OCR Text |
Show H i I LABOR NEWS OP I ALL COUNTRIES H Millions Issued Against Misfortune Under the German Compulsory m q Law Women Employed in Nearly All Occupations Bush-m Bush-m r men of Australia Are Unionized National .Home for H '' & - Machinists Is Advocated. M -rhero aro 2,447,67S unionists In H Germany, H Twonty-thrco trades aro represent- H ed in Lho membership of Congress. H Tbo corner-stone of tbo Labor Tern- j plo in Utlca, N. Y., will soon be H H In Switzerland tbe railway workers H liavo an S2 per cent organization. M About 13,000,000 work people arc H insured under Germany's compul- H sory system. M Thirteen statos havo boiler inspec- H tlon laws and fourteen officially in- H spect bakery 'shops. H Mexico City street car men have H ( received an advance of three cents an H noiir in wages. H Women arc now engaged in all but H two of the 303 gainful occupations of H the men of this country. B In Chicago, 111., the school teach- j era have formed a union and have fif- ty- two delegates in the labor coun- j V Ayrshire, Scotland, miners havo re- H solved on a centralization scheme, H similar to that of the Lanarkshire min- I H Winnipeg, Manitoba, Trades and H Labor Council will move to have a H municipal fair wage officer appointed j for the city. H On August 7, at Chicago, the Anial- j gamated Sheet .ictal Workers' Inter- H national Alliance will convene. H The amount that may bo recovered H fur death by Industrial accidents -in H Minnesota has been increased from H $5.UU0 to 7.500. ' An organized movement will be Hr j made by the glassworkers of the couu- H try to minimize the amount of the H machine-made product. Hj i The power-loom linen maunfactur- L crs, of Belfast, Ireland, and vicinity, H ' have reduced the working hours in H their laclorics with the object of cur- H tailing their output. H The boast is msde by Eastern open- ! H slop brescs that there are some r,00n j H -N ics In trade unions who arc direct- H L in the pay of their auxiliary de- H ircUvc'nccnclos. I H According to recent news from Syd- H ncy, the Australian Commonwealth H government has fixed the minimum H vnge 'or all female workers in Gov- H emment employ at $550 annually. H The Ft ouch workingmen's pensions H lnw calls for a contribution of about M $LG0 a year by each beneficiary, an M cimal sum by his employer, und the M state adds a third. H In Australia even the bushmen M and nthc. men who do odd jobs have " H union 0 fiO.OOu members, and a largo H crpius of Inonry, and own an' evening H newsuapcr of their own. h Between 5,0g0 and S,000 miners aro M injured each year in the Unueu T Slates, some so seriously that they H ''to perhaps months afterward, and H others are cripples for life. H Tne federation of trade unions con- 1 nee ted with the building Industry In H j I :anco has decided the bodies which m f f fr:;n it shnll no longer take part in Ht nn-v' "n"''m operations connected !w'?h priFons. There are now affiliated with the American Federation of Labor 120 In-t?:)iption".I In-t?:)iption".I unions. 39 State Federn- m Uonv,, G3 city central bodies, -131 H' local trades unions and 21C federal m lacor unions, making a total of 1.43S H organizations. I The Kansas State Agricultural HI College a?;aln has come to the front j with a school of ?lrl farmers. Up to B date fity-lwo of the fairest daughters Di the slate ore at the famous .Man-1 liatiiyi School learning the art of B-' fccdlnr; swine an 1 pushing a plow. A recent convention of the Ohio ttricklayort', Afasons' and Plasterers" H Association by unanlmou.s vote rec- H. immendcd tho establishment, In some HT city yot to be selected, of a home for M , aged or diar.blod members of the as- ' sociation. H The workers In the American dia- H, mend Industry tiave a compact organl- i zatlon. According to one of its rules, I HL no one can leain the diamond trade H without the consent of the organiza- H' ''on, and only children of workers or of jewelers are eligible to become pu- M In line with its efforts to reduce j the number of deaths In the coal Hi:, mines of the United States, the Bu- H reau of Mines will hold a national t first-aid-to-the-iujured field meet on H Saturday, Septelnber 10, In Arsenal .' Park, Pittsburg, Pa. H. San I'rancisco, Cal., Labor Day H committee has decided to offer prizes H-, to pupils of the public schools for the H ' 1,l-st essays on labor and the signifi- H-' cance of I-abor Day; also a special BB prize to be awarded to the school of B j which a pupil secures the first prize. BM. The triple co-operative alliance be- BV . tween the Farmers' Union, tho Worn- B ' en,s Equal Suffrage league, and the B , Virginia Federation of Labor, entered into at Richmond recently was and Is fho biggest thing that has happened in Virginia for years. While there is only one union collar col-lar factory In tho United States employing em-ploying but twenty-lhreo girls, there are scores of non-union collar factories factor-ies employing In tho neighborhood of 10,000 girls who aro often forced to work overtime in order to supply the demand for non-union made collars. There are now more than half a million trade-unionists in tho State of New York, according to the latest return re-turn of the Slate Doparement of Labor. Union membership in that state has nearly doubled within the last decade, and Uie average wage of tho members of labor unions in Now York state Is .f3,30 per day. Illinois and New Jersey have enacted en-acted workmen's- compensation laws, drawn with a view to overcoming the objections which caused the New York law to be declared unconstitutional. Doth aro nominally optional but all employers and workmen are subject I to their provisions unless they give notice to the contrary. A census of unions affiliated witli the Chicago Building Trades Council, taken to ascertain Just how many union un-ion members the central body represents. repre-sents. shoys that the organizations In tho council have something over 30,-000 30,-000 members. The painters head the list with 10,000 members. Negotiations between representatives representat-ives of the Danish Sailors' and Firemen's Fire-men's union and tho ship owners havo resulted in an agreement. Formerly tho working time has varied from nine to seventeen hours, but the new agreement stipulates a' ten-hour day with pay for all time worked in excess ex-cess thereof. A National Machinsts1 Home, whero disabled, aged and infirm members of the