The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-04-04

this local union of journeymen plumbers have been running plumbing establish ment in competition with those employing their members. This has been generally understood by us but they have always denied it until now This position taken by the journeymen plumbers union is not in sympathy with any movement that will help the workingman of this city. They have always and are trying now to dom mate every phase of the plumbing busi- ness. and have brought about more strife and trouble than all other union organ
 zations combined. It is generally known and alleged that the leaders of this local union have been the prime movers in all the strikes and trouble taking place for the past two years We master plumbers who have been working these union men for the past 10 or 15 years. do not pro- pose to submit to their demands, and some of us have ignored them, and are filling their places with local mechanics, and by so doing it will enable the cit izens of Birmingham to reduce the cost Of pluAbing, both in labor and material
 Condition Has Reached Limit
 "To accomplish these things, We, the master plumbers. who are taking this stand against the unions unreasonable demands, must have the cooperation of every fair-minded man in the city. This is not a fight on this union, or any other union but it's purpose is to regulate and correct a condition which has reached it's limit. We master plumbers, who have worked these union men heretofore pro- pose to cooperate with any movement that will help the unemployed who need and must have employment. We do not have to import mechanics to fill these union mems places, as we have more mechanics in the city unemployed than we have positions to fill them with.
 Tt is generally known and alleged that the plumbing inspectors employed by the city of Birmingham, in the plumbing de- partment. are men secured from the jour- neymen plumbers local No 91, and it is alleged they are still members of this local and pay their required dues into said local, the same as if they were ac- five members. A board of plumbing eX- aminers was recently passed and became a municipal law. including a new plumb ing ordinance. This board is composed of a chief plumbing Inspector, one member of the journeymen plumbers union local No 9f, and enc ma ster plumber. Who has the majority? Have you read this new ordinance? If not, you should. It is one of the most unreasonable, absurd, inconsistent and impracticable laws that was possabe for these men to frame. It has materially increased the cost of plumbing. both in labor and material. So far as we are able to figure up to this date, since the ordinance took effect on February 1, 1915, We arc of the opinion that in the majority of cases 1t will run from 9 to 50 per cent to do a piece of work under the new ordinance compared with the old A great many items of the material embodied in the new ordinance will have to be made special. and in a great many instances manufacturing companies claim they have no machinery or dies to meet the Birmingham require ments.
 'It is a physical as well as financial impossibility for us to cooperate with you and the citizens of Birmingham with out your influence and cooperation, as we realize that anything that we may say or do is usually discounted and ignored. It is impossible for us to explain or ex- aggerate the real and true conditions un- der which we are laboring, taking into consideration all the facts as enumerated herein, and the burden will eventually fall upon those whol'efuse to act. and act now. A. H.. Evans. Pate Company, Barber Plumbing and Electric Company. w. F. Kelly, 506 South Twentieth street..