New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-06-28
MAY TIE UP SUBWAY WORK
BRICKLAYER4S ARE RE4DY.
Would Break Agreement-Couldn't
DO Much Harm, Says Mcdonald.

strike among the brickIayers working on
the subway is likely unless the sub-contractors
raise the wage scale from 60 to 20 cents an
hour. A strike at this time would make It al
most impossible TO open the subway for traffic
in the fall. The bricklayers. perhaps better than
outsiders. know that August Belmont Is plan
ming to open the tunnel for traffic on September
l. They have been waiting for official
nouncement. Mr.. Belmont would not make such
an announcement. because he discovered that the
bricklayers would at once make their demand
for an advance in wages. the refusal Of which
would be followed by strike.
It has been a case Of jockeying by both sides
for the last six months. The brcklayers seem
to have seized the psychological moment ir
the history OF the tunnel TO plan their battle for
an advance in wages. The contractors have
managed only by the exercise Of the greatest
patience and skill to keep the importunate ham
dlers Of the trowel IT work Now there is only
eight weeks more of work. The bricklayers have
decided that if they going 10 strike at all
they must do so at once.
At present the brick work In the subway is
perhaps costing more than simila: work on a
large JON ever cost. The men are receiving 90
cents an hour 2n an eight hnIr basis For over
time Saturday afternoon ana Sunday work
double time IS haIsed. or AZ the rate Of 81 20
aA hour.
The bricklayers are working q hard and
~hrewd game on u.s. said one OF the contractors
yesterday. They soldier on their work during
the regular hours OF labor. thus making the
progress ridiculously slow. This plan. followed
up all along the line has made it necessary for
the contractors to order lot of extra time
work This we have to pay for at th- rate of
81 20 an hour. Now they informally demand
20 cents an hour. This would make it possible
for an ablebolIed bricklayer to get in a bill for
fancy wages by working four hours over
time the days wage would amount TO $11 20.
and by working eight hours aftec l. o'clock
Saturday, as some Of them do. the wage would
be SIG 50 for Saturdays work. This is such "a
stiff price for labor that the contractors Will
lose money on the brC!work."
There are about one thousand brickayers ar
york in The subway, including those
the power plant at Eeventh-ave. and Fifty
eighth-st. At the office Of the chief engineer
of the Rapid Transit Commission yesterday it
was said that the subway officials in
hopes of staving Off 4 strike. but that things
looked bad
The bricklayers are the cause for the lack Of
an official announcement of the opening of the
subway" said one OF The engineers. IF il
should be officially announced this time that
the opening would be ON September /, the
bricklayers would demand 40 cents an hour,
and If it was refused, they would strike. That
would prevent the opening of the subway. AS q
matter of fact. plans are under way Tor operat
ing experimental trains between. the Postoffice
and One-hundred- d-and-tNenty- -fifth-st. the first
week in August. The company viii run these
trains with its power We hope TO keep the
briCkiayerS and other lahOrers at work by not
saying anything about the opening of the sub
way. So long do not tie ourselves down
20 n date there is a hope that we can avoid
strike"
The operation of experimental six-car trains
FIVE weeks from now will be watched with great
interest by the engineers. The running of these
trains will give the big dynamoS n limherinS
up anG viii famarize hundreds Of motormen
with the routes. the starting and stopping of
trains, the requisite speed between stations. and
hundreds OF other small but essential details.
John B. Mcdonald said last night that he had
not heard OF any reports of an impending strike
of the brcklayers in the subway. and that he
knew OF reason for Strike. lie did not
the bricklaYerS had agreements with the brick
layers which they would be violating by going
strike
II do not think there is anything I'm the rll-
mors of a strike" he said but il would make
little difference now. If the brclzlayers went
other way. L think the bricklayers in these
days. when concrete be used so effectively
oud gain very little by striking. There are
substitutes for brickwOrk which least as
good"
Secretary Bauer. of BrickIayers Union No. IL
said that he had heard of strikes being con-
templated in the subway. 1t is known how
ever. that there have been small strikes against
individual contractors in the last week or two
which were not authorized under the rules of
the Bricklayers and MasOns International The
strikes were all snort lived, being won within
twenty four hours.
The brickayers not represented i'm the
Central Federated Union and therefore do not
come under the arbitration agreement of the
Central Federated Union and the Rapid Transit
into after the first general strike in the subway.