The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-19
GENERAL STRIKE BY
BUILDING TRADES IS
CALLED FOR TODAY
Voted Yesterday to Quit
Work Out of Sympathy
for Carpenters
CLAIM ABOUT 5000
MEN ARE INVOLVED
Few Contractors Refused Carpente ers'
Demand for More Money and Now
All Will Be Made to Suffer
Pending Adjustment


mingham has issued an ultimatum that
unless the demands of the Carpenters
union are acceded to every union man
employed on all buildings in the district,
from a skyseraper to chicken coop will
lay down his tools this morning and come
out on a sympathetic strike.
This action was decided on Yesterday
at a meeting of the representatives of
all trades allied to the building industry
held at the Building Trades council rooms
on Twentieth street.
Notwithstanding the fact that many of
the contractors have acceded to all de-
mands and that none of the union men
on buildings under construction will be
abandoned until settlement is arrived
at or the work will have to be under
taken by non-union men.
By the edict of the Building Trades
council about 5000 men in the several
building crafts will be thrown out of en-
ployment this morning and all work on
the buildings now under construction will
be al a standstill.
Caused by Carpenters Union
The sympathetic strike was brought
about by the Carpenters union, which de-
manded an increase of wages from As
cents an hour to 50 cents to be effective
on the first of May, and a further in
crease of 21a cents to be effective on the
first of July. Some of the contractors
Immediately signed up with the union and
granted their demands, others refused and
strike was declared. On many of the
larger buildings work went on as usual,
union carpenters being employed at the
advanced rates,
Last week it was rumored that the car
penters would call on all the allied build
ing trades to quit work and Join them in
their strike which brought about the meet
ing yesterday and the resultant ultimatum
for all work to stop.
Important Contracts Affected
The most important contracts to be af-
feeted are the jefferson County Savings
bank building, the lTutwiler, Roden and
Motion hotels and the Ridgley apartment
against which the Union men have no
grievance. In all it is estimated that over
s5,0o0,00o worth of construction work will
be stopped and the greatest building era
in the history of Birmingham may be
given serious setback unless some amic-
able agreement is reached at an early
date
The union men contend that the Build
ers' association is trying to establish
the open shop in Birmingham and tina I
they would fight the proposition to the
bitter end. The trades and cailings af-
fected include the steel workers, brick
masons, carpenters, hoisting engineers,
plasterers, plumbers. electricians and all
other crafts connected with the building
trade.
/ Secretary George r. Strafford of the
last evening when informed that a strike
vote had been taken by the Building
Trades council yesterday morning He
said: II know nothing about the strike.
| cannot state at this time what the plans
of the Builders association will be. In
fact we have no official advices that
there is to be strike"
Vice President f. S. Ingram of the
Building Trades council issued the fol-
lowing statement yesterday giving their
viewpoint of the strike.
Statement by Union Men
I'VE wish to make our position clear to
the general public why the mechanics of
the building industry are striking.
They are simply asking that the slogan
of the Ch--rsr of Commerce be applied
to the gei.--..l contractors as well as to
the workingmen, which is Trade in Bir-
mingham.'
1.-The Master Builders association has
refused to meet the demands of the car
penters for an increase of wages of T1s
cents per hour, while they claim they cam
not meet the demand, at the same time
they can afford to bring unskilled me-
chanics and pay them from SO to So cents
per hour to take the place of the home
mechanics who are only asking for 521a
cents per hour.
The workingmen of all crafts feel
and know that the carpenters demands
are reasonable and just because of the
high cost of living. and for this reason
we refuse to stand idly by and see the
Master Builders association, with the
attitude they have assumed, to destroy
the standard of the mechanics of the
building industry, without using every
honorable means in our power to pre-
vent it,
1.-The Birmingham Building Trades coun-
ell has used every available means in