United labor bulletin., 1913-05-22
WILL VOTE ON AFFILlArIoN.
Fear Further Encroaehment on Jurisdc.
tion by Changing Conditions.

tion py Cnah9th9 ConuItions.
washington.-The Bricklayers' and
Masons' International Union will soon
submit to its membership the matter of
affiliation with the American Federation
of Labor. The last issue of the official
journal of the International Union con-
tains the following it being the leading
article:
"The question of afiliation with the
American Federation of Labor, as order
ed by the st. Joe convention, will within
the next two months be submitted to sub
ordinate unions for another vote. The
question is of serious moment to our In
ternational Union. A thousand times
more SO than when submitted at various
times in the past. During the past ten
years there have been many changes in
building construction, until today we are
beset on all sides with question of juris-
diction over certain work. These claims
come both from the newer and the older
organization chartered by the A. F. of L.,
and are a result of the changing of their
classification of work, whereby they seek
to grab little more work for them
selves at our expense.
"A great deal of the interference with
our well-established classification is
sliced on by those whose only desire is
to foment strife and trouble for us, sim
ply because we have remained isolated
from other trades. They forget that
there are others interested, and that they
are innocent sufferers. We refer to the
employer and to the building public, and
they are powerless to move or take
sides in such matters. If they recog-
nize our claims, then the threat is made
that the entire building trades will be
pulled off their work, and conditions
are such that today in several cities
there are employers involved in urlsdlc-
tional disputes affecting our interests
who have always proved their friend
ship to us in years gone by in just such
situations, they ask, What are we to DO
under such condition.
"In our state of isolation during the
past forty years our employers have al
ways patted our members on the Dack
and urged them to continue 1t. Don't
get mixed up with the other trades and
be in trouble all the time, they have
said. Today their tune is changed, and
your international officers in many OF
our recent jurisdictional troubles have
been told that it would be better for all
if we were affiliated with the
rest of the trades. Had we afhilated
with the A. F. of L. ten or fifteen years
ago our jurisdictional troubles OF today
would never have occurred. We should
tions of work conflicting with ours would
not have been approved. AS matters
now stand the more the newer and older
can change their classif-
cation SO as to bite off, as ne saying
goes, a little more of ours the more de-
lighted they appear to be-
1.-THE question is, Where will this all
end? On the one hand our contractors,
always fair to us and willing to do the
right thing by us. face complete stop
page of work at the hands of the Build
ing Trades Department of America
should they accept our classification OF
work in preference to recognizing
claim to some particular portion OF 1t de-
by some other labor organiza-
ton.
"Our affiliation with the American
of Labor and Building Trades
of America will not clear
away the jurisdictional troubles that nave
been and are now being forced upon us
by other trades who attempt to steal
from us our various branches of work
and incorporate same in their own class
Ification. These we shall have to ad-
Just ourselves. Afiliation would stop
all further encroachments. however, and
in the old disputes we would be enabled
thereby to protect our rights more even
handed, In other words, the rest OF the
trades would not be pitted against us,
and this would be something gained, and
a very important gain in SO far as the
position of the involved employer is con-
cerned.
"If affiliation is again turned down by
our union there is only one other re-
course for us, and that is that the next
empower its executive offi.
GERS to form, say. with five structural
trades, an offensive and defensive al
lance Which shall it be? In our opin-
ion afiliation is the proper procedure.
We belong to and should be an active
part of the great American labor move
ment."
rr..eN cer ADVANCES