The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-03-12
In Labor's Field.
PEACE TO REIGN
AMONG BUILDERS
EMPLOYERS GENERALLY SIGN.
ING CONTRACTS WITH UNIONS.
Painters and Decorators Will Control
Work In City, but Agree to Open
Shop Outside of Ten-Mile Limit
Duluth Plumbers Out.

A harbinger of peace in the build
ing trades In Minneapolis the coming
season Is the fact that contracts are
being signed by employers with the
unions. This week the Painters union
concluded negotiations with the Mas
ter Painters association which res
suited in an agreement upon sched-
ule Of wages hours and working rules
to govern both for the year ending
April /, 1905. The contract came
before the Building Trades council
Thursday night and was approved by
that body.
Among the things asked for by the
employers was the introduction of a
graded scale of wages, but the repre-
sentatiVes OF the WOrkmen success
fully argued against the Introduction
of this innovation on the ground that
conditions were not propitious for
such q change at this time. About
-one-third of the men are now receive
Ing 371a cents to- so cents an hour,
and it is thought the question of a
graded scale will eventually adjust it
self. The conferences between the
representatives of the union and the
an exceedingly pleasant nature and
were characterized all thru by the
best Of good feeling.
The employers agree to employ
none but union men; to pay a mimi
mum scale of 371s cents an hour; to
observe the eight-hour day; to pay
price-and-a-half for overtime and
double price for work done on Me-
mortal Day, the Fourth of July,
Thanksgiving Day and Christmas; that
no work shall be done on Labor, Day
that the union shall have jurisdiction
over, all painting, whether in oil or
water colors, all paper-hanging, pre-
paratory work, granting, glazing. and
all other work pertaining to the
craft. Work done at Minnetonka and
within a radius of ten miles Of Min
neapolis comes under the agreement.
Outside of the, prescribed district the
union will work on jobs without re-
gard to the union standing of other
workmen employed, and members will
be allowed to work, where agreeable
to both parties, more than eight hours
a day at the regular rate of pay per
hour. A board Of arbitration is pro-
vided to settle disputes.
The contract is signed by George
w. Turner, president and George w.
Jones, secretary, for the Master Paint
ers association, and by Martin Jor-
Moore, secretary, for the Painters
union. The terms of the scale are
considered fair and equitable by both
workmen and employers, and both are
apparently satisfied
Paper-hangers' union, No. 5S6, has
also secured the signatures of the en-
ployers to a wage contract for one
year, which settles allscale matters in
the painting, decorating and paper
hanging branches of the building
trades for year at least The scale
Of the paper-hangers calls for pieces
work, and, with the exception Of q
few minor changes, is the same as that
of last year. y Il
The carpenters, bricklayers and
stonemasons are also comforting with
the master builders relative to the
wage scales for the coming building
season, and at this time negotiations
| have so far advanced as to assure
| working agreements between the en-
ployers and workmen in these trades