The Capitol Job: Seattle’s Union Trades Beat a $3 Wage

To the Editor: At the commencement of the state capitol building, a delegation of non-union bricklayers who were formerly employed by the city of Seattle in building sewers, etc., waited on the contractors of the basement of the capitol building and offered their services at the rate of $3 a day, the usual wages being $5. The contractors accepted these terms. A delegation of union bricklayers was appointed by the bricklayers’ union of Seattle to wait on Moffatt Bros. and see what could be done to make it a union job. They, knowing the superior quality of work the union men could do, offered the latter the preference if they would take the same terms as the non-union men offered to take. After careful consideration it was deemed best to accept these terms, with the hope of bettering their condition at a later day, should circumstances permit. The non-union men, being all incompetent workmen, left town after some little time, and the bricklayers made a demand for $4 a day, which was promptly refused, and the bricklayers told to get out of Olympia. Every reasonable argument was used without any apparent effect; advertisements were put in all the local papers for bricklayers. But the union men gave the place a wide berth and only a few men came, and these promptly left when informed of the nature of the job. A delegation of bricklayers presented their case to the stonecutters’ union, a newly organized branch of the international union, and requested their assistance and co-operation in the demand for a fair wage. A committee was appointed to wait on the contractors, stating that stonecutters would not cut any stone for non-union bricklayers to lay up, and three days’ notice was given that if union bricklayers were not employed the stonecutters would quit the job. This, along with other pressure brought to bear—for the sympathy of every merchant and business man in town was with the men—resulted in an agreement that none but union men would be hired and the wages should be $4 for eight hours until the completion of the basement, when an effort will be made to make union wages as it is all over the Coast. The action of the stonecutters has resulted in a permanent agreement, and now they sink or swim together, and we sincerely hope it is the entering wedge to a more perfect organization of the building trades, and then fair wages will be paid and peace and harmony will prevail, our storekeepers will not be bankrupt and we will all have plenty. It is this system of reducing everything to its lowest possible plane that causes hard times. We do not say that the organization of stonecutters and bricklayers will remedy this, but if we add every man that produces to this organized body things will boom, and then hard times are no more. GEORGE KNIGHT.