Pueblo chieftain., 1922-02-19

The following statement was issued
yesterday by the Master Builders as
sociation OF Pueblo regarding the wage
controversy with the various building
trades unions here:
Tn. pre>en, controversy which IN be-
tween the building contractors and the
building crafts unions of this city over
the question OF whether the wages
shall be reduced from so cents to
81 4 day. has brought some interesting
facts TO the fore.
Tn. wages OF all building crafts were
advanced at different periods dur
ing the war because OF the continual
advance made in the costs OF living In
all lines and these advances wcrc ask
Cd for and given with tha definite
understanding Of all interested parties
tha; whenever these living costs de-
clincd the wages would follow.
Samuel Gompers statement that
union soor should not accept any cut
seems TO have given the building crafts
tho idea that there never would be
AM GU. in wages In the future regard
less Of whether living costs declined
or not. consequently Ye have at this
siA1e the spectacle OF the building crafts
attempting TO hold up their WAGES TO
wartime prices when labor in almost
every other line Of business have had
30 take. not only one cut IN wages.
but In some instances. four successive
cuts.
Tho building contractors and the
public ss we'll. fceb that should wages
IN tho building crafts be reduced some
what In proportion to living costs that
tn. building busincs. would bc great
iy stimulated and where men are now
getting from nothing to two and three
days per week many moro would be
employed and for practically full time
I, Is practically impossible at this
- -ls.
os Pueblo ana sell IL after completion
for tfs actual cost to say nothing Of
getting a profit on the Transaction.
Men who nre receiving from &2@ to
81 per day do no: feel like having a
home built and have to pay men to
work on tina. home from - to $40 a day
for eixh. hours and then not get a
full rays labor at that
The question of the wages TO be
paid OF n days labor IL not the only
item TO be taken into consideration in
this controversy by any means.
The conditions governing the work
are OF more importance IN some in
stances than the number OF dollars
paid on the Job under the present
union controlled plan Of doing business
there arc just two things tho build
lag contractor has to do. First-rustie
work enough 10 keep his men busy.
oscond-rue;le the ifcccssary funds TO
meet all bills.
Az TO having anything to say ~ 10
how much work shall b. done on ths
fob or under what conditions ths work
shali be done that is all up to the
unions.
The building contractors believe the
decrease In wages asked for by them
mos. of which was granted by the
commission was not unreasonable de-
crease, but enough to mako quite a
difference in the cost Of any ordinary
building and further they believe the
public would have been better salts
fled had they asked for twice as much
Of decrease as was asked for.
One fact we wish the public TO not
forget is ,his-If this cut is put into
sffcc. the public will get the bencfi,
from the simple fact that probably 20
per cent of the building work done in
the city IL done by the day, consc-
ausntly tho employing public gets the
actual benefit.
The fac. that one or more of the
building contractors who are pressed
with work are paying the old scale Of
- for carpenters. should not be taken
a. proof that the wage will prevail in
pueblo for 1922.
Aiso tho statement which has h~-r
frequently made that only the small
contractors have asked for the reduc-
tion in wages should not cause the
public to lose sight OF tho fact that
often the unions restriction on busi-
ness arc Just hard on tho small
employer as the large one and somc-
times more 40.
Ono Of the chief reasons given ny
the carpenters in opposing the de-
crease II that they wish TO maintain
a uniform wage scale thruout the
state: namely. - a day Of eight hours.
~ days = week.
eo,~or,d reason given Is the t1Ti