The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1907-05-16
Get Everything They Ask Relating to
Wages and Hours--Extend Hand
Fellowship to Contractors.
THE EIGHT-HoUR DAY PREVAILS

AS predicted in last weeks issue
of the Argus the carpenters won
out in their strike for an eight.
hour day and an increased wage.
Tho contractors association asked
that q committee from the carpen-
ters wait on them Saturday, and
after short conference the con
tractors agreed to tho demands of
the carpenters as originally made,
with two additional clauses added.
one requiring that the men be on
hand and ut the place that their
respective duties are to be perform
ed when time is called and the
other that all new men going on a
job have their tools in o first. class
condition-both of which have
practically been in effect for years.
There are still q few members of
the contractors association who
refuse to abide by the decision of
the majority and live up to their
agreement in that organization,
who have not signed up the agree
ment, but they are of little conse.
quence, as they employ but few
men and have few pressing con-
tracts or none at all on hand, and
will come to terms and sign up
when they realize what a small
part they are playing in the indus
trial field.
Now that the strike is over and
the building boom of Greater
Charleston is again in fun blast,
everyone is happy and it can be
well said that:
scHe is foe worthy Of one's
steel who can make a good fight
and when the struggle is over
grasp his opponent by the hand
and bid him hearty wish.''
The greater majority of the con-
tractors and carpenters involved
in the strike are exactly in this
position. What nice thing it is
to settle an industrial unpleasant
ness with the kindliest of senti-
ments existing in the end on each
side.
We think the contractors have
learned mighty good lesson dur
ing the past few days, and it is
hoped they win profit by the ex-
perience.
The Labor Argus, in common
with other champions of labor, is
not an advocate of strikes. We
had hoped against hope that the
contractors and the carpenters
would be able to meet at the
formidable" long before the date
fixed for the strike and adjust all
differences, but they did not do it
and so the industrial peace of the
city was unhappily affected.
The strike was the first of i'm
portance which has occurred jim this
city since the street car strike of
several years ago. Think of it, a
city of over 1900 unionists, and
strikes occurring with surprising
infrequency. This establishes the
claim of the adherents of trade un-
ionism that organization tends to
prevent strikes.
There never was a time from
the filing of the schedules with the
contractors when union men did
not desire to enter into a confer
ence with that organization of con-
tractors.
When labor asks for more money
| there are a certain class of our peo-
pie, many of them living upon the
sweat of labor, who raise their
hands in holy horror and cry:
ssLabor wants too much -
When the members of the lum-
ber trust assemble about a banquet
table and drink a toast to increas-
ed prices on lumber, arbitrarily
fixed by the barons, not murmul
is heard from the press or the pull.
pit.
When the material men sit il
conference and fix price on brick
no one asks differeutial in brick
yard conditions, for it harms but
little for the owner of commodity
to say what he ought to have fol
it, except of course, the possessol
of labor power.
] We are not unmindful of th,