international Association of Machinists can find a comfortable home and be properly cared for, Is advocated by the union machinists of Springfield, Mo., wno havo appointed a committee of nin for tbn jidvnnop.. ( ment of this humane measure. . One of the finest labor temples on the Paciilc coast Is now under way in Spokane, Wash. It will have a tiontuge ol 50 icot by a depth oi' 1-12 leet and will cost S6o,000. It will nave a large auditorium, eleven meeting halls, with a capacity ranging from 150 to l,2$Slli twelve olfice suites, a "gym" for meniDers of tne labor organizations or-ganizations and a swimming tank 30 by 100 feet. In Manchester and the north of England generally the laboring classes of the population continue to lavor co-operative societies or stores. Cooperation Co-operation In Its various phases of Industrie In-dustrie and provident societies comprised com-prised In the report of the chief registrar reg-istrar or Friendly Societies for 1009 represents a membership of 2,777.513, with total assets amounting to $291,-897,170, $291,-897,170, an increase of about S10.-99,625 S10.-99,625 during the year. Labor unions in Los Angeles, Cal., gained C.S71 in membership during the past year, and the growth at the present time is greater than ever before. be-fore. At the present rate it is believed be-lieved the next year will see an additional addi-tional membership of 10,000. The growth of the unions has resulted in Increased wages," reduction In tne hours of labor and improved surroundings sur-roundings forHhe workers. The labor department of the Board of Trade of Great Britain has Issued a statistical report on the activities of tho trade unions In respect to their finalclal operations. The grand- total of membership entitled to benefits was 2,358.010. The amount of ordinary ordin-ary unemployed benefits paid in 190S by 1,059 unions was over $0,000,000. Traveling benefits amounted to $31,-000, $31,-000, while emigration faros and removals re-movals reached $13,000. A recent scheme contemplates tho formation of an auxiliary organization to tho International Association of Machinists, to be composed of helpers help-ers and other workmen, In machine shops who nre not at thio time eligible to membership, such as general workmen, work-men, specialists. If this latter Is accepted, ac-cepted, provision is made for drawing up laws to govern the auxiliary organization or-ganization and launching it in business-like stylo. The-efficency system" of America finds Jtfc counterpart In the United Kingdom under the euphonious title of "satisfactory level." There is notf a dispute at Bacup, In which is In-volverl In-volverl tho question of standard of quality in a given time, It is charged that tho mill ownors havo exercised more than the "legitimate pressure" Im arriving at their satisfactory level per individual production. Sympathy In general is with tho operatives in the controversy. According to British census returns, T the employes in linen mills of tho United Kingdom number about 96,-000, 96,-000, whose average earnings per week arc approximately $2.90 each. This wage scale applies to mon and women. Boyg who attend hackling machines average "about $2,000 per week for full time. Allowing for all stoppages, and on the" basis of the average earnings per head of all employed em-ployed in an ordinary week, the earnings earn-ings of each employe for an entire j ear do not fiverape more thau $113. The Bdston, -Mas6, clgarmakcrs, claim tho best organization in the country, arid receive the highest week-1." week-1." wage per member than do the'mcni-bers the'mcni-bers of any other clgthmakcrs1 union in the country. The wage for the clgarmakors was .$2,900,000 last year, and the average was about $1,000 per member. Tho average in the United States is not over $600 n year. Tho Boston Clgarmakors' Union, besides advertising the clgarmnkcrs' label in the press and elsewhore. has ft representative rep-resentative In tho Boston Chamber of Commerce, whose business it is to boost the label. In connection with the membership in the Boston Chamber Cham-ber of Commerce there is each year an exhibition of the various kinds of cigars made In Boston, with a member mem-ber of the union present to tell visitors vis-itors the difference between the varl ons shapes. Boards employed to fix minimum rates of wages were first established i.n Australia. In 1S9G the state of Victoria enacted a statue providing for special wage boards, composed of an equal number of omployes and employers, em-ployers, and a chairman appointed by tho government. Each represents a different Industry and fixes schedules I of pay, which are tho lowest that any employer in the trade is permitted to1 give. "Slow workers" may, however, be hired at lower rates. While not entirely abolishing, the law has diminished dim-inished "sweating," has maintained wages above amounts paid In unregulated unreg-ulated trades, promoted organization among the workers, brought employers employ-ers and employes closer together and elevated tho plane of competition. The great majority of tho people ot Victoria, Including" most ot tho employers em-ployers in the- regulated trades, iseem to be satisfied. Between1; 1907 and 1909 New South Wales, Queensland Queens-land nnd South Australia adopted tho wage board system The election of officers of the International In-ternational Association of Machinists, which Is to bo held by referendum during tho month of July, promises to be the most bitterly contested in the history of tho organization. A faction of tho International union is opposed to tho re-election of President James O'Connell on the ground that he is not "progressive.'' In refutation refuta-tion of this chnrgo tho friends of O'Connell are sending a circular letter let-ter throughout the country in which they show that since O'Connell was elected president In 1S92 tho membership member-ship of tho organization has increased in-creased from 2,500 to 75,000; that the troasury, which was empty when O'Connell assumed office, is today secure se-cure and the Income on Investments is 2 per cent greater than that received re-ceived by any other labor organization. organiza-tion. In" addition to this, statistics are given showing that under the O'Connell administration more than $500,000 has boon paid annually In benefits to members and the working day has been reduced from ten to twelve hours to eight and nlno hours. |