The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-04-01
Union Brick and StOnemasOns
on a Strike.
Demand Seventy Cents an Hour
From Contractors.
MIXERS WANT MORE.
AXIS That They Be Paid $3.50
Per Day.
Two Buildings Upon Which
Work Has Stopped.

The brickmasons have made good
their threat to strike unless the con-
tractors acceded to their demand for
an increase in wages, and not a union
brickmason in the city is at work to-
day. About two weeks ago the con-
tractors were notified that unless they
raised the wage scale for brick
ma sons from 6215 cents to 20 cents
per hour, a strike would be called
April 1. The contractors gave the
masons no encouragement and steadily
held out against the demand. When
work stopped at 5 O'Clock last even
ing, the contractors were notified that
no work would be done today. AL
though the union stonemasons had
not Joined in the demand for an in
crease, they are also striking in SYM
pathy, and about thirty mortar mix
ers, mostly. colored. who have union
or their own, are also on the striking
list. AS the mortar mixers would not
be employed without masons to use
the mortar, this strike is about as
much of a necessity as luxury in their
case, but they hope to cause a raise in
wages from So to $3.50 per day when
they go back to work, by pinning their
star to the tail of the masons' comet.
The mortar mixers say they can not
live on the present wages, and that
other cities are paying So for that
class of la Dor.
About rs men are affected by the
masons' strike. and the brick and
stone work is at a standstiu How
ever, the strikers caught the con-
tractors at an opportune time, as only
two jobs of Importance are tied m
The Central Congregational church in
course of construction. will be held
up. Cuthbert & Sargent had charge
of the stone work on this building and
had several stone men on the Job. The
stonecutters did not strike. and Cuth-
bert & Sargent will continue to get
out the material for the building
while waiting for a settlement with
the striking masons.
The other brick job is a curtain wall
at the seymour packing plant The
general construction of the packing
plant annex is of concrete, and CON-
pleted. and F. NJ. Spencer, the contrac-
tor. says the work can stand for a
year without the curtain wall.
OF course raise of wages for the
masons would have to come ont Of tha
pockets of the owners" said Mr.
Spencer today. but the Contractors
feel that they have reached the reason
able limit in wages for a while at least
Five dollars a day for eight hours.
work looks to us like fair wages and
we fear that one raise would cali for
another and there would be no getting
off place. Many of the masons wera
we'll satisfied with the wages. but thev
H.
1T is the claim of the masons that
they cannot make living wages be-
cause theirs is outside work The fact
remains that during the year of 1908.
worked masons almost every week
day in the whole year The work of
the carpenters is also ofstside wcrk.
and they are not paid as issueh as the
masons. l do not think it would be
fair to the building interests of the
city to raise the scale to 20 cents pei.
hour"
The masons say that the wage scale
in Kansas City. st. Louis and other
cities, is 20 cents, and they want the
same scale here. They also state thar
statistics gathered by the officers of
the national masons' union show that
a mason cannot average over 100 days.
work in a year. on account of the ex
posed nature of the work which sub
jects it to weather conditions
Several small jobs of stone and brick
work. principally foundations AMI
chimneys. are tied up in an unfinished
condition, but the contractors who
were seen today do not seem to be
worry about it.