Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-05-04
NO LABOR TROUBLE
 LOOKED FOR
AGENT SMITH OF CARPENTERS UNION TALKS.
Points to Waterburv's Best Build. ings as Work of Union Men Says Carpenters Union Is
 Not a Thing of the Past.

! Not Thing of the Past.
 1 The outlook for a good season in th, I building line In Waterbury is brigh
 and T. G. Smith, business agent of To
 cal union, No. 260, United Brother
 hood of Carpenters and Joiners o
 America, can see no reason why there
 should be any trouble between tht
 workmen and their employers, so that
 with all pulling together the prospect
 of lots of work. good wages for all
 and fair return to the employees was
 never better.
 Mir Smith was Interviewed to-day by
 Democrat reporter regarding the probable effect on the resolution pass
 ed by the masons, and bricklayers, not
 to work on buildings after May 15, on
 which non-union carpenters are em- ployed and replied that he had heard that tie masons and bricklayers had passed such vote, but he didn't think that there was anything in it to cause the slightest alarm. since twenty-four
 of the local contracting builders con duct strictly union shops while the
 number of non-union shops does not exceed eight or nine.
 "The carpenters strike, In Water
 bury" continued AIr Smith went into
 effect on May I, 1904. a little over two
 years ago and Since that time we have
 not yielded anything. although at all
 times ready to come to terms with ev-
 cry builder who cared to reason 1t out
 with us. Some of the bosses who are
 not conducting strictly union shops
 fought us for year but finally con cluded that 1t was most profitable to deal with the union and now you couldn't get them to take on others.
 Why look at the big concerns that come in here from time to time to handle large contracts. Every one of them employ none but union men and as consequence they have the very best kind of help and give splendid re- suits As proof of this I refer the pub lie to the work of te Tide Water Building oC on the Buckingham block at the corner of Bank and Grand streets. Mir Whittemore's generous gift to Waterbury hospital and the Granite Construction Co on St Anne's new church Whats the matter with these jobs? Amt they good enough for any. body? or course they are. and every hand turned in them belongs b un. ion man.
 If we had but one or two union shops In Waterbury. the stand taken by the rnasons and brieklayers would he suffie5fpt toN.ause considerable m- easlness' biit with the bulk of the bosses on the other side. don't think it has occasioned much alarm in any quarter. Tn fact suspect that the day is not far distant when every firm and every individual who wants to do bus mess that requires skilled labor will want none but union men. and it ha7 pretty near that now. At the present time there are enough contractors and men in this town to take care of any. thing that may turn up in the build- ing line so that there is not the slight est likelihood of tie rip in case the masons and builders carry out that something which I expect they will do. even to the letter This is the only union town in the state where l all the bosses didn't come to terms | with the carpenters. and why we fail l ed to get together here las always | been something of mystery. If we ! had asked for more than members of | our craft in other towns in the state | t would be plain enough that we were 1t fault. bht that is not the case. On the contrary we didn't go quite as far as some of the others and yet we were lenlcd what little we did seek. It was not a question of wages. because union md non-union pay is about the same wage scale to good help. The trouble vas over the organization. a thing that las been settled years ago in almost very other town in the country among killed labor.
 Here Is another thing I want to make note of. You often hear it said hat the union prices makes things ex- 'ensive on people who want to build. This Is not so. as you may have no- iced from remark which I have al. eady made. that the wage scale is bout the same for the same class of Our price Is S3 day. but ] frequently happens that the others ave to go quarter beyond that in or CT to Induce few good men to work or them.
 There Is nothing the matter in Wa. erbury in the labor market and the irpenters are not looking for trouble.
 Mr Smith does not anticipate any 'ouble and stated very emphatica,ly lat he knew nobody that wante-l to .e anything happen which would Tn , ny way Interfere with the ,levelop- ent cf Waterbury. He takes a choer. Il view of the situation and every ,dy who wants to see things move | i ong smoothly will hope that inc bose and the men. whether union or non. V lion will manage to get along with fl if strike. for Waterbury has secn It wants of that sort of thing.