Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1904-01-08
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to embrace 100000 members. 1t Is
intended to work for general eight.
hour day and a minimum wage Of SIS
per month.
Cigarmakers' unions, which send
all members to boarding houses when
they are in strange town, and guar
antees the bills, have decided to
henceforth levy a fine on any member
who leaves any board bills unpaid
under these circumstances.
The charter of the Illinois Hosting
Engineers has been revoked by the
American Federation Of labor. This
is victory for the United Minework'
ers of America, who have been seek
ing for several years to compel the
engineers to affiliate with them.
The Mineworkers' Journal, official
organ of the United Mine Workers OF
America, says there is a prearranged
scheme of certain operators to reduce
wages, the Myersdale, Pa, reduction
Of ten cents ton being the third re-
duction within short time.
A new international union is to be
formed by the carpet workers union
In large cities, to be composed OF car
pet layers, cutters, measurement and
sewers. At present locals are estab-
lished in many large cities and smaller
towns, with a combined membership
of 1900.
The Chicago Employers Associa-
ton, according to the secretary, Is
| fighting labor unions In the Fox River
Valley district and at the stock yards.
Union organizers from Batavia report
that the entire city is with the unions,
and that an attempt to form Citizens
and Employers Alliance was fiasco.
The Glass Bottle Blowers. the Hat
| tiers and some locals of the Inter
national Typographical Union have
adopted the income tax. The Bottle
Blowers pay per cent on all earnings,
half of which is to go into the reserve
fund until that amounts to 100000,
when the dues will be reduced to !
per cent. Members of the printers
locals pay per cent on wages re-
ceived.
Five thousand three hundred men,
comprising more than one-thlrd OF the
laboring complement of South Chicago
ILL.,, of $4,000 souls, and 21,200 women
and children are directly affected by
the latest order of the Illinois Steel
Company to lay off its men on the ex-
cuse or explanation given that the
plant is in need of repairs"
The silk and velvet mill OF Sydney
Blumenthal & Co. Of Shelton, Conn,
has been shut down for an indefinite
period. On account of the dullness OF
trade the employers announced that in
order to run the mill the operatives
would have to submit to reduction IN
wages of to 12k per cent. The
operatives declined to accept the cut
and the shutdown followed.
Few new international unions have
grown more rapidly than the lnterna-
tional Hold Carriers and Building La
borers Union of America, which was
organized less than year ago. A
report by H. A. Stemburgh, the gen.
eral secretary-treasurer, says: I'VE
have lessened the working hours OF
our members, increased their wages
and secured them their just rights
by the arbitration of disputes between
employer and employe."
According to James O'Grady of Lon
don, England, fraternal delegates to
the Boston convention Of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor, the curse of
| American trades unions Is the juris-
dictional fights. Mr.. O'Grady said he
believes this is the most serious
phase of the labor movement in this
country, as the whole basis of society
is that there shall be no fights within
the ranks. The jurisdictional fights,
Mr.. O'Grady said, are just what D. M.
| Parry and all alleged enemies of or
ganized labor watch with greatest in
| terest.
The four manufacturing concerns
of Batavia, ILL.,, that locked out 1000
men, will now endeavor to break up
the different trade unions In that city.
Circulars will be sent to each OF the
locked out men in which there Is a
list of questions to be answered.
Among them is one asking If the
workman is a member Of any church.
society, or fraternal organization. All
who answer that they are members Of
union will be placed on blacklist.
The union men are collecting evidence
and will proceed against the concerns
in the courts.
BY winning the strike just ended
union coopers in the Chicago stock
yards won the greatest victory they
have secured in twenty-one years. The
agreement reached provides that all
men involved in the strike are to be
reinstated, an increase Of Is cents a
day for coopers receiving less than So
| day and no reduction for men re-
ceiving over that amount; no indis-
elimination against strikers or those
who quit in sympathy; no boys to be
permitted to work.
The English wage-workers increased
their own wages by S4S 000, 900 last