Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-03-07
OUR CARPENTERS
ORGANIZE

unity have organized local union Of
the United Brotherhood of Carpenters
and Joiners of America, the object be
ing to reduce the hours of daily labor,
to secure increased pay for work and
in general way to reap the benefits
of the prosperity prevailing.
The carpenters were organized last
week by d. NJ. Post Of Wilkes Barre,
organizer for this district, who was
accompanied t. DanvilIe by Joseph
Ephlin, former townsman, now
member of the board of trustees of the
Wilkes Barre union. The officers elect
ed were: President. John l. Russell i,
vice president, j. o. Mowrey; record
ing secretary, Arthur Myerly : financi-
al secretary, o B. Switzer; treasur-
er, William Price. John NJ Sechler.
T. W. Bartholomew and David Guest
were elected trustees.
Last night the newly organized un-
ion held meeting in the Friendship
engine house, where 1t considered the
question of bylaws and adopted rates.
Notice of action pertaining to the
latter will in all probability be given
the contractors today.
The regular number of hours that
carpenters worked in Danville up to
the present was ten, although a good
many followed the custom of other
places and worked only nine hours.
The wages paid were % cents to 28
cents per hour, the latter being the
contractors figures when they charg-
ed for day work.
Now that organization has been eff
fected the carpenters will demand a
regular day of nine hours. The wages
will be fixed at % cents per hour. The
contractors when working on repairs
and charging by the day will have to
fix the price at a figure that will al
low them a profit, which will prob
ably be 80 or 81 cents per hour.
There are twentysix charter mem
bers OF the union, but there are some
forty carpenters in this vicinity eligi-
BILE to membership aud, it is thought
the most of these will eventually join
she union. There is said to be nothing
in the organization that conflicts with
the contractors interests and these,
unless they happen to be members of
the lumbermen's association, are per-
fectly eligible to membership. In fact,
q couple Of the smaller contractors of
DaaviIle are already members of the
local union.
The objects of the United Brother
hood are: To discourage piece work,
TO encourage an apprentice system and
higher standard Of skill, to cultivate
feeling OF friendship among the craft
and to assist each other to secure en-
ployment, as we'll as to furnish aid in
cases Of death or permanent disability.
The initiation fee of all members
can not be less than five dollars. Dues
OF beneficial members shall not be less
than fifty cents per month; of semi
beneficial members and apprentices not
less than thirty cents per month. To
be admitted to beneficial membership
candidate must not be less than
twenty-one and not over fifty years
he must be of good moral character
and competent to command standard
wages.
Apprentices under twenty-one OF
candidates over fifty or persons in bad
health when they joined are classed as
semi beneficial members The disability
benefit is graded according to lengtI
of membership There are funeral
benefits. both for tho member and his
wife, the amount pail in each case
also corresponding to the length OF
time the member belonged.