The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-03-31
men WILL DECIDE
ACTION TONIGHT
Statement Of Unions Position
Made by One Close to the
Leaders.
They Are Willing to Negotiate
with Bosses to Find Com
mon Ground.

II the master plumbers persist in
their determination not to negotiate
settlement with the union, there will
be trouble.''
Thus spoke man in position to say
just what the plumbers union will do
as to the scale of wages and working
rules submitted to the employers about
month ago. Continuing the speaker
said:
"The latter part of last week COM
ference with committee of the union.
A meeting was arranged for the follow
ing Monday at 3 pm. The two commits
tees spent about three hours in discus
sion. The employers committee re-
quested the union committee to call a
special meeting to see if certain de-
mands could not be modified. This was
agreed aea to, the meeting vas called and
hand, the employers committee was to
present the result of the conference to
the employers in the hope that some
arrangement would be made for con-.
tinuing the negotiations. However,
the employers, we are told, decided to
have no further dealings with the union.
'1Much comment has been made by
some, papers upon the excessive de-
mands being made by our organiza-
ton, but I desire to state that, with
three exceptions, the demands made
in the proposed scale have been in eff
feet in scales with the employers for
the past six or seven years. The ex-
ceptions are the increase from 81 q
day to $3.50, the Saturday half holi-
| day and the request for double pay
after 1870 pm. Under former scales
the union asked price and one-half up
| to midnight and double time thereafter.
| Our union is ready, and always has
been ready, to meet the employers and
, confer upon the matters in dispute.
| but we do not purpose to accept any
to impose. We consider that, in break
ing off negotiations, the employers
broke faith. with us, particularly az
| these negotiations were started upon
| request from some Of them. We are
told that they even refused, after hear
ling the report of their committee, to
appoint committee, and this, too, be-
! fore they received word as to the ae-
/ ton taken by our special meeting called
| at their request.
The plumbers will not accept the
scale and rules submitted by the en-
p p! under any circumstances. We
what we will do, but it is pretty Well
understood among us that the bosses
will have the fight of their lives if the
matter is not settled. The union might
modify some of the features objected
to by the bosses. However, if they
are counting on unconditional surren-
der, they will be badly mistaken. Al
ready several good-sized shops have
slgn1fed their intention of signiEg the
/ scale as it stands and granting the CON.
| d1tlons sought, and it will not be long
before all our men will be at work at
the increased scale.
I'VE are not seeking to tie I'D the
building operations Of the city and
paralyze business just because the OBJ
Portun1ty seems to be at hand. We
think we have some rights in the mat
ter of pay and we won It sit idly by
and let the bosses make scale for us
arbitrarily. The union will be found
willing to do the proper thing, as we
have all along, and if the EMPLOYERS
wish to avoid trouble the way is open
thru conference
i A call has been issued for a special
meeting of the union tonight at Union
Temple, and it is expected that almost
the entire membership will respond. as
a final vote will be taken.
I In building trade circles, those on the
inside are reticent as to whether the
other crafts will stand by the plumbers.
Some think if the controversy results
in an open rupture the best workmen
will Immediately go elsewhere for en-
Iployment, which, they say, is now readi-
lily obtainable in all outside cities at
higher wages than here.