The age-herald., 1902-05-02
CarpenteBCIaIm Many CONtrac-
 tors Have Signed Scale
NO DEMONSTRATION IN CITY
Thought Matter of Adjusting Differ. ences Will Be Taken Up Today. Thirty Painters Join In
 the Strike.

ter Builders Association in refusing to accede to the demands of the union car penters for an eight-hour day at 30 cents minimum per hour. many of the contrac- tors shut down yesterday.
 The old 30 cent agreement with nine hour day expired April 30 and when the men who had been working for certain contI actors put in an appearance on their Jobs at a. m. they were told that the new scale would not be paid, and that they would have to Hay off,"
 The carpenters were prepared for this decision and packing up their tools, went quietly away. No hostile spirit was re- vealed on the part of contractors or of any of the men. One of the contractors remarked: This Is not strike. It Is sim ply suspension of operations"
 It is not an easy matter to ascertain just how many carpenters are out Of em- ployment on account of the failure of employers and employees to agree on the new scale.
 On Wednesday officers of the Master Builders Association estimated that over GOO carpenters would be idle, but yester- day President Allen J. Krebs said that he thought the number shut out was probably not over 300. MT. Krebs is one of the largest contractors. He Is building the Southern Club and several other handsome houses. and he was employing nearly fifty carpenters.
 About 115 Registered.
 At the headquarters of the carpenters, No. 2o2Slk First avenue. only about 115 had called to sign the register and the register must be signed If men in enforced idleness are to draw strike benefits.
 Mir. J. P. Ogletree. business agent of the union carpanters, was in fine humor and so were the men who congregated there
 This does not look much like strike" said MT. Ogietree. Many of our men who were laid out this morning had no trouble in finding work under other con- tractors who are either not members of the Master Builders Association, or If they be members. are not considering themselves bound by the action of the association. because they agree to our demands. Then, too, the!. s no shut down in Ensley and some of our men found work there. These two facts-em- ployment under contra IS in Birming- ham who accept our terms and employ | ment under contractors in Ensley-ac- count for the comparatively small num- Der Of idle men recorded at headquar- ters. A few more may register this even ming but do not look for the number to reach 150 all told"
 MT. Ogletree pointed to three carpenters who had just come from work on the Woodward building.
 These three men constitute all the car penters' force on the steel frame build ing just now," he said, but next week a force of about twenty-five will be needed and a week later the number will be in- creased to 50. It Is a mistake to think that MT. Griffths, the Chicago contractor putting up the Woodward building, will import union carpenters for this work. He cannot do that so long as there are men to be had here. Moreover he wouldn't t do 1t if he could, for his Chicago carpen- ters get 50 cents an hour and we only ask 35 cents.
 Speaking in all sincerity there Is no bluff on our side, nor Is there any bad feeling anywhere. All the contractors who have been employing union labor will agree to our demands, which we con- tend are moderate and reasonable, but if they put off very long they will not find 1t difficult to get carpenters"
 President Krebs of the Master Builders Association announced last night that the executive board of his association had decided to open headquarters today. MT. A. Stockmar is the chairman. While no steps have been taken for a joint con- ference of representatives of the carpen- ters and the executive board, 1t is thought that the matter of agreeing to terms will be taken up In the next day or two, probably today.
 Painters Are Concerned. Of the hundred or more union painters here, all but thirty or forty were '1aid off" yesterday. Their demands are for all elBnt- HOuT udy dt oo SCiito oh hodi They have been getting only 271s cents for nine-hour day. The painters are not employed by building contractors, but by master painters who are sub-contractors. The Painters Union met yesterday after noon at their headquarters, 20251a First avenue, and discussed the situation. All that was given out for publication was that these master painters had signed the new scale:
 Deckard & Weaver. A. H. Rogers, Ball 6 Frieddell, J. W. Cox, J. F. Brown, John F. Ward, Mayer Brothers, J. O. Burns. Holm & Ogren, W. D. Colby Dec orating Company. H. J. Kile.
 Five or six others are expected to sign today. This would put about all the painters back to work. They expressed themselves as we'll pleased with the out | look