Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-31
BUILDERS SEEK
A 6-HOUR DAY
I MON Organizations See Relief in
- Present Situation by Lessen
ing Length of Days.

It is the belief Of tri-city labor
officials that a six-hour day will
trend toward relieving the extra
ordinary conditions prevailing in
the building industry, and a move
meut has been started among the
building trades organizations to
curtail the present working hour
system, according to the Tri-City
Labor Review Of this week.
In announcing the start of such
a movement, the Labor Review
says.
"A movement has been started
in the building trades organiza-
tons Of the tri-cities to establish a
siX-hOur day in order to relieve the
extraordinary conditions prevail
ing in that industry.
When it is taken into considera-
ton that over 80 per cent of the
mon Employed in the building in
dustrv are idle today it can readily
De seen that no possible delay
should be countenanced in bring
iSg about an adjustment of condi-
<Hons that viii give TO every man
and woman the opportunity to
earn a livelihood
The organized labor movement
realizes full we'll the fact that
every idle man is a menace to the
man on the job. Experience teach
cs us that many employers are
ever alert to take advantage of
flooded labor market to reduce
wages, and the building trades are
TO be congratulated on their fore
sight in lending their energies to
avert a labor crisis in this vicinity.
1t is up to every organization in
the tri-Citios to emulate their eE-
ample.
where is the consistency in
some men working 10 and - hours
a day while one-haIf Of the working
class population are walking the
streets vainly searching for an OPP
pOTtunitv to secure enough employ
ment to keep their families from
starving We hear a great deal
about different committees being
appointed to devisa ways and means
! 10 relieve the labor situation. hut
NV many of them have come out
openly with the recommendation
that the hours Of labor be proper
toned off in such a manner as to
assure every worker a job?
Labor has fought and won the
war. Wherever sacrifices were to
be made it was labor who cheerful
" responded to every call, and now
that it is over. what is to be their
Teward2 Is it to he a long period
Of idleness. Unemployment with its
attendant tragedies, such as bread
lines, soup houses and wholesale
reductions in wages2 Unless labor
wakes up to its own peril the war
viii have been fought in vain as far
as they are concerned.
There should be immediate &C
ton taken in every organization to
adjust their conditions so that
every man in their union is proyid-
ed with employment Don't wait
longer. Already there are 1000
building tradeSmen walking the |
streets They are men who have |
done their bit to win the war. Let /
us now insist once and for all that /
no longer will the employers be /
allowed TO use the unemployed men T.
as q leverage against the man on
the job to reduce wages. lengthen F
hours, and destroy organization. +
Now as never before do we need F.
unity Of action and harmonious CO
operation among the entire labor
movement If We are to be success +
full u, Let us forget our faCtionaI
iy|Ousies and pull together as we
never pulled before. in order that .
organized labor may emerge from .
the Teadjustment period stronger F
aud more firmly united than ever /
before in its history"