The wageworker. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1904-????, 1909-09-18
English Building Trade Unions.

English Building Trade Unions
According to an article on British
trade unions by Hans Fehlinger in the
current issue of the Bricklayer and
Mason, the official journal of the
Bricklayers' and Nasons' International
union, as compared with 1898. all the
main groups of trades in Great Bri-
tain. except the building group. which
has declined II per cent. and the
clothing group. which has declined two
per cent. show q large growth in mem
bership. The relative increase was
smallest in the metal. engineering and
shipbuilding trades. where it amounted
TO 81 per cent In the printing trades
the Increase was IS per cent. in the
textile trades A per cent. and in the
mining and quarrying group 90 per
cent.
In the transport group. unions of
railway servants more than doubled
their membership, while other trans
port trades increased by one-fourth.
Unions OF employees OF public authori-
ties have increased in membership by
80 per cent. and unions of shop as
sistants by nearly 500 per cent, The
increase of the remaining unions aver
| aged IS per cent
A table is given in the article. re-
,ating to the unions of building trades
and changes in their membership, 1t
| shows that in 1895 the number of
unions of laborers was 5S, with $3.50
members and 81 unions of skilled
workmen. with 1850 members, In
1899 there were SIS unions of lahorers,
with ss.sls members. and IS unions of
| skilled workmen, with s10.0ss mem
hers, In 1900 there were So unions of
laborers. with SS,sss members, and "A
unions of skilled workmen with s14.-
4S6 members, In 1901 there were 81
unions of lahorerS, with 1885 mem
bers. and 20 unions of skilled work
men, with sl1,4i1 members, In 1902
the number of union laborers was 81,
with s., It's members, and the number
of unions of skilled workmen was IS,
with sll,s66 members. In 1908 the
number of unions of laborers was 81
with sS,S0l members, while the mum
Der of unions of skilled workmen was
90, with EOS, e4o members. The mum
Der of unions OF laborers in 1904 was
81, with membership OF s5,0Sl, while
there were 90 unions of skilled work
men. with s0o,0eS members The
number of unions of laborers in 100:
was 81, with 11.97I members, and the
number of unions of skilled workmer
was 81. with q membership of ISL .20S
The number of unions of laborers il
1906 was As, with a membership O
1884. while there were 5S unions o
skilled workmen. with 119,S9S mem
bers. In 1907 the number of union:
of laborers was "A. with a membership
of Il, eSs. and the number of unions o
skilled workmen was 5S. with a mem
bership of 117.957.
In commenting on this table. tn
article says: The decline of mem
bership in the building trade unions
which has synchronixed with years o
considerable depression in the indus
try, was proportionately greater il
the case of laborers than in the cas-
of skilled workmen. but even wit
skilled workmen the falling of wa
considerable, especially in 1905. Dun
ing the three years. 1905-1S07, the OF
eratiye Bricklayers' society lost 500
members. and the two principal union
of masons lost 10000 members bs
tween them. The Amalgamated 81
ciety of Carpenters and Joiner
showed net decline of 1000 in tots
membership, notwithstanding an e,
ceptionally large increase t6,000)
the number of its members outside tn
United Kingdom The national pain
ers was the only important union
this group of trades which increase
its membership during 1905-1SO7.'