Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-05-13
STRIKE SITUATION.
Senator Tracy Gives His Opinion on
 the Question.

the Question.
 Great interest is centered in the meeting of the Master Builders asso- citation which will be held next Iues- day night, not only by the carpenters A and hodcarriers, but also by people { who have buildings in course Of erec- / lion and business men who claim that their patrons are giving the ue-up as a reason for withholding payment on bills which they expected to come uur- ing the month of May.
 Senator Tracy was asked to-day II he had anything to say on the subJecC and remarked that he hadn'L adding that nothing would be done untll next week and that such action as would pc taken at that time was something which he could not state. MT Tracy is not an enthusiastic admirer of un% ions and makes no bones of stating his views on the labor question. He be- lieves that men should be paid accord ing to what they are worth and not per schedule and contends that there are carpenters in Waterbury who have no more skill than hundreds of men possess who are working in shops and think themselves well off if they get $1.76 a day. He produced figures talk en from the payroll of the Tracy Bros Go which showed that carpenters 1n the employof the firm receive an aver age of about $275 day. "We have no desire, whatever" he said, to re- Hyce wages, but we object to paying a man more than he is worth simply because a competent man can earn and kets more at the Job than somebody else. There are carpenters in Water bury worth $3.25 day and probably imore and they are getting 1t. They Hon't have to quarrel over it, either, because if one contractor does not pay them what their services are worth another will. You don't see many com petent workmen running around look ing for jobs Those who have them use them right, and if they decide upon change 1t does not take them long to find employment. If a man is worth $3 or $3.25 day he should have 1t and if his services are not worth that what good reason can anybody show why he should get 1t. This is hot a question of wages. We want to To business in such a way that if a man suits we can hire him whether he belongs to g union or not. Wouldn't awe have a nice state of affairs if nen were told that they could not go to work unless they Joined Q certain church. What would be said of an employer who would tell an applicant for a position that before he could gTwork for him he would have to show card certifying that he is a Roman Catholic or a Protestant, accordiny to the shop you are running. We want 10 hire men without reference to soci- eties and pay them every dollar they are worth"
 Notwithstanding MT Tracy's state ment the opinion appears to be almost general that there is something wrong between the carpenters and the bosses that ought to be strengthened out The bricklayers admit that they are paid as well here as in other towns in the state, consequently they have no ,griev- Rnce, but this Is not so with reference to the carpenters and so far nobody has appeared to care to discuss the question as to why carenters in Water bury do not command as good wages Rs members of the craft get in neigh | boring towns. Probably this is ex- plained by the statement that it is not a question of wages, but rather the oEen shop against the union. Very few want fight of this Xiii gur- ated because 1t is hard to see what good could come from It. Skilled la- bor all over the country is organized and nearly all bosses realize this and are frank enough to say that so long as they do not become oppressive. un- ions should be recognized here as we'll as elsewhere. One of the boss plumb CTS claims that he has less trouble with his help since they organized than he ever had before and he would rot want to see the organization brOk- en up. If the carpenters and the boss es get together between now and Tues cay the trouble will be over. If not Waterbury is likely to have a strike which will last for the present season and probably longer. It is a peculiar sort of labor trouble. There annaars to be no soreness in 1t and so long as the relations between the employers and the help are pleasant there ought to be some common ground on which they can meet.
 It Is common rumor that the hod carriers have lost their grip, but there 1s nothing very certain about this aI- though the men who are standing bv the union admit that some of the mem bers are "sneakfng" back. It looks as IT settlement can be affected with the hodcarrfers by signing contract the same as they had last year. Some, CT the bosses are willing to do this but others declare that they will sio,, nothing in the shape of an agreement which denies them the right to hire man and keep him in his emnlov whether he belongs to union or not.