Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-08
THE PLUMBERS STRIKE
TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY MEN
OUT OF WORK.
Masters Association Declares It Will
a
Not Recede-Statements Of
the Journeymen.

/
the relations between the striking Journey
| men plumbers and the EMPLOYERS. It is said
| there are nearly 250 members of the local
| )ourneymen's Union and they have all quit
| work, excepting in a few of the smaller
shops. large number of the strikers gath
| ereo at the unions headquarters in the
| Sorcoran building today, and the officers,
ASSISTED py a corps Of secretaries, were
senoing out numerous communications, lie
nature OF which could not be learned.
6otn officers and members Of the execu-
tive committee refused to make any state
ments In regard to the situation today, but
salo they would hold a meeting tonight
ana would talk tomorrow, so at present
no.nlns definite can be stated as to the
| course the men intend to pursue but the
impression given out was that they intend
| quests
from the plumbers local at the meeting
last night denied the recent published
s.ateinenG OF an employer that If helpers
are not allowed they would be compelled to
CHdIse slo day for services. He stated
tnat this Is one of many excuses given by
| the employers for the continuance of the
helper system which. he declared, has be-
come an 1ntolerable evil depriving q large
| number of the craft Of employment
| he stated that under the system COM
| planned Of boy helpers, after having &C
|
| trade, have been substituted for men on
certain classes of work to the serious In
jury OF the Journeymen and which is Of
no material benefit to the boys This, he
Salu Is evident from the fact that twenty
or more boys are employed by some local
| firms at s. and 81 week who can never
| possibly become apprentices, but who, after
| ACQUIRING limited knowledge of the trade,
| hlre TO real estate firms and others at
wages far below the standard rate of the
| efnclent Journeyman plumber
Position Reafarmed
| The Master Plumbers Association at its
regular meeting last night reaffirmed it's
intention OF standing out against the de-
mands OF the journeymen's union to abol-
ISM helpers. They say they have been en-
couraged IN this decision by public opinion
expressed by citizens all over the city as
wen as the Master Builders Association
.vews OF the strike has reached other cities,
WIN the result that flood Of applications
LOT employment by journeymen plumbers
rom out OF town were received by promi-
nent master plumbers
>, work is not plentiful in the plumbing
line In any Of the eastern cities at this
season OF the year, the employers say, and
Workmen are not averse to slipping into
s sn, vacated by strikers when by so
doing they can usually make ARRANGEMENTS
win employers to stand by them for an
entire season.
ar Tae m 3a plumbers Of this city have
strikers until satbfday, April IT, and if t be
men 40 not Teturn to work Monday morn
ing. April If they will declare their posi-
t lions vac vacant and proceed to fill them from
May Leave Town in Search of Work.
1t is understood by the master plumbers
that many IF the journeymen propose mi
grating to other cities, notably Pittsbu-g,
to secure employment while the local strike
G rTay1r
Philadelphia and New York from the Mas
ter Plumbers associations to the Washing
ton association state that no strikers from
Washington will 81 given employment. and.
further. that they have all the men they
want now. The National Association Of
Master Plumbers Of the United States com
prises some 10, 500 members made I'M of
local associations In every CITY Of the
Union. and its motto, that 1.-The injury of
one Is the concern of ALL" Is 'exemplified, it
is declared, by the pro1nptness in which
aid Is given to any local association in dis
treSs. ''. ~ 2 1ti-.'5
In evidence OF the spirit which dominates
the Master Plumbers Association, nine
Teen members volunteered to work as jour-
neymen for local concern which has a
contract for finishing a large apartment
house by certain date. AS work is not
at all plentiful a. this season the employ
ers declare this procedure can be continued
for several months. with the result that
limited contracts can be entirely disposed
OF, and in the meantime they say men
from other cities will gradually take the
places of the strikers
Denial by Employers.
The statement made by the journeymen's
union that the strike was caused by the
bosses being unwilling to pay journeymen
for the work that could be done by ap-
prentices or helpers is denied by the en-
ployers.
boys We're sent out with tools it had the
effect of causing protest by the journey
men employed in the shop and threat to
quit AS the Master Plumbers Association
We're parties to the apprenticeship agree
ment whereby. only two apprentices were
allowed in each shop to work with tools,
any member of the association violating
this agreement was subject to censure or
expulsion by not keeping to the agreement
They also deny the statement that 300 or
more apprentices or helpers were employed
in the place of journeymen, and say there
are not that many working al the business
in the entire city.