Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-04-01
UNION EMPLOYEES OF THREE
SHOPS DEMAND 81 AN
HOUR.
NO IMMEDIATE SETTLEMENT
IN SIGHT, EMPLOYERS FIRM
Men Refuse TO Consider New Con-
tract Under Wage Scale Offered
and Contractors Refuse TO Aoeesd
to Mons Dem ands-Striks TO Affect
Others Employed In Contract Work

More than twenty union INSIDE
electricians. employed by three con-
tracing Arms Of tho city. went on
strike this morning to enforce de-
mands for a wage scale Of 81 an hour
for the coming year. The number OF
men out as result Of the strike will
far exceed twenty, 1t is said, because
laborers employed have in some in
stances expressed themselves as fav-
oring going out with the electricians.
and it may be necessary, should the
strike continue, to lay OF some Of the
laborers engaged in setting poles and
like work.
The contractors place the number
Of men directly or indirectly deprived
Of their labor because Of the strike
at forty or more. At union headquar-
tiers today the list Of electricians now
out was given as follows
Marshall Electric Company. four
teen; Electric Supply Company, Ave;
M. J. Boughton. two. Total, twenty
one.
The strike, the men declare, be-
came imperative when the contract
ors after four months notice, refused
to acceed to the mems demands. At
a meeting Wednesday evening the
members Of the union voted to strike.
No Agreement Since 1918.
At union headquarters today 1t was
! said the scale for the year beginning
today was presented December 1, CIV
ing the contractors four months in
which to figure on future work on q
basis Of 81 an hour for electricians.
No advance was asked in 1919. the
men say, because Of war conditions,
and they have been working under
the agreement Of 1918.
That the contractors are un-
able to meet the increase Is denied by
heads Of the union. who point out
that the contractors charge $1.25 an
hour for the lHbor Of 65-cent men as
a basis of 81 an hour the contractors
would be making 81 q day on the Ia
Dor of each man employed for an
eight hour day.
Might Have Made Settlement.
According to the men two Of the
contractors agreed before the last
conference, on Monday, to give the
men S71a cents an hour, and at that
time an agreement might have been
reached on that basis. When the
conference was held, however, an Of
fer Of rs cents an hour was the best
that was forthcoming from tho con-
tractors, according to the men,. On
a nat 75-cent basis the men refused
to consider any agreement with the
employers.
There were some small matters Of
working conditions which the men
desired. such az furnishing tools and
the makeup Of time lists on Friday,
with payment on Saturday during
banking hours, which were not COM
piled with, BIT these conditions were
not such as to imperil an adjustment
of differences.
Scales in Other Cities.
The men today had kilograms from
secretaries Of locals showing the
wage scale in other cities Offering
them in comparison with the wage
scale submitted yesterday by the con-
tractors. which they claimed were for
the most part obsolete
The scale at Burlington was shown
by a telegram from that city to be 70
cents an hour, with 80 cents offered
and the men standing out for 80 cents.
An agreement was signed at Sioux
City, effective today, for a wage of
1925 an hour. according to a message
from that city.
Waterloo electricians are receiving
81 an hour for an eight hour day. un-