New-York tribune., 1903-05-02
STRIKERS BIG PARADE.
Little Italy Decked Out IN Holiday
4ttire-20 900 IN Line.

Several thousand Iaborers. the majority Ital-
ians employed IN excavating in various places.
struck yesterday John B. Mcdonald estimat ting
that four thousand Of them were subway work
ers. The subway works was generally affected.
more particularly the northern section Of it. from
FifCy-ninth-st. up. The strike also stopped work
ali over the city where excavations are being
made for the foundations of large buildings.
The strikers had & parade in which twenty
thousand men were estimated to have taken
part and Little Italy was decked out in ho-
day attire.
The strike was ordered on Thursday night by
q new labor organization known as the Rock
men and Excavators' Union, at q meeting at
No. 329 West Fifty-seventh-st The men want
q uniform wage scale Of 50 day, instead Of a
graduated scale OF from 81 - TO 81 10, which
they are getting
Work on the upper section OF the subway was
at a standstiu in the morning. and the same
condition prevailed at intervals on other sec
lions of the subway where excavating is going
or The diggers being idle. the other employees
were forced TO stop work, among them being
The engineers in charge of the apparatus that
hoists dirt and rocks from the excavation, and
their helpers.
All the reserves in the West Side police sta
tions are being held On special duty in case any
Of the strikers should show ugly dispositions
/
however. cid not hang around the places where
they had been al work and no disturbances
were reported TO the police
John B, Mcdonald gave out the following
statement:
We have about six thousand men at work every
dav To-day four thousand Of these are out Ihls
It does not include any Of our skilled men. Ever
since work bessn on the subEay 5S. Ia oE e
want 81 The rockn1en heVe reoelxed . % sI aor
work
While there is little excavating or rock work
70 be completed il the subway, the tying up OF
what remained. Il was admitted, would delay
the completion Of the subway. It was declared
that II would not be difficult TO replace the men
Who are On strike. If they remain out, and it
was intir1ated that they may return 10 work
to-day
Mr. Haywood. Of the Degnon-McLean Con
tracing Company. said that all their excavators
were on strike
But it's Labor Day, you know" he added
and YOU can't tell the results till Tomorrow
The men may be at work tomorrow or they
may stay out. But there is nothing to arbi-
trate If the men want to go out. let them go
We have z lot Of railroad contracts in Mary
land and Virginia and if necessary we can
bring men over from there"
The Degnon- Mclean company has the subway
contract for the sections between Forty y-frst
and Forty-seventh SITS. and between Great
Jones-st and the Battery. About three thou
sand men employed by il were affected by the
strike -,
Between four thousand and i've thousand ltal-
tar Il borers Of all s0rJs We're SAID 10 be on
strike i'm The Bronx The italians WORKING as
ro,.lzypen and digsers in the section OF the tuh-
r7aI for which Rodgers q Son are contractors
omit work as did the laborers WORKING Ior It1e
T-va1Ge Asphalt Company, whose Work on Ihe
C,-ard Concourse was stopped WorkTnen re-
r,af-ing various asphalted roads also struck.