Denver labor bulletin., 1918-06-08
HAVE DECLINED TO AC-
CEPT EMPLOYMENT AT
REGENERATION CAMP.
Contractors Try to Force Men to
Work for Dollar Day Under
Scale of Wages Prevailing
in Craft Throut State
of Colorado.

There is no strike Of briclSmasons
at the army reeuperation camp. as
some of the daily papers would have
the public believe. Members of the
Denver Bricklayers and Masons
Union No. /. however, have refused
to accept employment there at n
wage below that prevailing for SINH
lar work in this city. Up to date no
brick or terra Gotta work has been
done at the recuperation camp.
Thursday a call was made for sixty
brickmasons at wage of 81 per day.
The scale in Denver and thruout Colo
rado is IS per day, hence no brick
masons showed up on the job. Thurs
day evenings Denver Post printed
scurrilous front page article brand
ing the brickmasons in particular and
organized labor in general as traitors
to the nation. According to the Post
any labor man who does not scab
on himself and family is a traitor and
should be shot at sunrise.
Union Scale IS Per Day.
The wage scale for brickmasons in
Denver which has been adopted by
thirty-nine contractors Of the city for
this kind Of work is $S day for eight
hours. The contractors in charge of
construction at the recuperntion camp
are offering 81 for the same work and
the men have refused to accept il.
The brickmasons charge that the C.
s. Lambie Construction Company.
holder Of the contract for the con-
struction Of the recupcration camp, is
unfair because the company. they say,
IS offering to pay only 81 day after
It had signed an agreement to pay the
$S-a-day wage
Explains Attitude.
Alexander Simpson. Jr.. general
pany, in charge Of the recuperation
camp work, states that on all private
work which his company has under
construction at the present time the
new wage scale adopted by all the
leading contractors Of the city was
being paid.
THE work at the camp, however. is
being conducted by us under the di
rect supervision of the quartermaster
generals department and the wage
scales in effect at the camp are those
fixed by the officials in Washington.
All contracts are let in Washington
after the prevailing wage scale in
practically every locality Of the coun-
try. which are on file in the Offices of
the American Federation of Labor mt
that place, have been inspected.
The government does not arbi-
trarily fix these wage scales but does
take into consideration the scales pre-
Willing in localities where the con-
struction work is to be carried on
when contracts are let. As l under
stand it. the new wage scale in effect
March ! in Denver. that of IS a day,
was never posted in Washington and
consequently the contract for the new
recuperation camp rs far as the brick |
layers are concerned was let at the |
old scale of ST."
Put II Up to Contractors.
According to Simpson, it is his wish |
that the brickmasons go to work ut
the rae of 81 day and then appeal
to the national commission in WASH |
ington for adjustment of the scale. |
The brickmasons, however, claim that |
by so doing they would become both |
complainant and defendant in any such
action for the reason that the SO day
is now the wage scale here. This
scale became operative March l.
The contention of the brickmasons
is that they should be put to work at |
the present wage scale and then il |
would become necessary for the con- |
struction company to make the appeal |
Under the constitution of the orpani- |
zation, however, IL the men commenced |
work at the scale of 81 they would be !,
unable to order a strike or even leave /
the construction work during the |
course Of the arbitration or even after |
n decision had been rendered against
them.
The only contractors, il is claimed,
who have refused to sign the wage in
crease in Denver are an organization |
of sub-contractors known MS the Dem
yer Brick Contractors Association,
whose members receive their contracts
for brick work from the general con-
tractors who receive the jobs.
Refute Post Charges
The charge Of being unpatriotic is |
resented blythe, brickmasons which !