Evening star., 1902-09-15
PAINTERS ON STRIKE.
Their Demand for Increase in Pay Not
Granted

sixteen painters, members of Local Union
No "6S of the Brotherhood Of Painters.
Decorators and Psperhangers, and two nom
union painters employed in the repair shop
or the District government, went out on a
strike this morning. Their grievance is that
while private contractors are paying 81 a
day to painters the District is paying but
s2So. The new scale of wages went into
effect September /, and because the Dis
trict government failed to raise the pay OF
the union painters employed by 1t TO the
standard rate the men quit work
About year ago" said Mr. George Sic
ben, financial secretary OF the union. in a
conversation with Star reporter this. af-
ternoon, the union carpenters employed by
the District government asked that their
pay be increased from So. so to $500 for a
day Of eight hours labor. There was con-
siderable correspondence between the Car
penters' Union and the District officials.
the Commissioners finally agreeing that
they would grant the increase If they as
certained that to be the standard rate of
wages. In about one week the District
officials raised the pay Of their carpenters
to that figure.
The painters heard of this and in May
last they demanded that their pay be
raised to the same amount. In a commun:-
cation to the Commissioners the painters
stated that after September | of this year
the standard wage would be 81 a day The
commissioners replied to the unions COM
munlcation by saying that the District
would raise the pay as soon as the employ
ing painters of the city established the new
scale
Nothing more was thought of the mat
ter until the LIST instant when IL was
FOUND that the District government did not
raise the pay Of it's painters to the rate
named. Our union Immediately wrote to
the District officials in reference to the
matter. A few days ago the union received
a reply, in which it was stated that the
District government was unable to grant
the request of the painters as the appro-
prlatlon would not warrant it. and that n
further appropriation could not be secured
until the next session, of Congress
The painters will not suffer in the least
from the strike, for the reason that there
is a great abundance of work i'm the CITY
All the men who quit the District service
TINS morning Were Immediately placed IN
other positions at the standard rate Some
OF the men are receiving as high as s.; 80
per diem with no lay-off days The state
ment by the District officials to the effect
that nearly all the District work is COM
pieted Is absurd. for the reason that as soon
as the school houses are finished the Dis
trict painters start to work on the station
houses. fire engine houses and the market
houses. This work remains yet TO he done -
1t was stated at the District building This
AFTERNOON that the strike will not affect the
work IN hand by the engineer department.
The season for painting and repairing the
schools, 1t is stated, is about finished and
there is little work outside of this remain
ing to be done. 1t was further stated by
the District officials that there were enough
applications on file from workmen to take
the places of the striking painters, and mat
the work would proceed without delay