Year: 1874

TIE BRICKLAYERS' STRIKE ACKNOWLEDGED TO BE


A AMIsTAKE-IMPoSsIBILTrY OF FORCING AN IN


CREASE OF WAGES.


The bricklayers' strike seems to have proved
An utter failure Like the coOpers the stagedriyerS
and the hodcarrers, they have found 1t impossible to
force an increase of wages at time when there Is
little demand for their labor. Work was advancing on
all the important buildings in the city yesterday
with as full forces of men before the strike, and
hundreds OF applicants for work were turned away.
Mr. Dsmarest large builder, stated that he cared less
about the amount OF he paid than about keeping
clear Of all Society either bcklayers or aborers.
He said he could get all the nonSOcety brckayers he
wanted for 50 90 day, and he would take others.
They are lust as skiiu the Society men, and do
more work. because they are not trammeod by silly
rules which deprive them Of half their usefulness
Within couple Of days Mr. Demarest has turned away
80 men seeking employment, because he had nothing
for Them 10 do and other builders declare they
thronged with idle who are anxious TO get work
for any wages.


On the new TRIBUNE building the full force OF brick
LAYERS is at work. and twice many could be employed
at an hours notice il there were any need OF them. The
employers say that they for the who have
been beGuled into this useless strike By few schemng
Society leaders, but when there many equally in
need OF work, no favor can be shown 10 the old en-
| ployes who have wlfully thrown themselves ont Of
EMPLOYMENT II the wOrkmen will have short hours
say they then they content with small wages
| Some employers even declare that the brcklayers
might have had 81 80 day this Summer il they would
have consented TO work 10 hours All stouty deny that
they agreed Fall to increase wages this Spring
thing they say done They could foresee what
the condition OF the trade would be six months ahead
especially not In time OF financial confusion, and they
would have been very foolish TO make agreement TO
thing TO do on the contrary they that the brick


layers agreed last Fall to work 10 hours day and broke
their agreement almost as soon as IL was made. As
fixing rate OF wages which shall prevail during GER
tain by previous arrangement win the employees
they say that such thing IS not only impossible and
| impolitic but 1t has never been proposed TO them
They would not consent TO II on any terms, because
they believe in allowing competition among laborers,
| while such arrangement would exclude all nom
| Society workmen from employment.


aA fixed rate Of wages during season Ia nfeasble on
another account viz that IN the course Of season an
employer may be obliged to change his base OF esti-
mates state of the trade varies The cost OF ma
terias may become much greater durng the course OF
enterprise than at the time when II begun and
then the employer get his work done more cbeaply
be the only means OF saving him from great loss
In short the lovers we propose TO let the rate
market labor. since plenty of good
men who are glad work for what offer we viii nor
he driven To offer more by any combination OF oilers
Some OF the chief leaders OF the bricklayers assocoron
| acknowledged 10 "a TRIBUNE reporter that they con-
sidered the strike mistake aud for the time being a
fMure. lhey say tial lIcy ought 10 nave waited until
there plenty OF work 10 do, and few men 10 do n
but to strike AT such time as this simply madness
| Many of the strikers very much Dissatisfied with
the Society. one who wanted 10 be taken back on TIE
fhp
Society," aud that had cost HIM hundreds OF dnars
since he had been member, and now that had thrown
HIM out OF work and prevented his supporting mis-
family, but he had never derived any good from N
Some OF the do not like the reduction Of wages to
level they say there men who night earn s5
others who not worth To their employers more


than 81 and yet these two classes under the rules of the
Society, must be paid at the same rate.


The General Council OF the Brlckayers' Union mo,
last night ut Masonic Hall, and resolved that the
"strke victory" but that the question OF nnforr
ing the demand for 81 should be left 10 the dlscrcnn a,
each lodge IL Is probable that no luther Efforts will be
made TO force increase Of wages from the bosscs
who far held out until the officers the socetv
think they have favorable opportunity do So They
acknowledge that the majority OF the men have zone
back tried TO go back, to WORK AT the Old wage. Tho
Committee which has been IN session daily dufiu. the
stIiAe has adjourned sine die