! 'tutes Tuesdays active developments.
The much-deferred ultimatum stands
over until to-day, when Superintendent
Watt. of the motive power department
of The New York Central is expected
from New York to confer with the ex-
,ecutive committee of the strikers. The
strike OF $50 Lackawanna and $50
Nickel Plate shopmen is not technical
ly regarded as an aggressive extension
of the strike, according to labor ethics.
but logical sequence to demand that
they repair crippled cars of the New
York Central. Of course these men
struck by an official order of their
: organization.
Serves Summons on Gates.
New York, May 2.-John w. Gates
on Tuesday was served with a sum-