The Hawaiian gazette., 1903-09-22
UNION
q
SERVES ,
. NOTICE
Carpenter Is Or.
dered to Obev
or Quit.

Organized labor unions in Honolulu
have pitted their influence, either di
rectly or indirectly, against Pete
High. the well known contractor an
planning mill man to such an exten
that men who were perfectly con
tented in his employ are alleged t.
have been coerce1 INTO withdrawing
from his payroll.
At a meeting to be held tonight b!
one of the unions antagonistic to Mr.
High, n Portuguese carpenter, who
recently became a union man, will, i
is said face charges preferred by the
union, the intent being to force hin
to leave Peter Highs employ. The
trial, for 1t can be given no other name
is the result of a rupture in the bust
ness relations Of Peter High and sew
eral IF his men about two months
since.
At that time Portuguese. who had
become identified with the carpenters
union, and who had been employed for
a brief period by Mr.. High, came to
his place of business and asked for
work. Mr.. High refused. This was in
list thereupon came upon his business
premises. and also entered the new
Kerr block where Mr.. High was full
filing a contract, and took II upon
himself to threaten other Portuguese
workmen. claiming that If they did
not cult work and join the union, that
after completing the Kerr job, Mr..
High would be unable to get any more
then be without work. In short, the
self-appointed walking delegate gave
out the alternative-join the union, or
stand ready to lose your job.
The threat had it's effect. for it
scared three Portuguese workmen into
quitting their Jobs at noon. but not
without the talking delegate hav-
ing spent the entire forenoon arguing
18th them and occasionally standing
on the sidewalk opposite the Kerr
block and shaking his fist at the work.
men.
The three Portuguese were promised
that if they Joined the union they
would he certain of obtaining steady
work. Two of them Joined and neither
has had steady work from the union
yet. whereas. If they had remained
with Mr. High they would still be
working six days in the week as be-
fore. One of them is now driving an
ice-wagon. not a union job. and the
other managed to get a short job on
his own account on the new Holy |
Ghost chapel on Punchbowl.
Recently this CARPENTER was re-em- |
ployed by Mr.. High. and again the
union stepped in and interposed an OBJ
lection to their union man working on
Mr. Highs schedule of hours They
wanted an S-hour dav or thew would
take the man out of his emplov. 1t
seems that Mr.. High works nine hours
n dav but offsets this by figuring up
fftv hours work per week as against
IS hours per week as arranged by the
union. Mr.. High brings his schedule
hv having the men for six days work.
giving them half of Saturday This
1educts four hours from the total of
ffty-four leaving 1t at fifty hours. or
two hours more than the union will
stand for. Practically thew make their
on twenty minutes overtime
zach dav.
The Portuguese kept on with his
work and he thereupor received a
,urt notice from the officers of the
inlon compelling his attendance at a
Meeting of the union to be held tonight
md the alternative To his comnving
With this order. which was added in
postscript. is the wiping of his name
rom the register as a union laborer.
which implies a boycott on him for
he future.
Another union carpenter. white
nan. recently came to Mr.. High ask
ng for employment. Mr. High ex- I
'ained his system Of working hours +,
he man felt that the union would not
Undertake to have him work on his '
chedule, whereupon, Mr.. High offered
o pay him satisfactory wages with
vertime. If he would work the nine I
ours per day. deducting time on Sat- :,
rdays. The carpenter laid the propo- .
ition before the union council, and
e was notified that he could not ac-
ept it, and the carpenters chance for
ming wages at his trade fell A
trough.
1.-THE situation Is this" says Mr..
Ugh: "the American laborer, and this r
lcludes Hawaiians and Portuguese,
lust recognize the force which COM
ay. They don't seem to take into
the fact that Japanese
nd Chinese contractors and workmen
re cutting In on every job possible,
nd they work, ten, eleven or twelve
ours day IL necessary and we've got
} counterfeit these people, and It's Sc
read in the Americans mouth to 7,
ok Mt this matter in a commonsense ,
ay." C