Labor Matters

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Mar 25, 1903

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 29, No. 12.

Labor Matters.—At Kansas City, Mo., on the 12th inst., an injunction was granted by the United States District Court against the Team Drivers International Union, and in favor of the Kansas City Transfer Company. The Chicago Brass Manufacturers have agreed to a nine-hour day for employees, without reduction of wages. The conditions are that there shall be no strike nor lockout during the life of the agreement, and that all differences shall be settled by arbitration. This arrangement affects 20,000 workmen. The strike of millmen at Colorado City, Colo., has been settled in behalf of the Telluride and Portland mills. Eight hours is to constitute a day’s work, except in the sampling works, where ten hours will be the standard. There is to be no discrimination between union and non-union men. Another feature of the agreement was the immediate withdrawal of the troops. No agreement was reached between the owners and employees of the Standard Mills, up to the 16th inst. The Western Federation of Miners has another contest on hand in British Columbia. No sooner had the Western Fuel Company, of Nanaimo, come to an agreement with its men, and the outlook for a big coal output this year taken on a favorable aspect, than James Dunsmuir, owner of the large coal fields at Extension and Ladysmith, came to open war with his men. Dunsmuir has caused consternation by declaring that he will close the mines indefinitely rather than be “at the mercy of a lot of agitators.” The Superior Court (Judge Elmer), of Waterbury, Conn., has granted an injunction against the Trolley men's Union, and other unions in the city, restraining them from boycotting or otherwise impeding the work of the Connecticut Railway and Lighting Company. Articles of Incorporation of the Jook Lim Chinese Workingmen’s Union of California has been filed with the county clerk of San Francisco. The union is to exist forty-nine years. A Vancouver, B. C., despatch of the 14th inst., says: “The members of the United Brotherhood of Railway Employees to-day announced their acceptance of the offer of the Canadian Pacific Railroad to arbitrate. The offer was made ten days ago and was at that time declined. Now the company declares that as the offer was refused, it has since been withdrawn. More of the striking clerks returned to work to-day and the company announced that as permanent positions had been given to those who had replaced the strikers, no question of mediation or arbitration would now be considered. The company claims that the strike failed of its purpose.”