Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 63, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 April 1907 — Labor World [ARTICLE]

Labor World

A movement is on foot in California to form a State council of carpenters. : At the close if 1905 the building trades 'The Shirtwaist 'Makers’ Union of New. York. City is preparing to make demands for higher wages and recognition of the union. Johannesburg (South Africa) unemployed are making’ their presence known by daily processions through the streets of that city. The New England convention of the steam, hot water .and power pipe fitters' and helpers’ unions has been called for April 17, at Hartford, Conn. Boston (Mass.) Cigarmakers’ Union has added a local sum tb $3-a- week-out- j of-work benefit paid by the international to all unemployed members. An agitation has been begun to secure for the blast furnace workers an eighthour day instead of the twelve-hour limit, to which they" have for yearsDeen accus-’’ tomed. The New South Wales Hairdressers and Wigmakers' Union is urging the Necessity for government inspection , and supervision of hairdressing saloons in the interests of public health. According to the opinion of prominent labor leaders, the most satisfactory employment of opuviet labor would-be -ea - the building of public highways and the reclamation of State lands. Some of the Washington (I>. C.) labor loaders are much -LntiwstW! —tn - for min g women's-trades unions and in establishing auxiliaries to their locals, which are to be composed of members of the fair sex.

Labor unions of Cleveland. Ohio, have a new scheme to build their labor temple. To add to the amount already raised it is proposed to have individual unions subscribe for a certain number of shares of stock each month. The average union scale of the Amalgathateil Association of Street and Electric Railway Employes is 23 1 / 4 cents an hour, the average service day a fraction less than ten hours, and the average number of days worked a year =3OO. New Bedford (Mass.) Textile Council lias sent a circular letter to the various textile unions in New England urging them to join in asking the manufacturers to shut down their mills the last week in August for a week’s vacation. A strike has been declared at the Portland (Ore.) lumber mills owing to the refusal of the employers to grant a raise in wages and to shorten the hours. The men demand $2.50 for a nine-hour day. They have been receiving $1.75 for ten hours. According to the American Federationist, 947 labor unions, with a membership of 102,510, reported 2.3 per cent of such membeTs without employment in January. In December the ratio of unemployed was 4.1 per cent, and in January. 1906, the percentage was 2.25. None but American citizens will be permitted to work as section hands on railroads if a new labor union, embracing all section hands employed on railroads West and Southwest, succeeds in getting its demands granted by the general managers’ committee in Chicago. . The sailors on the . great lakes are dissatisfied with their hours and wages. Information from a reliable source states that they are going to demand better conditions when their committee is called into conference with the Lake Carriers’ Association to make a contract for the coming season. The Ohio Federation of Labor has gone on record against the products of convict labor being placed in competition with free labor. Ohio, Wisconsin and Illinois have laws requiring the convict labor label to be placed on all goods made by convicts. There is a proposed federal law which would require all convict-made goods to bear the label also.