The immediate cause of the great lockout dated to a proposition for
Saturday as a pay-day, which was made April 11th, 1887, by the passage
of a resolution by the United Order of American Bricklayers and
Stonemasons of Chicago, declaring that from and after that date the
contracting masons should pay their employes on Saturday. The
contractors were not asked to change the time of payment--from Monday or
Tuesday, as had been the custom for many years--the union simply
resolved that they should do so. No official notice of the passage of
the resolution was sent to the Master Masons' association. They were not
conferred with to see if it would be convenient, nor were they
_requested_ to change the time. The resolution itself proposed to do the
work for the employer without consulting him in reference to the change.
The first intimation the Master Masons had of the passage of the
resolution came in the shape of a demand of the foreman on each job to
know if they were to be paid on Saturday. This demand was coupled with a
statement that they would not work if they were not paid on that day,
_as the union had changed the pay-day_.
With some employers such a demand would have been a great surprise. It
was not so with the Master Masons of Chicago. They had endured so much
of an arbitrary character from the Bricklayers' union that they were not
surprised at anything, unless it might have been the absence of a demand
upon them for a change of some kind. This demand--had it come in the
form of a request, or had a conference been invited to consider the
proposition for a change of the pay-day--might have been conceded. But
the manner in which it was presented gave notice to the Master Masons
that the time had arrived for them to assert a little manhood, and to
show to the great public that they had some "rights" which should be
recognized.
This--apparently minor--proposition dates back to "a long and
distinguished line of ancestors," whose exactions have been of a
character bordering upon oppression. They had their beginning with the
strike of the bricklayers in the spring of 1883, when there was a
stoppage of building for nine weeks on account of what were believed to
be unreasonable demands of the Bricklayers' union.
Jan. 1, 1883, the Union passed a resolution fixing the rate of wages at
$4 a day, and another that they would not work with "Scabs." Previous to
this the wages had been $3 and $3.50 per day. An attempt was made to put
these resolutions in force the first week in April. The contractors had
not been considered in arranging these questions, and for this reason
they rebelled against what they regarded as arbitrary action. After a
struggle which lasted nine weeks, three prominent architects, Messrs. D.
Alder, W. W. Boyington and Julius Bauer, addressed communications to the
Master Masons and the Union, requesting them to appoint committees to
arbitrate their differences. The request was promptly acceded to by both
sides, and on the 29th of May, 1883, the joint committee made the
following award:
In order to end the strike of the United Order of American
Bricklayers and Stonemasons of Chicago (hereinafter designated as
the union), who quit their work on March 31, 1883, and in the
belief that, by the establishment of a standing committee of
arbitration, all differences may be settled satisfactorily, and
strikes and lockouts prevented in the future, and that this will
lay the foundation for a better understanding and amicable
relations such as should exist between employer and employe; now,
therefore,
We, the undersigned, Joseph J. Rince, William Ray and Peter Nelson,
being a committee appointed for this purpose in special meeting of
the United Order of American Bricklayers and Stonemasons, held on
Monday evening, May 28, at Greenebaum's hall, and empowered to act
for and in behalf of said organization, and to bind its members by
our action, on the one part, and Messrs. George Tapper, George C.
Prussing and E. F. Gobel, being the executive committee of the
Chicago Master Masons' and Builders' Association, and who are fully
authorized to act for the said organization in the premises, on the
other part, have, and do agree that from and after this 29th day of
May, 1883:
1. Foremen shall not be members of the journeymen's union, and when
a member is made foreman he shall be suspended from active
membership while employed in that capacity. Foremen may work on the
wall.
2. Competent journeymen bricklayers and stonemasons working in the
city may join the union in the regular way, should they so desire,
by paying $10 as an initiation fee, but they shall not be compelled
or forced to join in any way until July 1, 1883, and then only as
provided in section 3 of article 4 of the by-laws of the union.
3. Former members of the union who returned to their work on or
before May 26, 1883, and are for that act expelled, shall be
regarded and treated in all respects like other outsiders. The
members who returned to their work on and after May 28, 1883, are
hereby declared in good standing.
4. The wages of competent journeymen are hereby declared to be 40
cents per hour. To such of the members of the union who can not
earn the wages hereby established, their employer shall certify,
upon application, this fact and the rate paid them, and the
presentation of such certificate at the union shall entitle them to
an "instruction card," and they shall be enrolled as "working
under instructions" until they produce proof of being full and
competent journeymen.
5. In January of each year a joint committee of conference and
arbitration, consisting of five members of each--the Union and the
Chicago Master Masons' and Builders' Association--shall be
appointed and serve for one year. To this joint committee shall be
referred all questions of wages and any other subject in which both
bodies are interested, and all grievances existing between members
of one body and members of the other, or between a member of one
body and a member of the other. This committee, properly
constituted and assembled, shall have full power to decide all
questions referred to them, and such decision shall be final and
binding on all members of either organization. A majority vote
shall decide. In case of a tie vote on any question, which
consequently can not be decided by the committee as constituted, a
judge of a United States court, or any disinterested person on whom
the members thereof may agree, shall be elected umpire, who shall
preside at a subsequent meeting of the committee and have the
casting vote on the question at issue. All members of the union
shall remain at their work continuously while said committee of
arbitration is in session, subject to the decision of said
committee.
