The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-11
INSTALLED LABOR PAID BEST.
,,,,rD TRADES LEFT BEHIND
~ THE RAIDS on CAPITAL.
,,or.rs, I aborers 81. II Day and Want
uorct Mon Carpenters - and $40
ps,-M asons' LabOrers $3.50 10 -
nu,,dinS Board the Force That Did II.

r,oet impressive is The great ulspropor-
=, tho wages paid to unskilled labor and
Inc of rhc more highly skilled trades.
rlj. was never fully realized by many Ok
.haemDloyers until the partial disintegratlon
". " ,bo BOARD of Building Trades divided
.Liled and unskilled labor
Tintbe shutdown in the lumber and build
T.. material wards took place this spring
,h7 poard of Building Trades was the strong
w, CENTRAL BODY of building trades unions
y ,ho United States. 1t contained all OF
~, slill,i building trades except one or
Wv, vbich we're never affiliated with local
,or,ral body, and large array OF unions
=, rrski,led labor which were carried on
ho sboullers of the unions OF skilled me-
.h,,;cs The board was an aggressive
90, protective organization, and the wage
y, nrskilled ahOrers were forced up so
.;-b by the help Of the unions OF skilled
,.14,s with which they were allied that they
roro higher than the wages paid in many
. ,bo most highly skilled trades outside
=, ,bjs fighting body, and higher than the
,,ces Of mechanics in centres outside OF
New York.
The most notable case OF this kind was
that of the pasterers and the plasterers
,,bornrs The plasterers have always been
wall orpani2ed, and when they forced an
ADVANCE IN wages they invariably pulled
IN the wages of their aborers. who were
formerly the Eod carriers.
In the last four or five years the plas-
tsrers have annually exacted higher wages.
nsrands from their laborers always fol-
loved, and as the plasterers would not work
vi,honv other laborers than members OF the
p ,s,erers Laborers' Union these demands
slways were granted till this year.
In the early part of this season the pias-
tarcrs' laborers made their demands about
tho same time rs the plasterers. They
were receiving s. day and demanded
$50 Tn" employers refused to pay this,
and the laborers went on strike. The en-
nIoyng plasterers finally granted the de-
mapds But in the meantime the plasterers
demandei s. day. and some OF the en-
ployeys paid it. The laborers then refused
10 siru the customary yearly agreement,
evidently intending to profit by the success
Of the plasterers and demand ss75 or ii
day.
The employers were astounded. There
could scarcely be any trade in which less skill
isnacc s,rv than these laborers require. The
mortar comes ready mixed by firms which
have made speciality of building supplies.
All the laborers had to do was to wet it,
stir it I'D with their shovels and then load
il in the derrick buckets. 1t was hoisted
by machinery managed by the Portable
Hosting En- giueers The laborers were not
Obliged to carry it up in hods, as they did
When their wages were from $l.5O 10 y a
The EMPLOYERS fatty refused to have any
thirp TO do with the laborers until they
siyrol the agreement, ard they remained
on, strike, The plastercrs signed the arbi-
tra,ion agreement of the Employers Asso-
citation and agreed to work with a new
III ion of laborers with which the employers
made an agreement at wages OF - day.
Til, aborers were caught III their OWL. trap.
After some i,ne it was agreed TO take them
back az ST.. 25 a day. Incidentally II may be
said that many Of them are now working
for ,ower wages.
Another distance of the forcing up Of
wages was the case of the house caTpen-
te,s. With each new development OF labor
saving machinery in cabinet making
thousands of cabinet makers are driven
out of work and Join the ranks OF the house
carpenters, So it has come about that
only one carpenter out Of three can find
steady employment. These work at any
kind Of wages from $3.50 and 50 DAY up:
Members Of the Amalgan ated Society OF
Carpenters, however, through their ami
ton with the Board of Building Trades,
have TO receive 81 and $3.50 a day. The
caLinet making trade, which re Iuires the
highest degree of skill and takes five or
six wears to learn, commands much lower
paw The regular wages OF cabinet makers
are about sis a week, and some men VINO
are working for these wages are most
highly skilled artisans.
The masors' laborers who supply mortar
to the brickayers and do nothing more,
have been earning from 81 80 10 % Gay
the wages of skilled mechanics In other
cities; and if the present disturbances In
the building trades had not taken place,
would have been asking still higher wages
before this time. Till recently the House
Shorers and Movers Union had succeeded
in forcing up the wages OF the laborers
composing it to 50 day. As to the ski! lied
and s.mi-skilled workers in the Board OF
Building Trades, their wages nave been
in number of cases proportioned 10 the
demand for men. The bricklayers, get
6j cents an hour or S.. 20 for an eight hour
day, while the wages OF the derricKmen !,
a more highly skilled trade, are only. Is 80
a day. The wages of the portable host
ing engineers have been only u day.
This il also highly skilled trade.
BIZ, the best known instance OF forcing up
wages i that of Sam Parks housesmiths'
union. The first union of structural iron
workers struck for 50 a day eight or ten years
eye, and lost the strike. Later it lost an
other strike, and then Parks reorganized
i. The union wages are now 81 90 day.
the Park lockouts have done it. These
wage. continue, though in recent years the
riyeng is done by machinery, and few
highly skilled men are needed. Daring
and a sort Of sIllful use Of physical strength
are the main requirements.
At employer pointed out Yesterday the
disparity Of wages in the skilled building
trades and the skilled shop trades not
boI-terod up hy a fighting organization
Ilnathe Board of Building Trades.
For many years" he said, the Board Of
Building Trades was able to force up wages.
But IN the shop trades unions have not the
sam" power, for the never ending intro
dl'cinn of labor saving machinery, which
u!'r.Gccs men every year or two, weakens
their resources. For instance, the piano
caryor,, whose trade is highly skilled,
remain at wages from SIS to ST. or slS a
week, though some obtain more. These
wage were considered good ten or twelve
year, agO. There are comparatively few
goa toa'cr~ in the country, yet their wages
90 not average more than SIS a week, and
i l. one # the most highly skilled trades
hhowr. Iigar making may be regarded
a a skilled trade, yet the cigarmakers dc
NOT earn, on an average, anything like the
wages If the laborers in the building trades
| could point to many skilled trades the
wage" In which are far below those OF la
borrr- in the building trades.
TEMPERANCE THEIR SLOGAN