The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-08-12
CANT FIND ALLIES
Building Laborers Receive No Sup
port From Other Unions in
Their Strike.
Without a Sympathetic Movement,
the Strikers Can Make but
Little Roadway.

There will be no sympa thetic strike be-
cause 500 building laborers walked out
Aug. 6.
An Intellectual effort was made by a
delegation from the Building Laborers
union last night to induce the stone
masons to strike in sympathy with the
striking laborers. The stonemasons re-
fused to entertain such a proposition and
a delegation from their union will meet
with the bricklayers this evening in an
effort to bring the strike to an end 49,
After the strike began the contractors
offered the striking laborers the scale they
demanded, but the union refused to let
it's men go back until the contractors had
signed the agreement to recognize the
| union, submitted to them the day the
strike was declared. Since this incident
| the stonemasons, bricklayers and other
| union men earning good wages have had
less sympathy than ever for the striking
laborers. Without sympathetic move
ment the laborers cannot hope to accom-
plish much as their places can be taken
! by the ordinary run of unskilled labor that
| the contractors can pick up.
All the big contractors who have had
to go ahead with work have had but lit
tie difficulty in filling the places Of the
strikers. 1t has been the small contrac-
| tors without much resource who have
found it advisable to sign the strikers
! contract.
There is a marked tendency among the
stonemasons, bricklayers and other skilled
| crafts to regard without enthusiasm a
strike declared by unskilled labor when
that strike affects the finances OF the
| higher paid skilled laborers. They do not
| feel that it is fair to expect them to make
a greater financial sacrifice than the
strikers themselves to carry on a tight
started by men who either from choice OF
| +bry thar own limitations have never
| learned a trade.
In attempting to corner the local labor
market the Building Laborers' union has
increased it's membership from 800 to 46O
and from 46o to $50, but H. N Leighton
and John Wunder, whose contracts de-
mand speedy filling, have been able to e
ahead without any appreciate delay while
the other big contractors have done sucf
work as was necessary and are willing tt
wait for the rest of it until men are more
plenty. ..,
The Building Laborers' union has alst
been handicapped by the attitude OF th'
Building Trades Council, with which i
would like to become affiliated. The un1o1
was organized about year ago, ant
when it had a membership OF aabout 3O
early in the spring sent its delegates tt
the Building Trades Council with re
quest for admission. The Building Trades
Council answered that the membership
must be increased to 500. Since the uniol
has grown to that size overtures nav
again been made to the Building Trades
Council, but the union has again beef
told to wait until it's membership is larger
Harlan p Roberts, attorney for the cleo
trical contractors who secured the era!
injunction preventing the Building Trade
Council from interfering with nonuniol
men who have taken strikers places
says that the Cray injunction does no
apply to the present situation, altho h
believes that the contractors affected b!
this strike could obtain an injunction
against the pickets sent out by the. Build
ing Laborers' union. .r 40