The San Francisco call., 1910-03-18
Edited by o. M. BOYLE


The blacksmiths' and kindred unions
of this city have been furnished with
the following statement in regard TO
the Bethlehem steel works. commonly
called the American steel trust, to show
the conditions there, and why an ap-
peal has been made on behalf of the
5000 men who left there because re-
fused better conditions:
Mr. Schwab owns the steel COM
pany. There are about 5000 men en-
ployed in the plant. 1t is said that he
has about S40,000.000 worth of public
work outside OF his private work. Mr..
Schwab takes a trip abroad frequently
He is many times millionaire The
armor plate scandal we remember. His
millions have been made, but how?
Possibly these figures will give you
some idea.
The following is the average rate
per hour:
Pattern makers. q cents; molders,
q cents; machinists, p cents; steam
filters, l6 cents; laborers, 122 cents;
blacksmiths, hammermen and helpers,
average 19 cents; polishers aind buffers,
II cents; electrical workers and crane
men. II cents; riggers and iron work
ers, IL cents, and with these rates they
are working 10 hours and % minutes
for days work, no extra pay for over
time or work on Sundays and holidays.
No wonder that Mr.. Schwab can
hobnob with royalty at Monte Carlo.
In the face of these figures, and
with the price of beeksteak, he has the
coal and iron police, the Pennsylvania
state consta bularS in his plant In
South Bethlehem. and closed it UP be-
fore he would raise the wages OF his
employee.
In .Chicag go hammermen get from so
to so cents an hour blacksmiths from
30 to so cents, helpers from % TO 40
cents and in many other places the
same
1T is wonder that the government
would allow its work to be done by
man with such q miserable little SOUL
Under the provisions of the constitu-
tion OF the San Francisco labor council
none of the unions Of the buiidlns
trades council will be permitted 10
have more than 10 delegates, as appears
from the following from the funda-
mental laws Of the central body:
Section 5. Representation from trades
and labor unions shall be as 1oIloWs'
One delegate for the charter, one dele
gate for the union for the nrst one
hundred members or major traction
thereof and one delegate for every ad-
ditional hundred or major II reafnaeI, baen
elected, beyond which no organization
shall be represented.
Some organizations have about 5000
members and under the rules of the
building trades council they are enu-
tied 10 about 80 delegates. but under
the labor council constitution 10 dele
gates is the maximum. This matter is
being discussed and ii is said that
when the building trades men get IN
and are part of. the labor council they
will make q move to have the constitu-
tion amended so that the basis OF one
for every 100 members shall prevail. II
that is done il will, il is claimed, give
the building trades members a working
majority in the labor council
The district council of painters has
declared Charles Lessig, a contracting
painter. unfair because he declared
that he would Go as he pleased In the
hiring of nonunion men. The building
trades council has been asked 10 concur
in this action.
The ways and means committee pre-
sented a report, with resolutions, on the
subject of improving trade conditions.
The secretary was instructed TO SEND
a copy of this to hea dquarters. with
request that it be considered
The federated and building trades
councils of Sacramento have appointed
a committee to make arrangements for
the reception on the visit to the capital
city of the executive committee of the
American federation of labor in the
early part of next May if the commit
tee accepts the invitation extended. The
laying of the cornerstone of the labor
temple will be made a feature of the
visit
The association that is to build the
temple, on a contract recently let for
s62 l04 has $17 900 on hand. This viii
be used to meet monthly payments un-
ill that amount is exhausted, after
which the money will be borrowed
from a bank as payments on the con-
tract become due, each amount being a
separate loan and bearing interest from
the date of the loan. The stock in the
hall association was sold on the so pay
ment plan An effort will be made to
have the holders of this stock pay half
or the full amount at one time so as to
avert the necessity of borrowing such
large sum.
The carpenters Of Stockton have de-
cided TO consider the submission of a
demand for $3.50 for an eight hour day.
and a committee was named to prepare
wage scale to carry out that idea.
The plumbers union of the same city
is also considering the advisability of
asking 1OE An increase III hdeto- lIt
members now receive $3.50 a day.
Earl Williams, for a long time re-
corder of the BARRIERS union of Sacra-
mento. died a few days ago at Yolo and
his funeral was held under the auspices
of the union. The family will receive
a death benefit of $500 from the inter-
national union.
The prjnting pressmen's union will
hold an election of officers on the night
Of April T. The following nominations
were made: For president. George
Spooner; vice president, George Sauer
and A. Nutting; recording secretary,
s P. Kane, 3. Rice and George Will
liams; delegates to allied printing
trades council, G. Spooner, j. Lyons, C.
Radebold; delegates to the interna-
tional body. C. Radebold. D. Dygert, j.
Lyon and George Peterson.
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