The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-01-09
PLUME. RS DEMAND
EIGHT HOUR DAY
Refusal of Employers Ends in
a Strike.
ELEVEN MEN WALK OUT
Leaving Four Leading Shops
Without Help.
GAVE A BRltF NOTICE
Fight 10 a Finish Apparently
in Prospect
GAVE A BRIEF NOTICE

The members of the Plumbers union Of
this city struck for al eight hour day at
a wage Of $3.50 yesterday morning and
as result eleven plumbers fl the city
are out OF employment and four contract
ing companies VIII be compelled 10 do
several thousand dollars worth OF work
FOR which contracts have been made. with
their force OF skilled labor greatly re-
duced. This VIII result IN 2 great deal
q work IN privats residences being de-
Iayed and wiz prevent some Of the arms
from taking any more 'rush' contracts
The employers affected BY the strike
are Green & HallowelI; Bosworth. Hahn
< Co.. r. r. Moore and J. Dermody.
The strike OF the journeymen plumbers
came as q surprise 10 their employers for
no demand was made for change IN
hours Of labor or II the wage scale until
yesterday morning. The employers ask
ed time 10 consider the matter, but the
members Of the union demanded an i'm
mediate reply ana that being refused they
walked out OF the shops
II the demand OF the union had been
granted It would have meant a decrease
IL The daily work OF one hour and an in
crease in the daily wage OF 50 cents
Those VINO went on the strike are as
follows: william Riley, president; ". v.
Reddersen. vice president; Eugene Free
man. secretary; Adrian Peters. Louis
Clark. Charles Williams, William Adams.
Lon Byrne. Samuel Patton. William
Jones an. Archie Smith. who e at pres
ent employed az PIRATE on a large contract
for Green < Hallowell. Il ne obeyed the
instructions wired to him yesterday morn
ing
The strikers in their battle for shorter
hours and higher wages win no. ask for
any assistance from the central Labor
union. as their union is not sfliated with
the central body. The union IS affiliated
however. with the national organization
OF plumbers. and consequently the striz-
ers fear 10 competition with union plumb
ers who may come to Wichita from otAer
cities
The number Of men each plumbing firm
has lost on account Of the strike is as
follows: Green & HalloEell. 4; r r.
Moore, ); Bosworth. Hahn & Co.. .. :.
Green & Hanowen has served an appren-
ticeship az the trade. however. as have
Mr. Hahn. BIT. Bosworrh. Nj. Moore and
Mr.. Dermody. These employing plumb
ers vii do their own work pending the
settlement oS the strike. with the assist
ance Of the helpers who did not go On q
strike.
The Plumbers union held = melting last
night 10 discuss the situation. SPEAKING
of the strike. Eugene Freeman. the SEQ
rotary Of the union said TO an Eagle r.
porter:
I'VE demanded q our employers that
they reduce lne hours Of a days work
from nine TO eight hours and Increase the
days wage from 500 to S3.5o. The plumb
ers Of this city are paid less than at most
OF the other cities Of the country. Fer
that reason we demanded an increase in
our wages. All the other union labor
OF this city has an eight hour day and
We thought the plumbers were also en-
titled to IT, We cannot call On the Cen
tral Labor union Of this city to assist Us
as We are not affiliated with that body.
we win not use any violence IN case the
EMPLOYERS should put men - work = Our
places
r. r. Moore. one OF the employing
plumbers said TO representative Of the
Eagle last night:
The first knew Of the strike was this
morning when my bookkeeper telephoned
70 me that the men were az The Office ou'
were not et work Immediately vent
down town and when entered my sho1
saw the men within. sitting down
asked thcn what they wanted AMI they
said an eight hour day aud Sa5o for q
DAYS work. told them thsl thought
tat was sudden notice and dia not agree
70 graat th5ir demands
He'd TIE men given Is fair notice
they would have stood better chance a.
having their demands granted They
should have given Us notice IL advance
50 we could base Our future contracts ou
the new scale. The employing plumb
ers VIII nat go IN TIE strikers with q
proposition. they must come 20 Us =
they would resume work 10. We ars
not making shy plans 10 bring men here
from other cities. we VIII dc our oVr
work with what help We have and ths