Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-13
IN LABOR CIRCLES
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of wages is generally commended In labor
circles. The incident has evoked. particu-
larly from those of the building trades or
CARNATIONS. much unfavorable criticism of
the conditions imposed upon workmen en-
ployed at the yard in construction. Refer
ring to the matter, an observant and ex-
perienced member of building trades or
ganization stated that 1.-The painters could
not consistently remain in the navy yard
at a wage of $3.O4 a day when employers
on the outside paying $3.50 for the same
time"
when the matter is brought to the at
tention of the authorities" he said. land
the very reasonable request Is made that
the employees in the yard be paid the pre-
vafling wage rate the reply Is invariably
made that the wages are adjusted by the
wages board and calculated for in accord
ance with an act of Congress covering the
wages paid all navy yard employees, regard
less of the wages paid in the vicinity of the
navy yard. In compliance with this law
the wages board. it is presumed. ascer-
tains the minimum rate of wages paid those
of the various crafts in other localities, and
on this data, by calculated average. prob
ably. the wages for one year are based.
Prior to the advent Of Mr.. Morton as
Secretary of the Navy the board of wages
met and formulated a wage scale twice
year, but soon after entering upon the ad-
ministration of thu department he ordered
that the board should meet annually, in
December. This order removed the posi-
bility of an advance of wages during the
year. and the injustice to the employe in
the navy yard Is manifest in view of the
fact that throughout the country wage
agreements providing for an advance are
| generally made effective on or about the
| 1st of May. mo matter then, so far as the
| navy yard employe Is affected, If wages
| have advanced in all those localities whence.
| but few months before. the wage board
| derived it's data his wage scale. which at
| the beginning of the year was or 10 per
| cent less than the general local rate must
| continue during the ensuing eight months.
when the wage board will determine a
! scale, perhaps Is 20 per cent less than
| Is paid by outside contractors. 1t thus
| seems that the navy yard method Of de-
| termining the wage rate of the employe Is
+ a well-devised scheme to cheaper the cost
| of labor.
| When the authorities at the yard or the
| Secretary of the Navy are appealed to that
special act of Congress Is ever-ready
| excuse, and the workman is told that be-
| cause of this law they have option in
| the matter. This excuse Is questioned by
| the workmen Interested. since 1t has been
! frequently observed that the arbitrary
| methods Of those In immediate charge of
the workmen, the rules Of the wage board
| and the orders from the Secretary of the
| Navy affect more directly the question of
wages and the conditions of the employe
| than does the oft-quoted special act This
| fact was demonstrated when, some years
ago, a local labor organization, working
| nine hours, reduced the wages 80 cents per
| diem to secure the eight-hour day. At that
| time workmen of that particular craft en-
| ployed at the navy yard were paid the local
| wage rate. but. within fortyeight hours
after the wages on the outside had been re-
| duced their wages were reduced to the same
rate This may have been done In COMP
ance with that special act but the Incl
| dent suggests a question often asked but
never satisfactorily answered, namely: If
| the wages of workmen in the navy yard
" n trhf hnr, To
| the local outside rate. why, in the event
| of an increase in the local rate, cannot the
| pay of the employees be increased to the
| sum paid by local employers?
| 1T seems, therefore, that the rules of the
| board of wages will not work both ways;
| that wages can be reduced within a few
hours but cannot be increased during a
year. Then. again. there Is reason to doubt
| that the special act should apply to me-
| chanics engaged in building construction at
the navy yard, but to those mechanics and
labOrers only who are regularly empny we'd
| at the work of naval construction The
painter. carpenter and bricklayer employed
| on the construction of a building at a navy
yard is only temporarily engaged and his
| term of service ends when the building is
completed. He then goes without the gates
| ana Is engaged upon private construction al
| the general local rate of wages. His wage
| Is not calculated from data collected in
| other localities, nor based on the wages
PAID those of his craft in Richmond Phila-
| delphia and Bethlehem, Pa
AS all eiilpIOye or q private
| ne would vigorously object to that method
| or determining his wages and could rea
| sonably and consistently hold, that this
| wage rule of the navy authorities should
| no more apply in determining the price OF
his labor than 1t should in ra ting the nr;oa
| or any commodity in the District of Colun
pla on the basis of the price of a like com
monty purchased in Richmond, Philadel-
| phla or bethlehem, Pa
| IT, circular bearing the names of w. E.
kaufman and Charles 0. Sherman. score
tary and president, respectively of the re
cently organized Industrial Workers of tho
world, Ras been received by members of
iaoor organizations in this city. who are
| requested to interest themselves in forming
| locals of industrial workers in affliatio5
| with the universal organization The cir
GUAR, In part, states explanatory of the
! purpose of the movement. that 1.-The nri
| mary object is to organize and weld 70.
| gether the wage-workers in powerful Or
| sanlzation on the Industrial field ba sed
| upon the principle that the material inter-
ests or all are alike. and that the true form
| or organization Is that which includes all:
| an Industrial union. in which are employed
| all the workers In any one industry being
| the only form OF organization that prom
1ses successfully to combat the aggressions
OF the capftalistic class and put an end to
the wage wars which have been fostered
by the old trades unions'
1t Is stated that it is proposed to follow
| the lines of capitalistic Organization which
has become the most effective for con-
|
| Ing class and conserving the employing
class interests, that the world has ever
! seem" 1t Is asserted that. with labor or
| ganized In the same general way-all the
| workers In each industry being associated
| In one compact offensive and defensive al
| liance-the power of the wage-earners will
! be vastly increased; they will become mu-
tuaily helpful In a degree that they have
| never done before and will attain that
| economic supremacy which Is certain to
| come to an enlightened and revolutionary
working class"
| Particular attention Is called to the pro-
| vision of the general constitution applying
| to the functions and method of rganizng
local unions. These locals, 1t Is stated
| which are composed of those Of the crafts
1 and calling whose national interna-
tional organiza lions are not affiliated with
| the general workers of the world are
directly subordinate to the general execu-
| tive board. by whom each local constitu-
| ton must be approved. Any agreement
| entered into between the members OF a
| local union and an employer. to be valid
| and binding. must also be approved by the
board
| The provisions that ten persons may form
| local union of workers and obtain char
| ter directly from the general executive
! board Is likely to provoke trouble. as there
kfn,1 %,