Denver labor bulletin., 1916-09-09


Labor.
@These conditions exist in a city where
the landed and commercial wealth 10
enormous, yet on the whole upper west
side of the city, the Riverside Drive res
idential section, there are fine modern
apartments by the dozen in the course
Of erection, on which jobs the bona fide
carpenter cannot obtain employment, be-
cause he is in fierce competition with q
class of carpenters who are willing to
work for any price, from $3.50 per day
up. Yet these buildings are traded on
the real estate market for hundreds of
thousands of dollars, and the inferior
quality of workmanship is foisted upon
an unsuspecting public who have to pay
high rents for q spurious living apart
ment. This should not be prevailing
condition, but it is absolutely and truth.
fully the case, and the contractors On
many of these jobs are comprised in
the list of the indepndent bosses who
signed up on over trade demand for $3.50
per day beginning May /, 1916. Could
anything be more incongruous? The con-
tentioh would be laughable were it not
so serious from the viewpoint of the
member walking the streets hopelessly
looking for a job, but he has to pass by
these places as if they We're plague spots,
and this may be what they really are,
because those who are responsible for
these conditions are affected with chron-
ic intellectual infantile paralysis
"The power or our organization should
be used to bring pressure on the build
ing apartment to appoint inspectors
fcarpenters) to see that carpenter con-
struction on all buildings shall be erected
according to the best standards of our
Lx- L. l,x-,r
remedy, cure an intolerable evil, and at
the same time protect the public welfare
and serve the best interests OF our trade.
I'm view of a lack of initiative in this
particular instance, and there are many
other improvements that could be in
augurated to secure a more steady en-
ployment of our membership, it is not
at all surprising that this same group
of district officers should have entirely
missed the mark and showed an absolute
want of appreciation of the real neces-
sites of our membership when they so
lightly repudiated the efforts of our gen
eral president and the general executive
board TO improve conditions in the New
York district by securing an agreement
on the wage scale, five days after the
strike was started, and which same
agreement, after three months of foolish
obstruction, they are now willing to ac-
eept, simply because time has proved
the wisdom of the general prsident and
the general executive board as impartial
arbitrators acting for the best interests
of the members of the organization
Three months have passed = futile,
foolish and fruitless months of useless
and unnecessary loss of wages and pres
tige for the New York carpenter. 1t is
time the light of day was allowed to dawn
to drive away the past night of preju-
dice and misinformation. 1t is time for
us to rehabilitate both our organization
and our trade in the New York district
Let us do it with the help and co-opera-
tion of our general office. Let us use
the great power of our national organi-
zation for our benefit and not place OBJ
structons in the paths of our national
progress. Let us try to restore the old
time glory of our craft, so let us begin
new era in our organization The
present conditions cry aloud for a
change Let the members 60 back on
their jobs and aid the local and general
Officers to make the New York district
a union city, where union men can work
under union conditions.
"We, the undersigned, represent $500
members in good standing of the United
.i"e"eino noou VI ea Peh'efs ana Joiners OF
America.
4Fraternally yours,
James P. Delaney, Rec. Sec & Bus
Agt. L. U. 74O; VIM. j. s Macmillan,
Pres. & Bus. Agt L. U. %; d. Suther-
laid, Rec Sec L. U. %; Matthew GIL
bert, Pres. & Bus. Agt. L. U. l54s; John
orlet. Rec. Sec. L. U. l54s; Dick Ryan,
Pres. L. U 1856; Tallak Tallaksen, Sec.
I. U. l456; John W. Troup, Pres. L. y.
740.