Evening star., 1900-10-08
A TRUST IN LABOR
Charge Of Secretary Gompers Of
Master Steam Filters.
STATEMENT TO COMMISSION
Claims That New York Unions
Limit Their Memberships.
MONOPOLIZE THE WORK

Mr.. Henry B. Gompers of New York. sec
retary Of the Master Steam Filters Associa-
ton. a national organization of employers
of labor made a very important statement
before the industrial commission today and
one that is likely to call forth considerable
controversy on the part of labor unions of
this city. He declared that labor unions of
New York in his trade limit their member
ship to about 500, whereas there are in all
1.200 steam filters who would join the asso-
citation in that city if they We're permitted
to do This action, he said, made the
steam filters union a vertable labor trust.
He said this imitati was in order that
those who were in the union could reserve
for themselves all the work of their trade.
The result was that many competent steam
filters join the helpers union, and espe
cially in the winter it is very difficult to
get sufficient men to do the work of the
city.
First Charge of Labor Trust.
This is the first case in which it has been
directly charged before the industrial COM
mission that a labor organization has pre-
vented workmen from entering it in order
that those who were fortunate enough to
be in it might reserve all the work to be
Done by union employers for themselves.
The general charges that labor organiza-
tons form what are in fact trusts have
been answered by labor leaders with the
statement that any one competent to DO
the work of master workman was at
liberty to join union, this open-door
policy eliminating all trust features.
1t has been shown that in some cases
labor unions have charged higher initia-
ton fee to foreigners than to citizens of the
United States, but the direct charge has
not before been made that men forming
union have closed their doors to other
workmen and so have kept for themselves
all the work to be done.
Pay for Steam Filters Increased.
MIR. Gompers showed that wages for
steam filters had been increased in New
York city during the last ten years, while
hours of labor had been decreased from ten
TO eight. In 1890 wages in New York were
So. 80 for master plumbers and 81 for help
ers for ten hours work. Later the hours
of labor were decreased to 8, and in 1897 to
eight hours. while in 1898 the wages were
advanced to $3.70 a day for master steam
rtters and 81. 10 for helpers. The wages are
now 81 day.
He knew that wages were higher in New
York than in Philadelphia, yet in the latter
city the men owned their homes and SEEM
ed to be more prosperous than in New
York.
His own association of employers of
steam filters, he said, had agreement
with manufacturers by which the latter
sell only to master steam filters. who con-
duct an Independent business, but he did not
think there was any trust feature in this
agreement. 1t merely allowed trade through
legitimate channels. His association is or
ganiZed in nineteen twenty cities of the
United States, among them being this city.
The witness spoke of labor agitators and
he asked by Commissioner John L.
Kennedy if he regarded Mr.. Gompers. pres
ident of the Federation of Labor, an agi-
tator He hesitated to criticse his almost
namesake,' but said he had gone about the
country agitating labor questions. He said
there was a clear difference that should be
drawn between the labor agitator and the
reformer.