The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-04-18
PAINTERS BATTLE
FOR VICTORY IN
ST. LOUIS, MO.
Strikers Are Seeing The
Need for Unity
BY H. L. GOLDBERG.
special to The Daily Workerl

Especial TO Inc Daiiy WoFker)
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, April 17.--E. H.
Dunnigan, of the U. S. Labor depart
ment, arrived in st. Louis, for the
purpose Of settling the painters
strike
After calling conference Of the
Masters painters association, and the
conference committee of the strikers,
the former refused TO yield to the
compromise figure suggested by him,
Of $1.37 per hour, which is equivalent
to $10.96 per day. The strikers ORR
ginally were demanding $12 per day.
Bosses Disgust Dunnlgan.
Becoming disguised with the atti-
tude Of the bosses, Dunnigan demand
ed Of them the reason for calling this
conference, if they were unwilling to
make any effort at arbitration. The
bosses are holding out for $40 day
with no agreement, aiming at the de-
struction of the union.
Upon request by the strikers COM
mittee, for their reasons in not wish
ing to sign any agreement with the
union, they answered that as mem
bers Of the recently formed building
trades association, it was incumbent
upon them to meet this obligation.
The Building Trades Association is
endeavoring to have all agreements
with unions expire effecting any Of its
members, intending ultimately at the
establishment of open shop conditions
in st. Louis, as far as the Building
Trades industry is concerned.
Another conference was arranged
for Saturday morning. At this con-
ference the bosses were more de-
mure, candidly stating that as far as
they were concerned, their stand Of
the previous day was final. The
bosses also stated that the strikers
were not justified in demanding an
increase, as the painting season is
much longer than any other craft,
subsequently earning more money
than the men employed in the other
crafts Of the building industry. This
was given the lie by the strikers COM
mittee, which displayed conclusive
evidence to the contrary.
Bosses Getting Desperate.
The desperation of the bosses is
supported by the fact that they are
instigating acts of violence and in
dulging in vandalism. This was re-
ported to the mass meeting of the
striking painters by brother Eisen-
ring.
Private dicks are being employed to
mar fresh paint, trying to lay the
blame on the painters, making also
the impression that the services of
the sleuths were necessary. Yester-
day morning when the painters went
to the Labor Temple, they found the
steps married with tar, Eisenring said.
The striking painters are more de-
termined than ever to win the strike.
The cheap propaganda of the bosses
intimating that the strikers were
weakening, was vehemently denied
by all the men on strike.
Inc support being given to the Mas
ter painters, by the bosses of the 9TH
er trades and even the board of Edu-
cation continues in backing up the
bosses by refraining to have any
painting done until the strike is
smashed, demonstrates fully that the
bosses have amalgamacion. Real es-
tate men and other members of the
association have discontinued all
work, where union men were en-
ployed.
The concensus of opinion on the
part Of great many militant strik-
ers, is that were all the building
trades affiliated in preference to the
present Anticipated structure of the
labor movement, based on craft, the
strikers would be able to withstand
more effectively the attacks from the