The Saint Paul globe., 1902-05-17

SteamtItterS' Helpers .........s......s 1Zo
alnJefS ....-... .-....................s ZUU
Stonemasons Helpers ................ Z7s
Sheet Metal Workers ................, go
Team Drivers and Team Owners. $50
LatherS .......- OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. I5O
PIasterers ...... .................... zoo
Furnace Workers ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS IsO
Roustabouts ... ,.............. 800
Total number to he affected by ,t
strike ........ ..-................ 459O
Should AL of the above list be called
out it is probable that there will be
strike benefits to the amount TO $4,000
paid out daily, and as the labor organ
izations are all in a fourishing condi-
ton financially, this plan could be car
ried on for several weeks without affect
ing their financial standing. Further
more, every union has the backing of its
international organization, which means
that the St Paul union could go on
strike for the remainder of it's natural
life, if need be. =' fF@s
Labor Men Not Worrying.
Prominent labor men do not seem to
consider the strike question in a serious
light, but are rather inclined to treat
the matter as a huge joke. They do not
figure that their men will be entirely
out of work for there will be various
odd jobs that come from other sources
than the Builders Exchange. With the
small sums the men can earn in this
way it is figured that they should get
along very nicely with their strike ben
efits.
There are also a number of contractors
that are not affiliated with the Builders
Exchange, and it is thought that there
will be many more before another week
has rolled around, as the non-union con-
tractors will have a decided advantage.
Everyone knows that a strike is in
progress, and that it is impossible for
a contractor affiliated with the Builders
Exchange to hire men, hence if a man
wants a certain piece of work completed
any time between now and fall, he must
almost of necessity let the job to a nom
union contractor. or one not affiliated
with the Builders Exchange.
One labor man even remarked that he
would not be at all surprised if another
organization of contractors sprang up,
the same as in Chicago during the labor
| troubles there two years ago, and in
that case the men would not be out of
wcrk at all, as the contractors affiliated
with the new organization would get all
the work, and those affiliated with the
exchange would evidently have to post :
pone operations for a time at least.
Contractors Also SanguiRs.
However, the contractors appear very
| sanguine and announce that they, also
are not worried about the strike ques-
| ton, although the delay is losing them
| hundreds of dollars every day. They
assert that they have men on the way
| to st. Paul to fill the jobs made vacant
| by the strikers, and that they will get
| the work done somehow. They admit
| that they can ill-afford to brook the de-
| Law m the bo
it is a matter of principle with them,
and that if they give in this time, they
might as well admit that the Building
Trades Council is in a position to dictate
terms, and voluntarily quit business.
The Building Trades Council is the
| one disturbing feature and both sides
| are fighting over the council with much
the same tenacity that two dogs would
| employ in settling a dispute over a
fresh piece of beefsteak 1t is a uues-
| ton of principle and Of the mode of pro-
| cedure IN the future, and both points
| are of the utmost Importance to the
| contractors union and to the union of
| the laboring man. All arguments ad-
| Vanced by either side eventually returns
| to this one point Of contention, and it
| is no nearer settled today than it was
| ten days ago.
| I'VE cannot recognize the Building
| Trades Council" says the contractor,
| "eevn though we would like to, for it
| would establish a bad precedent and in
| time prove ruinous to our interests.
! When we have difficulties to settle with
| the engineer we will settle them with
| the engineer and not with a committee
composed of one engineer, a stonemason,
! a steamf1tter and a like personnel. What
do those men know about engineering?
| Absolutely nothing"
/
| But the workingman takes the other
side, and in a very convincing manner,
| at that He retaliates by charging the
contractor with base intentions. "Why
| it would be equal to self-destruction on
| our part" says he, "to allow this point
to go by default Why not let some
! foreign country refuse recognition to
our national government, and assert
automatically that she would do bust
| ness with each state separately when
| she had any to transact. Just as much
sense in it, isn't there? They simply
! wish to dissolve the head of our govern
ment, and, mind you, that if we gave
| in on this point, how long would it be
before the contractor would say, We
won't deal with the Carpenters union
! we will deal with the carpenter himself?
1t would come to that just as sure as
anything in the world. First, they would
| break up our head government, then
they would destroy the sub or individual
government and deal with the laboring
man as an individual, and he could take
the best he could get Another feature
of the case that makes it impossible
! for us to concede the point is that they
| would whip the smaller unions to a fin
| ish. Even if they could be compelled
to yield to the stronger union, what
| would the weaker one do if there were
no central government? 1t could accept
/ a. hot 7+,.oo Taf,