New-York tribune., 1903-07-06
UNIONS LIKE THE PLAN
Walking Delegates 4Ione Speak
SightingIy of arbitration

The amended plan Of arbitration of the Building
Trades Employers Association which accepted
by the representatives Of the unions in the build
ing trades at the conference Friday night in the
Townsend Building will come up for discussion at
to-day's meeting of the Board of Building Trades
II was said yesterday that copies of the plan would
be in the hands Of the delegates of all the unions
by 10 q. to-day that they would have time to
go through il before the board meets.
The adoption of the plan will put the walking
delegates in a position of much less power than
they have enjoyed for many years. and all the
unions expected accept the plan eventually.
The walking delegates say they never. a
rule arbitrators Of labor troubles, but the manda
tory clause in the agreement positively dsquali-
flying them arbtrators is regarded as a heavy
blow to their prestige. Representatives OF the
unions who present at Friday nights con-
ference were of the belief that their own unions
would accept the plan once and that the other
unions would have to fall into line James p
Archibald president of the Paper Hangers Union.
who represented the Brotherhood of Painters with
which the union is affiliated at the conference
said last evening:
feel assured that my union will adopt the plan
and that ali the unions will in short time adopt
clear the atmosphere and make strikes and lock-
outs On a large scale a remote contingency in the
future.
Speaking of the elimination of the walking dele
gate a factor in arbitration proceedings. he
said:
walking delegate cannot be an arbitrator, l Woulu
favor the plan. 1t is true that walking delegates.
rule, have not been arbitrators, but this plan
fixes the limit of a walking delegates powers in
such way that if he happens to be corrupt or
likely TO yield to temptation, he Will have no
opportunity 10 do ] believe that all honest
walking delegates who want to keep their skirts
clean will favor the plan.
The plan Of arbitration will likely be accepted by
of the unions this week" said Richard Patti
son who represented the Amalgamated Sheet Metal
Workers Union at the conference. My organiza-
ton. convinced. will vote in favor of the plan
The recognition of the unions in the arbitration
plan removes the of three-fourths Of the sym
pathetic strikes which have been frequent in the
last four or five years"
Walking delegates who yesterday did
not exactly condemn the plan, but a few spoke
slghtingly Of il. Michael Stanton, business agent
Of the Electrical Workers Union said he saw little
Objectionable in the plan except the provision which
stated that competent non-union men could be en-
ployed, under certain conditions, in case union
could not furnish enough union men.
Philip Kelly, delegate to the building trades sec
ton OF the Central Federated Union made the
following statement:
while do not believe Will ever see the time
when there will be strikes both sides have
learned a great lesson by this shutdown and the
strikes accompanying it. They will clarity the in
dustrial atmosphere as il was not clarified before
for many years. I convinced that the result OF
the experiences Of both the employers and the
employees will be that IT will be many years BEFORE
there Is such another shutdown of building WORK
or such another series of strikes"