Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-12-05
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CHAOHS dIllldleu WlJn the American
Federation of Labor publish 245 weekly
or monthly papers devoted to the cause of
labor.
Work has been delayed on the Labor
Temple in Los Angeles, Cal, bat it is ex-
pected to be ready for occupancy by the
first week in January.
The International Brotherhood of
Transfers has spread over the United
States and Canada, and has IN aggregate
membership of over 125,000.
y recent conference at Swanson Eng
land, between unions engaged in the steel
trade and the employers resulted in an
eight-hour working day being conceded.
The district over which the Chicago
Carpenters Union extends contains about
$4,000 men, inclusive of about 1000 wood
workers in the mills, who nave lately
joined the carpenters.
Members of the International Union of
Flour and Cereal Mill Workers will use
the stamp system in the payment of dues
hereafter. The change was decided upon
at the recent convention in Bloomington,
Ill.
The Typographical Union of Denver,
Colo, has taken steps to have sanitary
rules carried out in printing offices in that
city. 1t will, through a committee. pay
particular attention to light and ventila-
ton.
Electro-magnets are now much used in
connection with cranes and other convey
ors for lifting heavy pieces of iron and
steel. The Illinois Steel Company has
magnet weighing 1000 pounds which lifts
six tons.
Shipwrights formed a society in New
York City in 1903, and the tailors and
also the carpenters did this in 1906 in the
same town. This may be said to have
been the beginning of labor unionism in
the United States.
The last season has been a record
breaker for the Structural Iron Workers
Union at Minneapolis, Mimi, and there
has never been a time since the building
season opened last spring when enough
men were available to meet the demand.
John H. Brinkman, secretary-treasure
of the International Carriage and Wagon
Workers of North America, announces
that at an early date he will begin the
publication of a monthly journal which
will be the official organ of his organiza-
ton.
The labor situation in Austria is I'M
settled. Railway men are threatening to
strike, and much dissatisfaction exists
among miners, textile workers and other
worknen. Three thousand foundrymen in
Vienna are on strike for a nine-hour day
and higher wages.
Boston Methodist ministers meeting is
to join the Boston G. l.. u. 1t will send
fraternal delegates who will have a voice
but no vote The Woman's Trade Union,
Woman's League and several ether sim
liar organizations are already affiliated
under the same plan.
The experiment of recruiting skilled
labor in England TO-, Canadian factories
has now been tried for seven months, and
the committee of the Canadian Manufac-
turers Association, which is responsible
for the Labor Bureau in London, is album
dainty satisfied with the experiment so
far as it has gone.
As means of inducing a good attend
ance of members at its meetings, the
Millwrights' Union of Minneapolis has
adopted a novel plan. AS an inducement
to members to turn out to the regular
meetings it has been decided 10 have a
drawing at each meeting, which will give
some member receipt for a months
dues. Names of all members present will
be placed on slips and handed to the Sec
rotary, and at the next regular meeting
one of these will be drawn. In order to
get the prize member must be present.
In Sweden the present year shows a
marked increase in disputes between en-
ployers and employees and although some
serious disputes, affecting a large number
of hands, were luckily settled without
strike or lockout, the number of strikes
during 1907 has been doubled as compar
ed with the same period of 1905. Dur
ing the first quarter of 1905 there were
thirty-seven cases of work being stopped,
directly affecting 102 employers and 300
men, the figures for the same period in
1906 were forty-eight stoppages of labor,
affecting ffty-three employers and 2,3O0
men, and during the first quarter of the
present year there were sevenUy-two stop
pages, affecting eighty-seven employers
and 3,40O men. At the time of drawing
up the report five disputes were still
pending, forty-nine had resulted in
strikes, thirteen in lockouts and ten were
of more complicated nature.
Representatives of more than 100000
members of the building unions held a
general convention recently in New York
City for the purpose of planning among
building trade unions in that city giant
central body in the building trade and
putting an end to all rivalry.
Owing to the action of the masters in
refusing to grant a raise of % cents a
week, the patternmakers, at a meeting
in Belfast, Ireland, decided TO go on
strike. Nearly two hundred men are con-
cerned, and it is feared their action may
affect the whole engineering trade in the
city.
President W. D. Mahon and other off
GERS were reelected at the recent conven-
ton in New Orleans of the Amalgamated |
Association of Street and Electric |
Railroad Employees of America.
The Coal Cancellation Board for the |
federated area of Great Britain met re-
Gently to discuss and decide upon the |
miners demand for a further advance of |
5 per cent in wages, making the third adj |
vance this year, and bringing me aggre- |
gate wage up to the maximum of go per |
cent above the standard. The coal own
ers could not agree, and the matter has |
been referred TO Lord James of Hereford |
as arbitrator.
Four hundred operative male spindle
makers resumed work recently in the Boil
ton. Oldham and Dukinfeld (England) |
districts, after being on strike for eight
weeks against the alleged encroachments
of employers in their wage list. The en-
ployers recognized the mems union, met
their leader in conference, and an AMIGA
BILE settlement of the matters in dispute
was concluded.
Trouble has been brewing IN the boot
and shoe trade of England over the ques-
ton OF minimum wage. The men de-
mand 81 shillings a week, and for the
females 81 shillings a week. The en-
ployers, it is said, are inclined to favor
the former, but not the latter.