The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-05-01

Il U3 QylN vvO WIN oSISN wv
4 cmployes OF the other places would say
Il that you had bought US for $1,000. and we
A would also feel under obligations to you,
80 you sec we can't take IT,
i From the Docks of New York.
A labor leader OF quite different type
Z from Mr.. Phillips Is james DAILY, the
4 head OF the Dock Builders Union Of New
"A York city. Hc Is rs rough as Phillips
is smooth, and 8makcs no bones OF saying
just how he gains his ends for his men.
liz had 4 chat with him the other day
4 lie, said.
A II represent the men who build tho
docks or New York. We have three
thousand of them in our union and we
\ do practically all the building along tho
Twenty-Five miles Of dock frontage In
New York and Brooklyn. We drive down
piles and fortlfy them with stone, sand
and cement, and we also put down the
caissons or foundations for the big sky
scra pers,"
Does your union control the trnde?"
4 I asked.
4 .Of course, we do" was the reply. "No
has a card from the union. we wont
have non-unon men, and II they arc put
4 on we strike"
4 What are your wages and hours Of
work?'
4 "The lowest wage is So per day OF
z eight hours We have been steadily rnis-
ing wages since we organized and the
4 milllonnires have come to respect us.
4 What do you mean by tho million-
aires?'#'
~ mean our employers, the big con-
tractors oh! they are rare birds When
III was first elected secretary OF the union
( they talked nice to mo. They called mo
Mr.. Daily and said that they hoped we
would have no trouble and that they
would mako 1t worth my While not 10
have any l told them that ] must be
for the union and that l could not be
anything but honest for the men would
n soon find me out Said T: i will do what
can for you. but am for my men all
tho time"
How do you do about raising wages?"
, asked.
That's an easy Job" replied Score
tary DAILY. .but you want TO know how
10 do ii. The way we do is 10 say that
i've will demand bigger wages six months
from now. Suppose 1t Is January, We
,3tnotify the capitalists that we must have
more money after the lst OF June They
think the matter over and conclude 70
: stop It, They fix II SO that they WIN
have but little work on hand June l. ana
} arrange their contracts so that IT would
: not hurt them IL we struck. we know
all about their contracts as well as they
J do and when the time comes we say
nothing about wages. &c just lay low
. and wait until there is big job on hand
worth several hundred thousand dollars
! to the contractors. then we come up with
our old demand for extra wages or no
work"
But don't the contractors obiect?
They salieal of course, but tell them
we notified them in January and thy
thought they could fool us. They now
see that we have the upper ha,ft and
they come down. Oh. 1t is dead easy II
YOU know how TO work
There is no doubt but that many OF
the demands of organized labor are eX,
travagant They may not come from
4 the unions as such, but from union men.
so foolish that they overreach themselves
to their own hurt.
I heard the other night Of two In
. stances In connection with the National
Cash Register Company of Dayton. Ohio
That, company has been noted for Its
Kindness to its men and for the sanitary
condition and conveniences OF Its FAC
. tories. Among other things, 1t has free
bath houses for It's employees, and II had
furnished not only soap and towels, but
/ n certain amount OF time off when man
, could take a bath during working hours
, If he wanted to. AS the union Erow
, strong in the shops Its members hcgpn
to object to trihing things as contrary
! to union rules, and one day complaint
was made as to the bath house. The
3 union complaner said that the mon
!, could not use the baths because the
I, towels were not washed BY union labor,
But said the manager, don't you
know That those towels are washed BY
the widow Of one of our old employees? ?
We pay her Just ms much as we would
+ have 10 pay at any union laundry, She
! Is poor and needs the work, and we!
thought we should like to help her
"That makes no difference, said tho
unionist. 'the woman don't belong to the
J union and we are bound to dry ourselves
on union washed towels
TO this the boss did not reply, and the
mon went away, The next morning there
We're no towels, and when the employees
> asked for them they were told that the
company preferred that every man should
furnish his own towel so that he could
!, have It washed where he pleased,
/, somewhat similar trouble arose later
7 on In regard TO u swinging door between
, two rooms. In one of tho rooms the
| work demanded processes which produced
, certain ill-smellng fumes and the door
! was PIT in for the comfort OF the work-
. men in the room adjoining. One day a
union mechanic employed In this second
room in passing through TO the il7smcll-
> ing place happened to notice that inc
0 hinges on the door were made ny nom
y union labor. a protest was Mt once fled
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