The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1906-10-19

l40 ana the cCreniakerS union No 43,
to prevent them from interfering with
the Jeffrey plant. The unions are CIV
en- permission to use any lawful per-
suasion or any legal argument that
they may desire to prevent people
from working in the Jeffrey plant.
The youngest man at the head of an
international union in this country is
w. G. Critchlow, general president of
the International Laborer's union,
with headquarters at Dayton, O. He
was elected to that Office by refer
endum vote of the membership in July,
1908, and was then only 26 years of
age. The organization has more than
quadrupled under his leadership.
report of the New York state de-
partment of labor shows that there
are now 100000 wage workers in
labor unions, onefourth of whom are
in the United States. Great Britain
and Germany each have nearly as
many unionists as the United States,
but the countries in which the move
ment is comparatively new-Austria,
Hungary, Italy, etc.-are now making
rapid progress.
A judge in Montana has declared
unconstitutional the eight-hour law
passed by the legislature and ratified
by the people. The law was embodied
in constitutional amendment adopted
by the legislature and Endorsed by the
people by a vote of 1851 to 1858
The law covered municipal, county
and state works, mines, mills and
the case to the supreme court.
Although the railroads of France
are specifically exempt from the opera
ton of the Sunday rest law, the chair
men of the six leading railroad COM
panies have notified Minister of Public
Works Barthou that they have ar
| ranged to grant, within Is months, 50
holidays year to their entire stats,
numbering in all 100000 men. This
men on an equality with other work
men in the matter of holidays.
Few men, if any, in the United
States can say that they have been
members of a trade union 81 years
Solomon Gompers, father of Samuel
Gompers, president of the American
Federation of Labor, has this distinc-
| tion. At meeting Of wage earners in
| Wells memorial building in Boston,
Mi. Gompers made a speech, in which
he said that he joined the trade union
but is extremely vigorous in voice and
| movement.
| The union labor exposition, which
was planned to be held in Minneapolis
| during the two weeks that the con-
vention of the American Federation of
| Labor will be in session there, has
| been abandoned for the present. 1t
was found that suitable building
| could not be procured and the time
| was too limited to make the exposition
success. Now it is proposed to hold
| it at jamestown, Va, next summer,
when the worlds fair is being held
| there.
During the last 20 months 3S4 mem
| bers of the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers have been killed while on
duty. During the same period 1,129
| members received disability benefits.
According to w. S. Stone, grand chief
engineer Of the brotherhood, the aver
age term of life of engineers as mem
bers of the organization is ten years.
The brotherhood has an insurance fea-
ture, and the statements made by
Chief Stone are taken from the rec
ords of that department.
An appeal for individual contribu-
tons amounting to $25O00O from Chi
cago members of trade unions, to be
used in the political fights which the
American Federation expects to wage
| this fall against political candidates
hostile to the aims of organized labor,
| has been made by President Samuel
Gompers.
The Brotherhood of Railroad Train
men has issued a circular giving the
number of members and their CLASH
fcation on January /, 1906. This is
the latest classified report. The or
ganization then had 1884 members,
as follows: Passenger service-con-
ductors, 63S; baggagemasters, 1884; ;
fagmen, LIT; brakemen, 5.O31; total,
$3.50. Freight Service-Conductor
1864; fagmen, 2,133; brakemen, 3D.
SO7; total, 43,6O4. Yard Service
Yard masters, 1,181; conductors, 4,217;
f1agmen, 855; switchmen, 14,027; total,
20,280. Not reported and engaged in
other occupations, $40; total men,
bership, January /, 1906, 1854.
The membership of the Brotherhood
now is $4,000. Another feature of the
report is the amount of money paid
for death and disability claims in IL
years. The amount reached the enor.
nous total of $12,959,758.
A general increase of two cents an
hour has been granted the striking
employees of the Wabash shops at
Springfield, Decatur, Moberly and Fort
Wayne. demand for four cents an
hour was made and, according to the
agreement, the remainder will be left
to arbitration.
Every department of labor is united
in Holland and all other departments.
So the other night the spectacle was
seen at the Amsterdam opera house of