The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-03-01
GENERAL LABOR NEWS

Railroads in South Dakota are EN-
ploying woman section hands.
Trade unions in Wisconsin aim to
secure minimum wage of $13.30 a
week for woman employees in indus
try.
San Diego (Cal) street car men
have organized and affiliated with the
Amalgamated Association of Street
and Electric Employees.
The national harness and saddlery
adjustment commission has ordered
| wages increased to 60 cents an hour
for leather workers employed on gov
eminent contracts.
The navy department issued an or
der disseminating until further notice
all Sunday work in navy yards and
other shore stations. The order be-
comes effective at once.
Gordon Kelly of Vancouver, b. O.,
president of the Pacific coast district
Of the International Longshoremen's
association, died at Seattle, Wash,
| from pneumonia, following influenza.
An agreement has been reached be-
and the Toronto airplane woodwork
ers, by which all differences have been
| settled. The wage scale will be SO
| cents an hour.
The present constitutional govern
5ent of Mexico incorporated in the
new constitution, promulgated on Feb
ruary 5, 1917 the most advanced labor
legislation in the world along the lines
adopted by New Zealand.
The campaign of the employment
service to restore to the coal and metal
mines of the country experienced work
ers who have gone into other employ
ment is meeting with success, said an
announcement by the department of
labor.
Thirteen thousand job and cylinder
pressmen and allied trades in New
York city asked the national war labor
board for 35 per cent wage increases,
basic eight-hour day in all shops and
reinstatement of men who they claimed
were locked out by employers.
The total cost of erecting the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor headquarters
in Washington, which included the cost
of the ground upon which the build
ing stands was S1S9,3176S. OF this
amount S66, 740 has been paid off, leav-
ing an Indebtedness of $12250G
In a decision ordering three union
heads to stand trial for alleged viola
ton of the antitrust laws in calling
strike, Judge Lands ruled that the
Clayton act, generally supposed to
grant immunity in such cases, did not
apply where the accused were not
among the strikers.
The national war labor board denied
the appeal of employees of the Com
monwealth Steel company of Granite
City, ILL.,, for recognition of the union,
which had been refused by the steel
company and for minimum wage
rate of 60 cents per hour for common
labor instead of 40 cents an hour
awarded by Major Rogers.
The confederated harbor unions OF
Havana, Cuba, comprising the steve
dores, firemen, sailors, launch opera
tors warehouse employees and all dock
workers voted for a general strike in
an effort to enforce their demands for
increased wages, recognition of their
union and a half holiday on Saturday
It is estimated that nearly 5000 men
were affected.
The number of children employed in
factories, mines and quarries has in
creased rapidly since the federal child
labor law was declared unconstitu
tfonal, June last, on the basis Of q
report made by investigators Of the
children's bureau of the department OF
labor. The repeal of the law also is
shown to have resulted in the length
ening of the working day for children
Several hundred walters and cooks
at the Vanderbilt and Plaza hotels
New York, went on strike, joining l.,
500 employees of the McAlpin, Wal
dorf Astoria, Claridge and Aston no
tells in demands for higher wages
Walters at the Biltmore, Belmont
Manhattan, Ansonia and Murray Hill
may 20 out. The walters ask an in
crease 1from $40 to $f5 a week" The
hotels claim that, plus tips and boart
they net 5000 a month.