Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-01
BUSY SEASON OPENED
UNIONS SHOW BIG GAIN OF MEN
BERSHIP IN CITY.
Architects and Contractors Beginning
to Consider Union Labor in Pre-
paration Of Plans

Organized labor is doing some "SYinting
with pride" in Washington today. Farticu-
larry as to labor conditions in the building
trades, the season for which practically
opens April l. More men engaged in the
building trades in this city are members OF
the various labor organizations than was
ever before the case. These same men are
working shorter hours and getting higher
wages than ever before
To be specific the membership of build
ing trades labor organizations in the Dis
trict of Columbia is 5000. There are twen-
ty-six unions This is a gain of $40 in
membership since last year at this time.
and a gain of five organizations during the
same time.
The unorganized workers in the building
trades in this city number but half the ag-
gregate Of those who are organized. The
interests of these organizations are looked
after by committees and paid business
agents, twelve Of the unions having paid
business agents constantly in the field.
The only specific benefit which the 1st OF
April has brought to the building trades
this year is the peacable accession to the
demands of the stone cutters for an In
crease of so cents day In pay. making the
daily wage of stone cutters $50 from to-
day. A similar increase has been demand
ed by the carpenters organization, to pc
the demand will be granted without con-
test.
There is not man engaged In construct
ing buildings In the District of Columbia
who is working more than eight hours
day. be he "organized or unorganized.
This Is declared by union men to be the
direct result of organization.
An Important Change Of Method.
To a large degree this highly satisfactory
condition is attributed to the adoption Of
new methods within the past year. E. l..
Ratigan, the business agent for the Council
of Allied Building Trades Of the Central
Labor Union, who has been assigned the
duty of putting these new methods into
operation, is enthusiastic in praise Of the
plan.
1--WE go now directly to the man who is
to invest his money in a new building"
Mr.. Ratigan explained to a Star reporter
this afternoon. ut is comparatively SIM
pie to get him to take the right view of
the labor situation. and he simply speci
fies to his architect that in drawing up the
specifications for bids the stipulation be
made that none but union labor shall be
employed.
This places all of the bidders on the
same footing, eliminating any argument
| that might be made by the man who en-
ploys union labor that the non-union con-
tractor had the best of the bidding. and
insures the worker that during the con-
struction of that particular building his po-
sitfon as a union man will not be leopard
lied"
This preliminary understanding with in
vestors is declared to be demonstrating to
architects and contractors generally the ad-
| vantage of making the plan universal and
there are several Of Washington's promi-
nent architects who are inserting the same
stipulation in their specificat lions for bids
even where the matter is not specially
called to their attention by owners.
Particularly gratifying is the feeling
among labor men regarding this plan. since
1t has practically withsteod the test of the
local courts In the Portner flats case The
freproofers made test Of the stipulat ton
above referred to, and Judge Hagner de-
cided that man who was to construct
building had perfect right to stipulate the
character Of the labor he should employ,
whether 1t should be union or non-union
Labor organizers recognize that the great
est difficulty In the past was having the I'M
derstanding as to what their demands were
to be far enough In advance SO that no
harm would be worked to the contractor or
sub-cOntractor.