Saturday, July 12, 2008
Brick Mason Strike - 1934
From the State Register, Friday, July 13, 1934
The ten day strike of bricklayers and masons working on the PWA-Delaware High School addition at Delmar ended Wednesday when Phillip Lange Inc, Audubon, N. J. contractors for the $100,000 job, announced that no further concessions would be granted strikers and that they must "either work or quit."
The strike occurred when the bricklayers, members of the Delaware union, wanted $1.25 per hour, 30-hour week, instead of the $1.00 offered.
The U. S. Government Board of labor Appeals, siding with the contractors, who had adopted a scale of wages through the terms of the contract, and according to PWA wages suggested a compromise of $1.15. This was effected, but the strikers refused to return.
Yesterday Lang went to Salisbury and hired eight bricklayers at his price.
"We do not wish to keep out Delaware labor." said Mr. Lange, "but this work must go on, and if Delaware masons will not work with us at our government's scheduled wages, then we are going outside."
Today fifteen men were working on the building, laying bricks, with the strike apparently settled.
The ten day strike of bricklayers and masons working on the PWA-Delaware High School addition at Delmar ended Wednesday when Phillip Lange Inc, Audubon, N. J. contractors for the $100,000 job, announced that no further concessions would be granted strikers and that they must "either work or quit."
The strike occurred when the bricklayers, members of the Delaware union, wanted $1.25 per hour, 30-hour week, instead of the $1.00 offered.
The U. S. Government Board of labor Appeals, siding with the contractors, who had adopted a scale of wages through the terms of the contract, and according to PWA wages suggested a compromise of $1.15. This was effected, but the strikers refused to return.
Yesterday Lang went to Salisbury and hired eight bricklayers at his price.
"We do not wish to keep out Delaware labor." said Mr. Lange, "but this work must go on, and if Delaware masons will not work with us at our government's scheduled wages, then we are going outside."
Today fifteen men were working on the building, laying bricks, with the strike apparently settled.
# posted by Howard @ 6:00 AM 
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A dollar an hour in 1934 was probably very good money. Today I doubt you'll find a bricklayer in one of the larger outfits making less than $21-22 an hour. A good foreman can go for $25 an hour without having to use his tools. In 1934 I imagine you only had to worry about a mason drinking on the job, these days it's divided pretty equally between the drunkards and the dopers. Makes me thankful I'm disabled. Glad to be out of it.
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