The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-06-26
BUILDING FIGHT AT A CRISIS.
DISRUPTED UNIONS TO UNITE
AGAINST EMPLOYERS TODAY.
And Every Contract OF Member Of the
Bosses League VIII lSe Tied Up-For-
feiture Clauses In Some--FHller Co.
is Said Meantime to Have Made Peace.

feiture Clauses In SOme--Fuller Go.
Is Said Meantime to Have Made Peace.
The complicated troubles in the build
ing trades resolved themselves yesterday
INTO plain fight to finish between two
organized bodies-a reunited Board Of
Ruilding Trades, composed OF the mems
unions, and the Building Trades Employers
Association, the league of employers.
Nominally the fight is over tho latter's
arbitration plan. In reality the issue is
agreed to be whether the walking delegate
shall become fgurehead or exert his former
power
The Building Material Drivers and
Building Material Handlers unions decided
Yesterday to retire voluntarily from the
Board Of Building Trades in order that the
two factions of the board may unite to fight
the arbitration plan. The two factions Of
the disrupted board will meet to-day, and
as soon as the new Board Of Building Trades
Mechanics is officially assured that the two
Objectionable unions have left the board
the factions will at once unite under the
Old officers. John. J. Donovan will be
president. and w. H. Farley secretary,
and they wiz start new war OF strikes.
The Building Material Drivers and Hand
lers will remain labor unions. Their object
in retiring Is simply to leave no bar in the
way Of the two factions OF skilled workers
getting together. Harmony between the
TWO unions was practised in advance yes
going about side by side to order strikes.
In spite OF the employers statements, the
unions regard the decision of the employers,
that they must accept the arbitration plan,
AZ the first step toward killing of the walk
ing delegates altogether.
Snt,, pnv hnl ohN,, layv
heading squad Of delegates who ordered
general strikes on all buildings where
men were still at work Most of the build
ings had been released from the terms of
the shutdown because they had forfeiture
clauses in their contracts imposing fines
for every days delay beyond the time
when the. contracts should be finished.
William H. Farley, secretary of the tenn
porary Board Of Building Trades Me-
chanics. headed another squad of walking
delegates ordering strikes. The first was
called at the St. Regis Hotel, Fifty-fifth
street and Fifth avenue. Parks called
ont the structural iron workers, and the
other delegates ordered out the rest Of
the trades. Otto NJ. Eidlitz. chairman
of the board of governors of the Employ
the work on this building. Other buildings
on which strikes were ordered include:
The Aston Hotel. Forty-fourth street and
Seventh avenue: an office building at Twenty
eighth T.. street p,.; and Broadway: the Metropol.
and Fourth avenue: the Manhattan Theatre.
the New FORK and I.yceum Theatres. at Forty
annex, Broadway near Thirty second street,
and Broadway
A full force of men was at work on the
theatres. A long list Of other buildings in
this and other cities was prepared on which
strikes will be ordered to-day. Work on
every contract of member of the employers
association will be shut off. Both halves of
the Building Trades Board met and elected
strike committees. which will also be united
to-day. Parks was made chairman Of the
old boards strike committee, and Alex
ander Nelson Of the Stone Cutters Union
was elected chairman Of the other COM
mittee.
To the employers the most interesting
announcement at Brevoort Hall that the
George A.. Fuller Company had decided
to sever all connection with tho Building
Trades Employers Association and to
MAZE nn.as, agreements with the unions The
to 60 back to work on Monday under a new
agreement. Ex-Judge Mcconnell Of the
Fuller company refused to discuss this
when seen last evening. The Fuller COM
pany is the biggest single building firm In
this country.
An al-day meeting of the Plasterers'
Society was held at Maennerchor Hall to
consider the employers refusal to modify the
plan Of arbitration, 1t being decided that no
member Of the union should work except
under the old union conditions. COM
mittee OF two was appointed to go to Pitts
burg and tie up all the contracts OF McNulty
Bros. employing plasterers Patrick Grimes,
president of the union, "a id that If the
trouble lasted much longer the plasterer~,
who are getting IS a day now. will soon be
getting $50. An attempt will be made on
Sunday to amalgamate the new union Of
Italian plasterers' laborers with the old
'non for fighting purposes
Several unions held meetings yesterday
and decided to reject the employers plan
nf arbitration.
conference was held yesterday in the
Wool Exchange Building between com
mittees of the steam filters and helpers
Unions and the master steam and hot
water filters over the plan OF arbitration,