The sun., 1903-10-18
UNIONS CONTROL BY FEES.
CLOSE CORPORATION METHODS
ARE EMPLOY ED.
Initiation Fees Raised 10 Keep Out Men
Not Desired as Members II They Are
Able 10 Raise the Money, Ranks Are
FuIl-IrOncIad Rules for Apprentices.


in this city is the system of "cose corpora
, ton methods employed by certain unions
This is accomplished by restriction of APP
premiership, raising of initiation fees or
the "clc sing of the unions books
Tie most recent case of a urion raising
its initiat ion fees to what would be regarded
as prohibitive figure 10 many worknen
il the Musical Mutual Protective Union.
Its regular fec for many years was go
+ which recently has been advanced to slW'
The reason given out for this advance Is
that it is necessary in order to maintain the
standard of music. A member of the union
said yesterday:
I'll the books of the union were thrown
open TO every one, men who could only
fiddle little could become members. In
| order to keep up the standard each MEM
Der must pass an examination as to Ell
! ficiency. Ills prevents the orchestras ana
bands from being overrun with incom-
petent men,
On the other hand, the employers say
! that the high initiation fee bars out COM
petent musicians, some of whom have
ability Of high order,
Among the hundreds of thousand of i'm
migrants who come annually to this country
there are many musicians OF ability
who are not able to spare the money for
initltion fees required by the NJ. NJ. p. L.
"TEis is distinct loss to the music loving
community" said an employer. Most
of these men will come to the front event
ually, but it will be after many years of dis
couragement and they will have to fight
every inch Of the way
Among the unions which have prohibitive
initiation fees are the tile layers helpers
union, the Electrical Workers Helpers
and the Marble Workers unions, The
initiation fee for each is 500,
In the case of the tile layers helpers
union, whose official title is the Hexagon
Labor Club, the helpers are apprentices
who hope after a while to become Journey
men. The high initiation fee, of course,
limits the number of apprentices. Some
of the helpers, whose regular wages are
So a day, are gray haired before they get
chance to become journeymen. The
wages Of the tile layers, whose ranks are
recruited from the helpers. are SIS day,
but they often command higher wages,
The tile layers and helpers have an alb
solute monopoly of the trade throughout
the country There are only 700 of them
altogether, and about 500 of them are in
New York.
Recently the Tile Layers Union signed
the arbitration agreement Of the Employ
ers Association, and the helpers are repre-
sented in this agreement through the Jour
neymen, but the initiation fee remains the
same.
In the case of the electrical workers the
journeymen and helpers do not form such
close corporation as the tile layers and
helpers, but the imitation fee of 500 Keeps
many people out. The electrical workers,
whose helpers are part Of ther union, are
organized as Electrical Workers Union
No.3
The most striking instance of the tendency
of unions to form close corporations was
furnished about ten years ago by the unions
in the marble trades At that time num-
ber OF Bohemians came here who were
skilled marble workers, especially in cary
ing, but they We're driven by strikes
from every large building on which they
found work
They formed union of their own, but
could not command the regular wages.
as the old Marble Workers Union was
fIiliated with the Board of Walking Dele
gates, which preceded the Board of Build
Ing Trades. and general strikes were ordered
by the board on every building where
he Bohemian marble workers were en-
ploved. They could only get work with
the speculative builders, and while they
were working for 81 and 50 a week men
with no more skill. and some with less, who
belonged to the union were receiving 1880
and 81 a day
After a number of strikes had taken
place the employers intertered and an
arrangement was made to take the Bohe-
mians into the English speaking union.
The init iation fee was $25, but when the
Bohemians came with the money they
were told that the price had gone up to $50.
A large number of the Bohemians, who
were thrifty people. managed to raise the
money for this fee. but We're told that the
price had been raised to s75. The Bohe-
rnians saved up SIS, and the price of initia-
ton rose 10 500, When they got that
much together they We're told that the
books of the English speaking union We're
CLOSED to new members.
.Journeymen s'onCc ltterS are now on
trike on two buildings against members
of the new unions formed under the at
spices Of the e employers and have decided
| not to sign the arbitration agreement. indi-
yiduallv or collectively They have an
agreement with the Employing Stone
Cutters Association. by which they comrtl
the trade within certain raGnlS If New
Nork which members of the EMPLOYERS
association rhfer to as The Blue Circle.
No stone can br handled within that rae ius
bv any btit a men ber Of the JOurneymen
stone q ltter- Union. who can. f they wish,
lie up all the ~tonecltting trad a IN the city.
The master s'On'c ltters are not in the
q 0ploypr} association, and the latter,
IN .rcfCr. cannot bring any pressure on
the master son, itters.
Nc~t unions have ircnclad rules regu-
l,,ing the number of apprent ices TO every
i,urrevman making il hard work for
our sderS to get into trades.