Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1921-05-12
EAB6R'S DEMANDS

One of the reasons why building
is tagging In the cities is the build
Ing trust and the necessity OF pay
ling tribute to unions to insure
against strikes. Another Is the I'M
reasonable demands made by the
unions. For instance these are some
Of the. conditions found in Boston
Anybody who can crank Ford
car can operate gasoline dia-
phragm pump. Any man looking for
snap Is recommended to try Tor a
pump job. II he lands one he will
have to start the pump in the morn
ing and stop It at night, and occa-
sionally put little oil on the places
where the wear comes. Not many
years ago the boy who carried water
to the wOrkmen on a building Job
would run half dozen such pumps.
Nowadays an engineer runs single
pump and gets $40 day for start
ing it, stopping it, and pouring on
the oil. Each day he has several
hours to read the papers, smoke and
chat-and consume his monday
meal. But the meal time Is also pay
time.
In one actual case after the oper-
ator had drawn his first weeks pay
the business agent OF the Hosting
and Portable Engineers Union want
ed to know about "that 50 shortage.
That man only got SIS. He's 81 shy
on the noon hour" The employer re-
piled: ''Why the man does nothing
the noon hour. The agent came
back with, well, doesn't the pump
We'll" said the employer. that's
only an hour, so he's only entitled to
81" "No, SIR" came the reply.
that's overtime and must be paid
for as double time" And the pump
man thereafter munched his food
smiingly and watched that gasoline
pump add 50 more each noontime
for his pay envelope.
\ great new building has been in
process of erection in the Back Bay.
1t became necessary to get rid Of the
surface water that flowed into the
IL.
installed an automatic cleo
trically driven pump. A floating con-
troll started and stopped the pump as
made. necessary. The en-
tire apparatus was placed in wood
Ell shack under lock and key. Aside
from occasionally oiIing the motor
the machine required no attention
The union, nevertheless.
under the rules declared that the
pump must have the constant atten-
ton of an engineer. For the time
thus "worked" the builder of that
structure had to pay by that inter
probation $1GS a week.
The union painter these days must
use brush of union dimension. The
narrower a brush the longer 1t takes
to cover a surface or the more men
must be put on hurry job. SO the
union DEGREES that no brush more
than Az inches wide shall be
handled by any member Of the
is only an indirect
way of limiting output. Also the
lnion rules say that no paint-spray-
ng machine shall be used on a union |
Job. Sprayers save time, so the
lnion prefers to have painters do the
work with brushes Of prescribed di- |
nensions. Not long ago in that city
IN employer began on a rush order
o whiten some big walls with a
prayer. The unions Waterman came
n a hurry with his ultimatum: "Stop
he machine or I order off the man."
These sprayers, very useful for saw
rg time and money on surface
leeding only a plain and protective
overing, may not be used on any
nion job. 1
Suppose farmer had TO raise
rops under such conditions. Sup
'ose no farm hand would cultivate
orn without a helper, suppose ID
0rer would not repair harness but
insist that harness maker be
rought out from town to splice a
trap-but what's the use, the farm
r is working without such rules and
e pays the bills for the city labor
rs in the end.