Evening journal., 1919-08-18
union CARPEhTERS
Define POSITION
CONTINUED from First page.

'otlnS 10 hOld iOc. an hour, the ma iO
D ity are now paying 75c. and will raj.
TO soc. to get men TO work for then
, Our activities always set the wag
scale so we viii see that union or non
union men viii all get a minimum d
soc. an hour at the present time.
"On May' 1 the union not havinJ
heard from any Of the builders on th
wage Increase matter. decided that OF
account OF the unsettled condition O.
The country we would not go on strike
but would endeayor to have the wagc
difference adjusted along lines OF ar5i-
tration-and then, too, there was a
Liberty Bond sale on. Action was
postponed until July 1. 1919. still we
failed to hear from the employers. We
heard nothing from them. The govern
inent eoncilliator tried to effect SCI
Ilement' our committee tried to reach
hem-but all to no avail.
Alter being on strike for two weeks
we succeeded in having a conference
g.
arranged with five OF the largest con
tractors doing work in this city. Three
OF these contractors employing fbs most
oi our members at that time. presented
US WIN a compromise at a sDeciiI
'cdiled meeting Of the union. Seven con-
tractors attended this meeting and
Local 6S6 accepted the compromise.
winch was for - cents an hour and
the difference between 20 and S. cents
TO be arbitrated.
our members all returned 10 their
IoDs at the 70 cents an hour rate Vari-
Gus names Of arbitr8tOrs vere sug-
Sested and Ezekiel Cooper was finally ]
iSreeu upon as being fair and agree /
iDIe 10 Doth carpenters and EMPLOYERS. |
VIZ cooper, IN very gentlemaDly man
yer istened 10 the evidence presented
" Doll sides, and made an award of SO
ents an hour. We might say that both
ne union and the contractors agreed 70
Diae by the decision Of the arbitarfor
Now we see in some Of fba nanors
lat the masters are raviDg that Mr.
oopeI award Is not acceptable 10
ien, Ihe majority. Possibly il is
w. because the masters association
inc past has represented a combin-
ION OF small builders and contrac-
rs the majority OF whom emnlov !
W. II any, men, who run their busi-
IS on very small basis, and who |,
g always kicking over the wage l
lesuon-so small that they pay other 9
us without kicking, but always lin j
3 up against the working DeonIe v
zen they should be seeking co-opera-
N rather than constant ngbt
NOW Wnat do we see? We see that L
Yen large contractors who have come q
wilmington from other cities. and V
10 nave always been large men and IT
ge contractors. are doing practically n
large and important building N
,rk, becase they know how In deal II
IN Jne Workmen in their emplov tC
oSe contractors are gentlemen who III
al lines are willing 10 listen 10 cl
iSon' Ihey never 80 off halfi .,
iked.' They appreciate that the cost N
iNlnS Is today an intense problem pl
ma mat wOrkmen must make enough W
wages to at least support their OF
niles and themselves decenUv 81 aN
see, TOO, that while these big con ca
ctors are doing the big Jobs. the III
al wilmington contractors who are sp
IsDers OF The masters association. are W.
en- The little alteration Jobs and in I'M
II uley give employment TO a few or
-uiicn men and men aged in con- ne
'toFs service who are being taken ma
g OF at The existing wage rate nv MS
same small contractors. Then
Sc small contractors are so strong mC
wilmington, that they import from be
lgevllle, SeafOrd, Milford and a few is
III towns in Delaware and Mary WI
l-m0re carpenters. The good i'm tbs
Ied men are attracted here by the saT
liie, and at first don't pay much net
ntlon to the wage matter. but It
n they begin to make their homes the
and bring their families up. they cor
see that the wages paid them by the
small contractors are not sufficient are
make both ends meet-and the next TO
z we know, these men are seek
information about the union and fcon
making APPLICATION TO Join The att;
Will accept them as members IL LOr
are good men, who know their SIM
ness. But it must be said that upy
? Of the imported workmen are tru,
acquainted with the quality Of Eve
< demanded in Wilmington and self
unable to get out Of their small bert
sc harness. OF
he local is not worried over the belc
mt proposition as II Is explained Tha
he small contractors. We might that
what big jobs are you doing? folk
! big jobs have you done? The beyt
er is generally to be found in see com
he jobs that have been done by "T
small contractors; a few altera- ably
here, roof tackled on there. a II I
of rotted-out cellar steps put up. brin
yard gate supplied with new that
5 and Jobs of this kind. The big we
for them, are mighty few and far in W
zen. guild
If one and only reason for asking All ,
cation Of this statement lies i'm the
act that we want square deal conn
for the public and the really big "A
Who do the big jobs in Whining been
We don't have TO apologize for from
nall contractors who usuelly keep IN til
at apologizing for themselves ing.
kick and growl, hate one another He a
ioison and act like a bunch of being
bears off their feed-so the word feeliT
'ration is never to be found in pearg
'Ocabulary.' lie II
RAIN CAUSES WASH OUT narte
prdavfe rain dfI 1f4fTa Io,,-, -,