Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-02
BUILDING TRADES, TROUBLE
BrickIayers Say oFhey Won't Sustain
Hod Carriers in Refusal to
,Arhitrate.
A general lockout in the building trade

A general lockout in the building trades,
somewhat threatening to the Building
Trades council, Is imminent and may be
precipitated before the Aclose of the day.
The trouble comes from the refusal of the
hod carriers unions TO accept the PROPOSE
ton of the employer in regard to the time
the new wage scale shall become effective.
When the scale was proposed in January
the Building Trades council Endorsed 1t
and promised to support the hod carriers
unions in securing the demands. When the
time for enforcing the scale came around
the employers conceded the increased
wages, the other demands were modified by
agreement, but upon the question OF the
time when the new scale would be effective
there was a disagreement and the men quit
work. All other union men employed on
buildings where helpers are required were
forced to quit at the same time, and for two
weeks building operations have been prac-
tically suspended. The employers notified
the men that they must return to work
Wednesday or the promise of increased
wages would be withdrawn. TIL men re-
fused to return unless conceded the time
asked. 80,
Last night a number Of the influential
members of the bricklayers' union at Labor
temple said that the employers had offered
TO leave the question OF time to arbitration
and that this had been refused and that
for this reason the bricklayers would no
longer be bound by the agreement 70 sup
port the hod carriers, as the wages had
been conceded and that was all that the
laborers could ask from the allied trades.
The Building Trades council will meet to-
night, when the question of supporting the
hod carriers In their refusal to arbltrate
will come up. Members of the bricklayers'
union say that the representatives of that
union will never vote to sustain the men,
and that IL the men do not return to work
1t may mean the disruption OF the council,
or II the council should sustain the labor
ers there will be a general lockout.
In addition to this friction between the
hod carriers and the other building trades
unions there comes up a walkout OF cleo
trical workers employed upon work in the
interior OF buildings. TIT men have been
receiving SO per day and now demand 81.
The new scale never was submitted to the
Building Trades council, although the cleo
trical workers have been allied with that
body for about a year. Several members OF
the council from other trades say that the
council will not support the men in this de-
mand, which they consider exorbitant.
All day Wednesday the members of the
Street Railway Employees union voted upon
a proposition to change the rules In re-
gard to the Initiation fee. From the or
Eanization of the union until a few weeks
ago the fee was 81. Later it was raised tc
IS. When the Omaha Street Railway COM
pany took over the Council BLUFFS line q
large number of the men employed upor
that line Joined the union, but there are
still about 125 men on the entire system
who are not in the organization. Recently
about 100 Of them offered to join provideC
they could gain admission at the old rate
The matter has been discussed for som'
time in the union, finally resulting in thu
vote. The exact number of votes cast wal
not given out last night, but the PROPOSE
ton to lower the rate for one day, in ordeI
10 permit the men to Join carried by a ma
iority of about thirty-hye.
As soon as this was known q number o
the members who oppose lowering the rat
declared that It required a two-thirds ma
iority TO make the change. so the matte
was passed to the next regular meeting o
the union, which will be next Wednesday.