Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1921-11-17
PROTEST EMPLOYMENT
OF NON-RESIDENTS
ON CONTRACTS
WANT MONEY HERE
BOND ISSUE FUNDS FOR NEW
BRIDGE, THEY CLAIM, SHOULD
GO TO HOME LA5oR-MAYoR
AND COMMISSIONER WILL
HELP WIN THAT POINT.

Representatives of local labor
unions last night appeared before the
city council to enter formal protest
against the employment of nOn.rcsi-
dent and non-organizcd labor on con
tracts now being performed In the
city. Specifically the labor represen
tatiyes meant the First avenue and
Van Buren street paving and the di
version OF Goose creek where, tiIey
claimed, out.oftown men were being
shown preference by employers over
those whose homes were In Ottawa
Spokesman for tho delegation were
T.. C. Thompson Of the LaboreT3
Union ard Seth Gregg OF the Painters.
Tho Oltondorf Construction company.
builders Of the South Side retaining
wall and the Goose creek undertaking
bore the brunt Of the attack
In stating their case both Mr.
Thompson and Mr. Gregg harped back
10 the time when OltendCrf was hav-
ing trouble with organized labor over
the hall contract. The contractor
they said, made promises that only
union men would be employed on the
job and the union scale of 60 cents an
hour would be paid, only to retract his
promise and thcu hire nonresident
labor at a sliding scale OF from 40 to
go cents .,----v,.-t
Paving Firms import Help.
The Goelot people. now laying the
Van Burcn street paving, we're, it was
pointed out, employing Ottawa labor
nh I,,t ..
cf pay was far under the scale. The
Powe"s-Thompson Construction com
pany, completing the First avenue i'm
provement the labor ENJOYS asserted,
were using only nonresident help.
The purpose of the visit to the coun-
Gil chamber, it was explained, was to
prevent the Oltendorf company from
getting the proposed contract for tn
new $4,000 Fox river bridge. Both
Thompson and Gregg said it would be
unfair to ottawa labor to let another
contract go to this concern in view
of Its past record, and thoy would do
all within their power to block let
ting the work to the company in view
of its past record toward the unions
and employment of ottawa labor.
~ G. Thompson. in promulgating
the issue into an otherwise placid ses-
sion of the city dads. oaid; Il wish
to bring up matter before this coun-
Gil which we of the Building Trades
Council have considered for long,
long time. ! speak in reference to
contract work let by the City of OF
tawa. | speak for Ottawa union men
in particular and Ottawa w0rkingmen
IN general Firms doing work under
thothree bond issues submitted to the
pcarle some time ago are not only ig-
noring union mon with employment.
but seem to show q preference for
men whose homes never were no"
never Will be Ia Ottawa This is a
condition that should be changed, and
we ask you to use your good Offices
to see that that change is brought
about in all future work let by the
: city"
Against More Bond Issues.
Seth Gregg attacked the proposition
from another angle.
'N hen these bond issues were IN
for vote" he started, you men of
the council promised to employ only
contractors who would give employ
ment to ottawa unions, or ottawa
men. Mr. Oltendorf first acquieAccd
to this plan, and then. after giving
his promise revoked his word and
fatty refused to employ laborers with
cards. The contractors association
got to him after he had made his
promise to us, and the very next
morning we were informed there
would be no recognition of our claims
on the retaining wall contract. He
told us he could get labor for 30 cents
an hour by the carloads from Chi
cago.
The PAYERS saw that Oltendorf go,
away with it and they won't even hire
Ottawa men-they turn down men
who arc willing to work at their rate
of pay, because they belong here at
: home, leave their money here and
raise their families here.
I'm going to tell you gentlemen
that labor has been given raw deal
on these matters. We were out and
fought to put over these bond issues,
which surely would have been beaten
had we not demanded support from
our organizations in their behalf. As
long as this council is in Office and
wants another bond issue | am here
to serve notice on you right now we
we'll beat it no matter how good "a
pronoaition 1t hpppens TO he"
The attack in which Mr. Oltendon