The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-01
CARPENTERS STRIKE IS ON.
UNION MEN ON WEED BUILDING
WENT OUT LAST MIGHT.

ing-HuiIders' Exchange NotAheN.
Mass Meeting of Labor Organiza-
tions Held at Labor HalI-Supt.
steinacker's Plain Talk With Has
Men when They Went Out.
The strike of the building trades which
has been threatened since the early part
of the winter began yesterday afternoon
when the union men employed on the
Weed building at Broughton and Bar
nard streets notified Super ntendent
George 7. Steinacker that as he had re-
fused to grant the nine-hour day sched-
ule they would not return to work this
morning
A mass meeting of all of the unions rep
resented in the Building Trades Council
was held last night at Labor Hall, and
the following resolution was put and
unanimously passed: Resolved, that we
as mass meeting, realizing that the time
Is now come when we should act, do de
clare that we will not 90 to work in the
morning unless our various employers
agree to give all the trades represented
on the various jobs their demands for
wages, and that nine hours be days
work; and further that the secretary of
all the unions prepare a list in order to
get the various contractors and sub-con-
tractors to sign the same"
President of the Building Trades Coun-
ell George w. Gruver presided, and ON
the platform were the members of the
council and the general business agent
of the unions, Mr.. w. NJ Wilbon.
Among those who addressed the meet
ing were George w. Gruver, J. NJ. Will
bon, George MeGhan, ]. w. Hays, NJ. d.
Foley, president of the executive board,
Bishop Bayfield, of the Methodist Episco-
pal Church. Coored, and Charles Davis.
The meeting was called merely to hear
the result of a series of resolutions and let
tens that had been made and sent out al
a previous meeting held on April 26, when
ii was resolved THAT we reiterate our
former appeal to our bosses for increase
of wages and. less hours, and that the
bosses be put on notice that we will do
all in our power to accomplish our rights,
ami that we empower some one TO pre-
pare a suitable memorial to the Builders
Exchange and to the individual contrac-
tors and mail same Monday night.
Also resolved that should a strike be in
evitable that no individual member of any
trade will work on any job while a nom
union man or scab OF any kind is at work,
and further that all trades be governed
by the b. Il. c. emergency rules"
It was also decided that the bosses
should have until yesterday to reply and
that a mass meeting be called last night
10 hear their decision. The resolutions
further stated that it was the desire of
the men that the working hours be from
7:30 o clock a. m. until $50 p. m, with the
noon interval, instead of from T. as is now
the case.
Another resolution that communications
be sent to each national association repre-
scented in Savannah. stating clearly the
demands made three months ago upon
the contractors and builders for nine
hour day after May 1. These communica-
lions stated that the men would prob
ably have to go out as body, and that
they earnestly asked the support of the
national association in their efforts TO bet
ter their condition.
Mr.. Wilbon stated after the meeting that
three contractors had signed the scale Of
wages and hours demanded by the I'M
ions, but he declined to give their names
or cay whether they were members of the
Builders Exchange.
The speeches of the meeting were all
fiery, denouncing the way "the laboring
man had been treated" and promising
that the present fight would be won If
the men but stuck together Charles Davis
president of one of the Carpenters Unions,
made an address that called for hearty
applause. In ID he paid his compliments
to the contractors and builders in gem
eral and made personal illusions of no
hattering character to Messrs. S<einacker
and Burgess, to whom he said he hoped
his remarks would be repeated
Mr.. T. J. Naughtln, Southern organizer
of the Federation of Labor, in address,
ing the meeting.s said that not only in this
city was he daily kept busy organizing the
laboring classes into unions, but that he
was In receipt of a letter from
one of the city authorities Of
1gr~1fFl rf4rlr e1rfra tttaN h
and organize the workmen OF whom there
are about 900 negroes and about go
whites. He read the letter but withheld
the name of the writer He further stated
that he is now engaged in organizing nine
crafts here and asked that any workman
who is not in union but desired to enrol
himself would come to the hall Sunday
morning OF 10 O'clock When this work
IS flnished" he said, Il shall go 10 Bruns-
wick and start unionism there"
At the previous mass meeting a reso.u-
ton was passed sending a petition 10
Mayor Myers and the City Council but
though passed. it has not yet been cent
nor will il be until later in the week. The
contents have not been made public.
The resolution passed at the meeting
of April 26 was read at the Builders Ex-
change meeting yesterday morning and
received as information. 1t was under
stood that business of Importance would
probably come before the exchange, CON
sequefltly the meeting was the best at
tended that has been held. The chances
of the strike and its effects were discuss
ed at length, but the meeting transacted
bur little business The members say that
the exchange is a unit on he question
of sticking 10 their original determination
TO grant a scale OF from 81 4; to So per
working day of ten hours. At the meet
ing the application Of Mr.. f. w. Cream
er. formerly president Of the ginners' IN
ion, was read and he E,as elected a mem
Der.
. The exchange membels are Of the opin-
ion that for their int lest the strike has
been declared at the best possible time
rs building is now lesstthan at any other
.fme of the year. T1l only men who
might be affected is MIR 3W. Armitage. who
has large contract on hand, but by act
of the exchange passtl some time ago
during the lockout Mr. Armitage was not
bound blythe laws Of the exchange on that
particular job and was granted the privI-
lege of making such terms as he saw fit
Mr.. Steinacker. at Weed building was
not surprised yesterday when the men in
formed him OF their intention TO qui4.
as several days ago he was in receipt Of