Plumbers Strike and Demand Wage Hike
Spokane master plumbers face a complete work stoppage as journeymen strike for better pay, sparking fears of a broader construction crisis.
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The master plumbers are preparing to fight the journeymen plumbers to a finish to settle the question of supremacy. The journeymen have asked for a raise from $5 to $5.50 per day, and all union plumbers in the city are out on strike. The masters have sent east for 20 non-union plumbers to break the strike, a move feared to potentially force strikes in other building trades. On the Heath building, which is under construction, fifteen carpenters briefly walked off the job when a non-union plumber was assigned to work, forcing the contractor to remove the man from duty.
“The master plumbers are preparing to fight the journeymen plumbers to a finish and once for all settle the question of supremacy.”
Labor disputes in the building trades have been a persistent feature of Washington's economy. This 1903 strike over a fifty-cent wage increase reflects the long-standing friction between trade unions and contractors, mirroring ongoing debates about labor power and construction costs in the region today.
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