The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-01-02
LABOR AGAINST CAPITAL.
Loss of the Building Trades
Council of Chicago.

CHICAGO. San. 2-Chicago is just end
ing one Of The most disastrous conflicts
between labor and capital known to my
municipality in the United States. Stats
tics al hand. gathered from twenty-one
leading architects Of the city and ten rep
resentatives of large building corpora
tions. show that in the fifteen months Of
this conflict labor lost more than $50, 00o,-
600 in wages. building contractors more
than S75 600 in profits, and material
supply men SIS 600 900 through stock IN
sold. The retail business Of this city has
been practically stagnant for fifteen
months.
Or October /, 1899, the Building Trades
Council of Chicago, EepreseLt ting part OF
the union labor of this city, engaged IN
building work. ordered a strike, on ac-
count Of differences existing between it
and the Building Contractors Council.
These differences related, not to the scale
Of wages paid, as they were very high,
but TO the right Of the Building Trades
Council to order a sympathetic strike at
any time. the rights OF walking delegates,
the rights OF apprentices in the plump
ing trade, and similar questions.
The Building Trades Council was con-
JrOlled al the outset Of the strike by
set Of politicians The Building Coutrac-
tors Council was regulated by some we'll
meaning men and by some VINO meant
well, were exceedingly sJih-necked. The
.wo bodies could not get together, and the
strike followed. Politics was rapidly in
PRODUCED in its progress. When the strike
was declared the highest rate OF wage paid
10 any laborer in the building trades was
8 per day of eight hours. The lowest
. - I1Er in he
building trades was $2-25 per day The
average was about Sc per day OF eight
hours
The total number Of members Of the
Building Trades Council on October /,
1883 was % 453. The total number Of
union men Of the building trades in the
city 81 That tine and not affiliated with
the Building Trades Council was 20. 40
There were also employed besides these
TWO classes 3. I1Z EOn-union men. The to
tai number Of building trades workInen and
nol-unICu building trades woTknen in the
city was IS. 7S5. The value OF the building
Il progress in this city on October !, 1899,
was 80 GOO 900. By January : 1900 the
value Of the building IN progress had
shrunk TO s. 500 600, and the amount Of
building work planned but stopped on &C
count OF the strike was $50. 600 600.
During the fifteen months of the strike
five persons were killed and POI assault ed
and more or less seriously Injured The
assaults were usually made by union men
upon uOu-union men. For a time the 20
lice force of the city appeared 20 act IN
harmony with the strikers. but this merely
aggravated the situation. as the general
public was not only paying the salaries
of the police force but was also paying
in another way tor the suspended build
/, ing operations Finally the political Off
GERS Of the Building Trades Council were
I 80 arr..,r
affiliated with it withdrew and are now
making their peace with the contra ctors
and resuming work
The membership Of the Building Trades
/ Council has diminished from 26,453 to
! 8, 335. There are now IN this city $500
union men engaged in the building trades
but not affiliated with the council There
have left the city to seek work in other
places II, $50 men. AS most Of these de-
partures have an average OF three persons
dependent Upon them and their labor it
is estimated that in all nearly 81 GOO per-
sons have left this city on account Of the
strike.
As to the cost to labor and capital Of
the strike the following table gives ap-
proximate figures:
Fifty-eieht thousand workingmen at
an average wage Of , per day,
twenty days work per month for
fifteen months $1,000 600
loss 10 contractors in prohts----.--. 100000
Loss 10 real estate. merchants etc. 100000
The value Of the amount Of building
operations suspended during the
year 1900 Is placed at-------------- I2I OoO,O10
The amount Of building in progress at
the present time Is valued at------ 10000
The individual unions engaged in the
building trades are now making their own
agreements with The contractors and are
resuming work The withdrawal last week
from the Building Trades Council Of the
Hold Carriers Union, numbering about
600 men. marks the end of the strike.
Not one OF the questions for which the
strike was precipitated has been settled
by The council