Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-19
IN LABOR CIRCLES
c.

just now is the coming convention of the
American Labor Union. called 10 be held
at Chicago June ~. This organization is
said 10 be rival of the great American
Federation of Labor. and it's war cry is
said to be Anything to Smash the Fedora
| tion." Mr.. Samuel Gompers. president OF
| the A. +. of L., left Washington Monday
evening on what is practically a campaign
against the "smashers, and his friends say
he Will say things and do things while
he is away
federationist gave 1t as his opinion that
the coming convention at Chicago win at
tempt to make it's forces active element
| In politics with the eventual purpose of
building up a great socialistic labor party.
| Anent this matter western labor journal
| says:
LAS a result of referendum vote now
being taken by the International Brewery
| Workers Union, William f. Trautmann,
editor of the BrauerZeitung, the official pub
| LEGATION of the union, is apt to be suspended
1t is rumored in well-informed circles that
the course of the vote already taken justi
| fies the belief that he will be suspended.
Charges were preferred some time ago by
the executive board of which Gustav Rich
ter of Milwaukee is member, against
Trautmann on account of his work in be-
half of the American Labor Union, whose
call for a convention in Chicago on June >!
ne was among those to sign. Since the call
stepped the limits of his authority by using
the columns of the official journal for the
propagation of information detrimental to
the American Federation of Labor and
friendly to the American Labor Union. Re
peated warnings from officers and members
of the executive board it is said, had no
effect on his course, compelling the board
to file charges against nim, on which he is
being tried on a referendum vote. With the
practical expulsion of Trautmann from the
Brewery Workers Union another strong
prop in the movement of the American
Labor Union to knock the pillars away from
under the structure the American Fedora
ton of Labor has been building will have
been effectively relegated
THE reDroof thus administered by his
own union to one of the men responsible
for the call cannot but indicate TO union
men everywhere how the movement of the
American Labor Union and the Western
Federation of Miners is being viewed by
leading bodies affiliated with the American
Federation of Labor. The fact that the
brewery workers organization is probably
the most outSpokenly SociallStlc body In the
federation cannot but impress the leaders
in the dual movement that their appeal to
socialists will have weight in the final
adjustment of differences. 1t emphasizes
the opinion voiced by Victor l.. Berger and
other leaders in Milwaukee at the time the
call was issued that all efforts of the Amer
lean Labor Union to gain predominance by
undermining existing centralized body
through appeals to socialists must prove
abortive."
A friend of Mt. Samuel Gompers was
telling a story which related the charac
teristic of the president of the American
Federation of Labor for frankness and
repartee when veteran member of the
Cgarmakers' Union He said:
Samuel GomperS bears the distinction
of holding the longest continuous member
ship card in the Cigarmakers' International
Union. He joined in 1864. Previous to
learning the cigarmakers' trade he was
ny rn,,tin 10 hut bo a not
stick long to the awl and last"
Several matters of interest will, it is said
be brought before the next meeting of
Electrical Workers Union, No. &c. at Build
ing Trades Hall. The president of this
body is Chris Yeabower; E. A. Nelson. ir..
recording secretary of 1923 F street north
east, and Edward Nothnagel, financial sec
rotary.
The threatened strike of the coal miners
in the soft coal districts of PENNSYLVANIA
has been averted, the operators at secret
session having decided to grant the de-
mands of the men. The miners proposition
calls for renewal of last years wage scale.
Four hundred iron workers are out in Gin
clnnatl because of a refusal on the part of
the employers TO grant an increase in wa ees
and an eight-hour day.
reports of strikes, present and pros
headquarters from many sections
The union painters of Jackson. Tenn.
are out on strike. Their old contract
Whlch expired on April l, was presented
TO the employers for another year. The
bosses were willing to sign until Jam
uary, but not until April, and as the men
INSISTED on this point strike resulted.
The carriage and wagon workers in
Chicago are out. One thousand men in
40 shops in that city struck because.
they claim, the manufacturers locked out
members OF their organization who re-
fused to sign individual agreements with
the various manufacturers. All the shops
affected are members of the Carriage and
Wagon Manufacturers Club. 1t is the old
fight over again-the open shop"
Several hundred men are affected by
strike of the plumbers of Birmingham.
Ala. The yearly contract between the
two organizations expired last week and
the master plumbers refused to accept
some of the requirements of the new
wage scale. The strike followed The
scale submitted by the journeymen. the
EMPLOYERS say, contained several items
which the masters refused to accept In
their reply they stated they were willing
to renew last years agreement. The en-
ployerS then proposed to submit the mat
ter to arbitration. This proposition was
declined, and the men insisted on the new
scale. The strike affects the entire Br-
mingham district. The steam filters are
also involved
The wage contract between the Pitts
burg (Pa-) Street Railway Company and
the Amalgamated Association of Electric
and Street Railway Employees expired on
April 1. There was no interruption of
traffic over the line, as the men say that
pending negotiations for a new contract
they will continue under the old agree
ment. An amicable settlement is ex-
pected.
| 1t is said to be probable that the trouble
between the carpenters and the woodwork
ers in milwaukee, breweries will lead to I'M
| foreseen and unlooked-for dissensions in the
Federated Trades Council. 1t need not
cause any surprise If the carpenters them
selves would be put upon the carpet ere
long. One of the leading men in the local
labor movement, and one whose judgment
is relied upon in critical movements is now
| making an individual study of the trouble
| with a view of fathoming the merits of the
contendng complaints. Speaking of the
trouble yesterday he said:
This trouble is unfortunate and deplor-
able from two points of view. In the first
place it affects the brewery workers. a body
of about 1900 strong who have lust
closed a mutually satisfactory contract;
| then it affects the brewers, who have al
ways tried to be fair to the men employed
in their plants. Both of these are innocent
nartieS Without having into tba