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Show CONTRACTS ARE ILLEGAL. Non-Union Working-men Have Rights Under the Law. Milwaukee, July 13. Contracts made by incorporated labor unions with manufacturers, manufac-turers, prohibiting the employment of non-union workingmen. are void, according accord-ing to a decision announced by Judge Ledwig in the circuit court today. It is the first ruling had upon the question in Wisconsin, and if sustained oy the supreme su-preme court, will be of far-reaching importance. im-portance. " The decision was given in the suit brought by the Milwaukee Custom Tailors' Tail-ors' union against a local concern which made an agreement with the trdlors to empioy none but union workmen. A temporary injunction was obtained, but this Judge Ludwlg ruled -was im-providentlv im-providentlv issued. After the injunction was issued the union instituted proceedings to have the company punished for contempt for the alleged failure to comply with the terms. The motion to punish was denied and the injunction set aside. I The decision goes further than the contract between the unions and the I manufacturers', holding also that I contracts requiring the employment of J none but union labor are void. The court says it is class discrimination. The court in its opinion said: . "This agreement strikes at the right of contract and provides that complainant shall employ none but members of the several unions, thus discriminating in favor of one clase of men and excluding all others. Therefore There-fore the prohibition contained in the contract strikes at the right of contract con-tract both on the part of the laborer and the employer. The agreement itself in question would tend to create j a monopoly in favor of the members of the different unions to the exclusion of the workmen not members of such union, and in this respect be unlawful. Contracts tending to create a monopoly mono-poly are void." |