Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-04-25
Carpenters Object to the Use of
 the Reference Card.
$50 MEN REFUSE TO WORK.

Card Looks Like and the Code of
 Reference That Follows It-Rules
 Which Were to Go into Force on the First of May.
 The Carpenters and Joiners' union held a special meeting last night in their hall on South Main street, and listened to the report of the committee sent out to endeavor to adjust the diff ference between the union and the Master Builders association regarding the reference card, which appears 10 ba creating considerable trouble all hyer the state. The committee report Jed that they had held several confer- ences with Edward 10. Wilson, J. J. MacauIey and John Mraz, committee representing the master builders, ouC had failed to agree upon anything den- mite. They also reported that the com mittee from the master builders hau promised to submit communication fa he acted upon at the session held last night. but that no such document had been received. This was looked A1non as direct slap i'll the face, ana Naturally the men felt hurt over 1t and decided to remain out until some under 4tanding had been reached concerning Eha whole matter. The press commit fee issued the following statement:
 "All members of the Carpenters ana Moiners' union who are Worklng IoI members Of the Builders Interstate as jsociation will report at our hall at . lo'clock this morning (Saturday) anu / will remain from work until the nlat Y o1sSe iS ISnti2fAG- torily settled. Everything possible has been done by the union to effect sci clement! Some time ago committee was appointed to oconfer with the master ahuilders to settle the matter, because some members had been refused JoDs because they did not have the cards, and we thought it time to take acton. "The committee met the bosses ana no definite answer was given them, ana they requested the bosses to give them an answer by the following Tuesday (they met on Friday) Tuesday nlght the answer was the same. to wit: That Inc master builders were obliged, ac- cording to the laws of their association, to enforce the use of the so-called~ ref erence cards under penalty of a fine. The committee then submitted It's re- Dort at the next meeting of the union and were then given full power to set tie the matter"
 The men assembled in their meeting gplace this morning and appeared even more determined not to return to work ] than they were last night, so that un- less the bosses recede from the posi- tiOn they have taken Waterbury may bid goodbye to building for this year, and in a few days every joiner, mason, \ ,,Jy nfh f-6n erative in town will be on strike or thrown into temporary idleness on ac- count of the tie-up which is sure to fol- flow a refusal of the carpenters and (ioiners to continue operations.
 Business Agent T. G. Smith of the llCarptenters' and Joiners' union ex- lplained the situation to a Democrat re- borter as followsa ..Some time ago we &igned an agreement with the kiaster Builders association to last Tor a year from the first of next May, Aand we supposed that that would in fsure at least one years work in Water Rbury free from labor trouble so far as i've were concerned. The contract con Mained nothing about the reference &ard which has been thrust upon us, Gand we knew nothing of it until few Nweeks ago, when some of our men got ' through where they had been working and wanted to change. When they called upon other builders they were informed that they could not be em- ployed unless they had reference cards. The matter was brought to the atteI- ton of the union and after a little con- sideration we saw that it was plain violation of our contract and We re 4 fused to have anything to do with it. K1. f4,s 1n and went about straightening out the snarl by appointing a committee to talk the matter over with the employers They also referred it to a committee and after going over the ground We flaw that no settlement could be
 oached. Then we prepared an agree
 nent and sought to have it signed by
 he employers, but this didn't amount so anything, either"
 The following is a copy of the agree ment submitted to the bosses:
 Waterbury. April, 1903.
 We, the master carpenters of Wa herbury, Conn, do hereby agree that in 2 future we will employ members of the Carpenters union, regardless of the so.
 called reference card issued by the In.
 terstafe Builders association
 trhis agreement was given to the
 master builders to sign on Thursday
 morning, and they were given until , Q. m. yesterday to.do so. Our business agent called upon the master builders committee yesterday and endeavored 10 have the matter settled and the com mfttee promised to send us 2 communi cation last night They did not do so i We think we have been very fair in the matter and do not see the necessity fol
 tlle cards, as we think them an official
 blacklist.
 '.NNe are not violating our agreement hut we do think the master builders
 ire violating theirs in trying to insert
 condition into an agreement whicl has been already signed"
 Continuing, Mir Smith said: "Con tractor Ashborn. who is building tht Jchurch in Wateryille. came in thit ] morning and signed it and his mer
 went to work. We have no desire tt
 precipitate protracted strike ant
 yielded some things which we though