The Connecticut labor news., 1923-02-16
AND JOINERS
 HOLD HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL
 CONVENTION IN GREENWICH

according to the prOV1S1OnS of the constitution, 1 moved up to the office
 of president, and Second -Presi-
 dent Brother Garnsey moved up to
 the office of first vicepresident, and
 after making some inquiries as to
 Brother Thomas H. Russell of Local 43 of Hartford, Brother Russell be-
 ing we'll recommended and, after con-
 ferring with the rest of the board on
 June 8, 1 wrote to and appoint ed
 Brother Russell as second vice-presi- dent.
 The past year from May on has
 been a busy one in some parts of the
 state with very few men idle, but the
 condition has been helped out by a
 large number of men leaving the state
 to go to work in New York state, where plenty of wor and good wages
 attracted them; was 1t not for this
 occurring, we would have had to re-
 port that the year had not been so
 busy.
 There are still many employers who are not employing union carpenters but are employing the riff-raff of the state, thinking they can break down and destroy the conditions that have been built up by organized workers, and due to the kind of labor mention ed above 1t has prevented a great deal of advancement that would have been achieved had they not been factor to deal with.
 One of the oldest strikes in the state Is still on. 1 refer to New sHa- ven, Local Union No. 7o, who went on strike in April, 1921, and have not as yet settled with the employers association, but owing to a number of Independent employers and number of men going elsewhere to work, what men were left found plenty of work Prospects look bright for settlement of this difficulty during the coming spring.
 The situation in Bridgeport, as I have been informed, is not good ow- ing to many of their members leav- ing to go elsewhere to work and had only between 25o and 300 men re- maining, but even with all the re- verses they had to contend with from the strike of March, 1921, they de- handed and received ST per hour this past summer. Hartford also felt the need of an increase in wages and, the efforts of their local, No. 4>3, are also now receiving the $I per hour.
 Greenwich Local No. Io6, from re- ports received, has their agreement signed up for $I per hour, so that we are glad to report that some of our locals are at least getting fair wage for their services they render.
 The rest Of the state, insofar as re- ports are received, are still working at the reduction forced on them dur ing 1921, and 1 believe that the de ternlined fight made by locals that went on strike and fought the battle prevented the employers from forcing a further reduction on the trade throughout the state, but through the Manufacturers Association and the bankers and Wall street, they have turned their attention to starving JUS out by curtailing of moneys for build ing purposes. But we are not starved out and our organization has come strong and healthy and ready for what I hope to be a prosperous year ahead of us, and that all our affil-s lated locals will increase their wages and better their conditions.
 There Is much work to be done that will help us to bring about these con dit1ons hoped for, and one of the tasks set for us Is to put our shoulders to
 
 into our brotherhood those men who were forced out during the hard times we have passed through. Many of them were, forced to leave us ow- ing to the absolute necessity of work ing to live; their families we're in hard circumstances and work being shut down in order to force us tore luce our wages. Many of them stood put as long as they could, then they eft us and went to work where they could. Many of us, perhaps, would nave done the same thing If we were placed in the. same condition, but hings look much brighter; good times md plenty of work seems to be com ] ng back to us again, so we should { make every effort to build up our or ganization where we were in 1920, ! md to accomplish this we have each ! md every one Of us to get out and l work and help out our officers and | business agents. l Z Another very important matter that very delegate should take notice of 1 S metal trim. During the past season here has been some trouble over the installation of metal trim in which the general office has had to, in order to maintain our jurisdiction over the york, remove our men from a num- er of jobs conducted by large con- ractors out of New York, and very ecently from job in New Haven. Delegates should keep this thought in lind, that the united brotherhood Is this fight to maintain our ghts, alone without the help of any f the building trades; and yet many f the building trades are apt to think nat the carpenters should also help 3 fight their battles for them, and yet then they could render assistance to s they held aloof, so that the les ons we can draw from such action