Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-01

"The coal strike and other recent occur
rences in labor circles call up phase OF
the question of organized labor which is OF
interest to all members of these organized
bodies, as well as to the public, in sue
cinctly showing what has been accomplish
ed as regards the reduction of the hours of
labor. the regulation of wages, Improvement
of the condition of the men, ETC., within
recent years. said prominent member
Of one Of the unions of this city to Star
reporter this morning
II have compiled and arranged for Ihe
Star these facts briefly in such form,
| union by union, that the results may be
seen at a glance. and they may be taken
as accurate. The progress OF organized
labor within the past ten years ma mas 6een
remarkable, and the readers OF The star
who are members of the respective trades
unions in this city will find much cause for
congratulation in short review.
IF the hours of labor could be reduced
without resorting to strikes on the part
of the workmen one Of the great steps TO-
ward the solution Of the problem OF labor
and it's relation to capital would be reached
The hours of labor in all classes OF WORK
have always been, and are still, too long
in many branches of trade and in the varl-
Gus manual occupations For local IN
stance it will be recalled in a recent rail-
ROAD dCClUenl, happening siiS iiAAi.e1
of the District in which the lives OF the
engineer and fireman were sacrlnced, the
operator of the switch test1ned tnat ne
worked twelve hours day. In the recent
street railroad strike in New Orleans, which
tied up the traffic for several weeks, one
of the grievances of the men was that they
worked too long hours, and they demanded
that the maximum working day be hXed at
ten hours which is surely a just anu led-
sonab!e stipulation.
Going back decades ago, when men were
expected to labor from daylight TO DARK, II
is a repetition of the same od story tmal
shortened hours have resulted only aIter
persistent and prolonged struggles between
the employed and the employer Whie
voluntary increases Of wages nave peeii
noted in some instances, the employers OIL
labor have as a rule. declined to make
any voluntary concession in shortening the
working day, and it has been accomplished
only after long years of contests ana IN
Vulnerable strikes in all trades ana occu-
pations all over this country and the word:
"Workmen work with Will during snort
hours and do more and better work than
in long hours. Eight hours are long enough
for any man to labor. whether mehtally
or manually. out of the twenty-four. A
working day of ten hours in this generation
is much too long, and when II comes 10
twelve it Is little short of actual cruelty
to expect flesh and blood to keep it up day
after day wear after year. Yet railroad
men and others who work these unnatural
hours are personally held responsible for
errors. o,,o
and for railroad men, conductors, motor
men ETC. such a day. is falr demand
The time will come when the elgnt ana tne
nine-hour day of regular work Will De prac-
ticalIy universal in all callings, but 1t won
he in this decade The hours of the clerks
in retail stores in cities are too long Ihese
workers have not perfected an orsaElzalioli
in most places as complete as nave the men
in the trades Clerks In dry goods stores,
oto nr)a AVERAGE OF ten HOuIS
day, with thirteen hours on SATURDAY, wien
closing at o'clock, and ffteen hours "nen
closing at Ii. 1t is these terrific Strains
upon human endurance in close, Vltlated
atmosphere that makes the young oid ana
puts the old out of business. and IN the
outdoor pursuits, such as switchmen, signal
tower men and others. causes the desire "
sIeep to become empowering
What Various Unions Have Done.
Here is a concise resume OF what mas
been accomplished by some OF the unions
affiliated with the American Federation OIL
Labor to better the condition OF the men:
svThe International Association or Ma
chinists was organized in Atlanta, Ga
Nav x 1885, bv five machinists in rail-
road shop Today the association consists
of over 500 lodges, representing every state
in the Union, and also canada. us Ju[ls-
diction covers 1nachinists in all oranches
of ma chine rnanufa cturing. The hours nave
haen materially reduced. the association
numbers over 10000 members the wages
have increased % per cent since 1922 anu
the association has PAID IN single year
slGS 600 in strike benefits.
.IThe International Union of Steam En-
| eineers was organized December Z, 1895.
II was quite common for an engineer TO
work twelve hours ana 10 longer Jay t1 u
| anywhere from ST and $40 week, Wmle
| s12 was considered good pay. Since union
| organization the prevailing rate OF wages
| is from 25 to 125 per cent higher, the eight
01,t iy,nI In q
| MANY places, in some instances by strikes
| and in others by conferences. Inc moist
| ing engineers have endeavored to enforce
| the eight-hour day and minimum scale
of 55 cents an hour with good success.
.1T,he International Brotherhood of Black
smiths was organized at Atlanta, Ga, in
| 1889. Their efforts to secure nine hours
! have resulted in great benent to the asso-
| ciation MANY nine-hour contracts having
| heen made during the year, while the
| chances for obtaining better conditions,
| higher wages and shorter hours have been
increased 800 per cent SINCE the orgall t4st
are employed in railroad shops, shipyards,
machine shops and elsewhere:
| srThe international Brotherhood of Sta
| tionary Firemen was ORGANIZED IN 1915 oy
| bershfn of over 10, 600. One-half of the en-
| tire membership is now working an eight
| hour day. the men receiving more pay per
day than they received eelore orga M,
| MANY of the men worked fourteen and ff-
teen hours day.
Other Instances of Improvement.
1.-THE first union of the Wire Weavers
| Association dates back to 1858. This union
is very successful one. The association
is viewed with favor by the employers, as
1t maintains an equal wage scale and equal
ity in every feature connected with the
| trade throughout the United States, thus
placing all firms upon an equal footing.
1.-THE International Longshoremen's Asso
| citation was organized in Detroit in 1892
| There are now 326 local unions and O.
these 1913 are on the. great lakes The
| mems wages have been increased 100 pei
cent, the hours greatly decreased and the
| organization is in1mest cases recognized b!
| the EMPLOYER The loading and unloading
of all vessels on the great lakes engaged
in CARRYING coal, Iron ore and lumber !!
practically controlled by the association.
1.-THE powder and high explosive workers
organized a union in 1891 and in som
localities have received an advance of il
and II per cent in wages, as we'll as othe
advantages. j.
THE Table Knife Grinders Nationa
Union was organized at New Haven, Conn.
in 1885, giving the union control of tn
| grinders in all of the principal table knit
| cutleries in the country. The men wer
formerly grinding knives at 16 cents pc
| dnzap while thew receive 25 cents ar DreS