The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1907-08-30
BITS ABOUT CARPENTERS

What was the name of that good
old Biblical character whose name
signified, Il have come up through
great tribulation"?
We'll, no matter. But whatever the
name it would well fit the Carpen-
ters' organization in this city, for GER
tainly it has come up through great
tribulation.''
The first organization of carpenters
was effected in November, 1892, when
thirty members of the craft met and
agreed to form local. 1t was duly
chartered at Local No. 373 1t had
a hard experience and met an untime-
! ly death. Unionism was not we'll un-
derstood in those days, and the label
agitation and the closed shop were
| things almost unknown. But the Or
ganization prospered for a time, only
/ to go down in the general wreck
brought about by the panic that came
couple of years later. For several
| y
carpenters in the city, although few
faithful ones still retained their cards
and held their membership elsewhere
These men were missionaries of
unionism in those days, and they
kept plugging away, knowing that
their cause was just, and losing no
opportunity to preach the gospel of
unionism The seed they sowed soon
brought forth fruit In 1899 the mill
men organized local and it was duly
chartered as Millworkers' Local No
113. 1t was an uphill fight from the
start, but the men hung on like grim
death and made a success of their
efforts. Three years later, in 1902, the
carpenters determined to make an
other effort at permanent organization.
They succeeded and received a char
| ter as Local No 1882. A little later
another local was organized and
chartered at Local No. 1906.
i This gave Lincoln three locals, two
millworkers. The natural and newt
able result followed. There were jeal-
ousies and chickering's, misunderstood
ings and hard feelings. The wiser
heads soon realized that continual
tion of this state OF affairs would
prove disastrous, and they set about
to find the remedy. A little investi-
cation soon convinced them that ANAL
gamation was the only escape. So
they set about to secure it. They met
with discouragements, but they per-
sisted, and finally they were success
full On March 18, 1904, the three
locals were consolidated and received
a charter as Local No. 1855.
| And from that day success and
prosperity shone upon the union car
penters. True they have met with
reverses, and at times the outlook was
anything but bright. But there were
| loyal hearts and true, ready to re-
spond to every call of duty, and OBJ
stacles were overcome one by one, and
sometimes two at time.
1t is interesting to hear one of the
old timers tell about the difference in
conditions row and when there was
no organization.
"Why, before we organized we
worked ten and eleven hours a day,
and 25 cents an hour was considered
top wages. We lost about half our
time hunting for jobs, and We were
almighty glad to take anything we
l
could get. We had absolutely no
voice in the disposition of our labor.
It's different now, and the younger
element will never know what we old
fellows went through with. Now we
don't have to lose any time hunting
work We have a business agent
who keeps US posted. Neither do we
have to work ten and eleven hours a
day at 25 cents an hour. We make
more money in eight hours than we
used to make in eleven, and that
means that we have more time to get
acquainted with our families and pre-
pare ourselves for better citizenship"
Ever since the consolidation of the
locals the Brotherhood of Carpenters
and Joiners in Lincoln has prospered
and progressed. The progress has
been discouragingly slow at times, but
it has always prospered. Today the
local has 1853 members, and additions
are made at every meeting of the
union. At the melting last Tuesday
night three new members were initia-
ted and a dozen applications handed
| in. 1t has been many long month
since a meeting was held without an
initiation.