The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1906-03-24
CHICAGO UNIONS SEND q
CHILDREN TO SCHOOL
They Must Spend at Least Three
Months Each Year in Getting
Suitable Education.
Carpenters and Bricklayers' Un-
ions Compel Their Apprentices
to Attend School.
BY LUKE GRANT.

1A.-V
secretary of labor union a few days
ago went to one of ChicagO's pub
lie schools and lectured teh pupils on
their unruly conduct and threatened
to have them expelled from the union
If they did not obey their teachers,
the incident called attention to one
phase of trades unionism in Chi
cago about which little is known.
Few persons outside of the partic-
ular unions know that there is an
apprenticeship system in force in both
the carpenters and the bricklayers'
unions which compels apprentices to
attend school three months in each
year. In order to perfect this sys-
tenn it is necessary for the board of
education, the employers and the
labor union to cooperate and do so
in manner that completely refutes
the arguments of the opponents OF
unions who contend that organiza
tions of labor deprive the American
boy of the opportunity to learn a
trade.
AS the school season for the ap-
prentices in both trades mentioned
begin January 1, the matter has been
under discussion several times dur
ing the last three weeks and heroic
measures have been adopted to COM
pei observance of the rules. This
is due largely to the fact that trade is
brisk at this time, and the boys, who
range in age from II to 21. years,
are more anxious to work than go
to school, although their employers
are compelled to pay them the mini
| mum scale of wages each week dur
| ing the second period.
When the joint arbitration board
| of the Carpenters and Builders as
sociation and Carpenters union met
| January to consider the enforce
| ment of the apprentice rules more
| than 60 youths asked permits to al
low them to work instead of attend
| ing school. Two of the boys who
showed that they were married were
! given permits, while two or three
cases. where the apprentices showed
that they were the support of aged
Ipafents !: The necessary permits were
given with the stipulation, however,
that the boys should attend night
school and produce a certificate from
the principal to that effect before
! they would be given their next quar-
terly working card.
Prefer to Work.
Many subterfuges we're tried by the
| boys themselves, as we'll as by some
Of the smaller contractors to evade
] ho Tho -; 80
parent. The minimum scale of wag-
es for carpenter apprentices runs
from IS week for the first year
and SO the last year of the four year
! term. While at work some of the
boys got 80 cents an hour and even
as much as 40 cents AS soon as
| they go to school the contractors U.s.
ually cuts them down to the mini
mum scale provided in the agree
ment. This makes most of them pre-
fer to remain at work if they can do
| SO.
Makes Pitiful Plea.
do you think Pm going to school
and let the children starve?" said
one of the boys before the arbitration
board a few days ago.
Chow many children are in the
| family?" asked one of thes contrac-
tors. He was told there were eight,
and that the APPRENTICE was the
means of their support. An investi-
cation was ordered which showed
| that that the youngest of the family
was II years of age, while the Oldest
was 30 The permit was not issued
The apprentice, who is 10 years OF
age had to attend school on pain OF
being refused his next working card
In spite of all the precautions tax.
en-, both by the large contractors and
the union, a number of indetured ap-
prentices escape going to school. I1
the Carpenters union there are FAC
indetured apprentices, while the rec
ords show that only about 100 are
attending school so far this season
Notices have been sent by the sec
retary of the Carpenters Executive
council to all the local unions in Cook
county requesting them to furnish the
names and addresses of apprentices
in their respective localities and to
see that no working cards are issued
to them next April unless they can
|
average of 80 per cent for attendance
and department.
i Forced to Complain.
The schools which the apprentice
boys attend are located at Twenty
sixth street and Wabash avenue and
at Cass and Illinois streets: Princi-
pal Began, who has charge of the
schools had to complain of the boys
a short time ago and the matter was
taken up by the joint arbitration
board. The following resolution was
adopted and printed in large type and
| hung up in the class rooms:
1 Any apprentice absenting himself
from school without satisfactory ex-
cuse, or whose conduct while at school,
is fungentlemanly, or who does not
obey his teacher will be reported te
this union" and by order of the above
board his April working card will bt
withheld and in aggravated cases tn,
1 apprentice will be excluded from this
union. \ ISL Il. s5s5 j. VI.
Following the adoption Of the res.
d olution. j. j Brit tin, secretary Of The
4 Carpenters Executive Council. went
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