6. Journeymen shall be paid by the hour for work actually rendered,
with this exception: From April 1 to Nov. 1 work will be suspended
at 5 o'clock on Saturdays, and all employes who have worked up to
this hour on that day will receive pay for an extra hour. And we
also agree and declare that the article of the constitution and
by-laws of the union which refers to apprentices is wrong, and
shall be referred to the joint committee of arbitration hereby
provided in January next, for amendment, revision, or repeal.
In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals this
29th day of May, 1883.
JOSEPH J. RINCE,
WILLIAM RAY,
PETER NELSON,
Committee of the United Order of American Bricklayers and
Stonemasons of Chicago.
GEORGE TAPPER,
GEORGE C. PRUSSING,
E. F. GOBEL,
Committee of the Chicago Master Masons' and Builders' Association.
The bricklayers met May 31, and repudiated the action of the joint
committee. William Ray made the remarkable announcement to the Union
that section four--relating to journeymen under "instructions"--was not
in the original draft, and that he never would have signed the agreement
if it had been. He charged Mr. Prussing with slipping that section in
after the agreement had been signed. On motion of Mr. Mulrany the
agreement, or award, was referred back to the joint committee. In view
of the fact that it was the award of a committee which the Union had
created, its repudiation was a startling act. But, under threats of
violence to the union members of the committee, this action had to be
taken as a precaution of safety.
The Master Masons met the same day and unanimously approved the action
of the joint committee. While they were in session information was
received of the charge made against Mr. Prussing. The charge was not
only denied by Mr. Prussing, but he at once procured affidavits from
William E. Mortimer and two others, who had heard the original draft of
the agreement read, all of whom swore that the document had not been
tampered with, but contained section 4 when the committee signed it.
Even this did not satisfy the Union. They met again June 1, and again
repudiated the action of the joint committee by adopting the following,
which they addressed to George Tapper, president of the Master Masons'
and Builders' association:
In view of the present difficulties which have arisen from the
action of a committee appointed May 28 from this Union in acting
contrary to their instructions, we offer the following for your
consideration:
1. On April 1, this year, we asked $4 per day from April 1, 1883,
to Nov. 1, 1883, and 40 cents per hour from Nov. 1, 1883, to April
1, 1884, as the minimum wages for all members of this Union, and
this we strictly adhere to.
2. We accept the situation as it is, take back all deserters from
our Union, and deal with all strangers according to article 4,
section 3, contained in our constitution and by-laws.
3. We believe in arbitration, and will agree to appoint a committee
of five for one year to meet a like committee from your
association, to which joint committee will be referred all
grievances which may hereafter arise, and for the purpose of
preventing strikes in the future.
Instead of showing a disposition to confer and adjust differences, the
Union passed upon all question and notified the employers that the
ultimatum must be accepted, as the Union would "strictly adhere to" the
action of April 1, notwithstanding the fact that all differences had
been adjusted by arbitration. In the face of the act of repudiation the
Union made this amendment: "We believe in arbitration" ... "for the
purpose of preventing strikes in the future."
Two days later, June 3, the Union held another meeting which was
enlivened by charging the arbitration committee with treason, and
threatening to lynch them. William Ray, one of the committee, made the
announcement that he had done right in signing the award, and if it was
to do over he would do the same thing again. This statement inflamed the
crowd to such an extent that Ray was attacked and severely beaten. The
other members of the committee escaped without injury. On June 5, at
another meeting of the bricklayers, President Rince was deposed, the
open charge being made that he had "sold them out." A resolution was
then passed directing the men to go to work at $4 a day wherever they
pleased, provided they did not work under a non-union foreman. This
section had the effect of settling the strike. It was a drawn battle.
The men were only too glad to go to work, and took advantage of the
first order made on the subject. They worked by the side of non-union
men for a time, but gradually drove them out of the city or took them
into the Union for the purpose of increasing their strength. They then
cut loose from the International association, made the initiation fee
$25, and shut out every bricklayer who would not join their Union. As
has been frequently remarked, "they built a wall around the city," and
then demanded everything and got it, because the "bosses" were powerless
to refuse their demands.
While the result of the strike of 1883 was referred to as a drawn
battle, it was a defeat for the Master Masons, because they then laid
the groundwork for other demands and strikes, the fruits of which they
have been forced to eat when they were bitter as gall. The battle should
have been won then, and the troubles which have since come might have
been unknown.
During the strike the International union had assisted the Chicago
bricklayers to the extent of $13,000, which had enabled them to hold out
longer than they otherwise could have done. After they recovered from
the effects of the strike they were assessed $4,600 to aid the
Pittsburgh strikers, which sum they repudiated, and then withdrew from
the Internationals, claiming that they were independent of any other
organization, and would pay tribute to no other trade. Their base
ingratitude made them objects of scorn among the honest laborers. Their
assessment to aid Pittsburgh was never adjusted.
Following the strike of 1883 demands were made from time to time by the
union, as follows:
That the hours of labor be reduced while the pay remained
unchanged.
That the wages be increased.
Cutting down the number of apprentices.
An apprentice over eighteen years of age must be the son of a
journeyman.
Foremen must be members of the Union, "but shall not work on a
wall."
No non-union bricklayer shall be employed in Chicago.