The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-20
DELEGATES SHORN OF POWER.
arr SINESS AGENTS" FEAR THE
END OF THEIR RULE.
the old Board in the Building Trades
Has Lost Its Membership and the Mem.
bcrs Of the New One Don't Know Where
They Stand-ShOp Stewards an Idea.

berS or the New One Don't KNOW where
They Stand-shOp Stewards an Idea.
Both the old Board Of Building Trades
and the new Board OF Representatives,
whose unions have signed the arbitration
agreement of the employers. are wondering
what is to become Of the walking delegate.
When the general shut down in the trade
took place and the Employers Association
issued its arbitration agreement as an
ulthnatum, it was decided that walking
delegates would not be recognized.
The employers later yielded little on
this point, and when the delegates of the
unions that had signed the agreement
organized the Board OF Representatives
the employers recognized that body and
issued cards to it's members permitting
them to enter buildings in course of con-
s,ruciion, but there their privileges end
They cannot order the men to strike. If
tho men have grievances the walking dele
gates can hear them. in case they do not
Interfere with the workers. If they think
that provisions of the arbitration agree
nent are being violated by employers
they may make report to their unions u.
which can then appoint arbitrators.
So limited are the powers Of the dele
gates that some unions have considered
sbolishing the names walking delegate
and business agent" and electing shop
Stewards who would be the official repre-
sentatives Of the workers at the buildings
and would be themselves workers.
The delegates don't relish the outlook.
and OF twenty-five unions which have
.lgned the arbitration agreeme Mt only
eleven are represented on the new board e.
The other delegates are waiting to see
how the cat jumps.
Members OF both old and new boards
said last week that the whole mix-up ia
bound to end in the union of the two boards
on some plan that will permit all the trades
TO work together, A delegate Of one Of
the unions in the board Of representatives
said yesterday.
must be more conferences between the
EMPLOYERS and the unions and more modifi-
cations in the conditions before matters
ran be restored to any hing like normal
basis Every one is tired of strikes, and
the employers must he tired of the lock-
ont. Unless the Board Of Building Trades
gets together on a new basis before the
winter next year will see building strikes
all over the country inst cad of shut
down
Before the shut down took place the
hOhTu OF bullulIR lTd'lts " dS INV sli phSeS'
central body in the building trades in the
Unite States. 1t had been fighting thu,
Building Trades Council for ten years and
had forced that body to amalgamate with
the board. Before the shutdown there
were thirty. nine unions on the rolls, There
we're twenty eight unions on its official
roster in August, but since then it has
dwinded to fifteen. OF these the unions
in the skilled trades are the Housesmiths
and Bridge~,en's Union, the Amalgamated
Ruestonn Workers, the Amalgamated Car
renters Society. the Amalgamated Sheet
Metal Workers, the Journeymen Stone
Cutters Association. the Steam and Hot
Water Filters and the Safety Associa ion
Of Steam Engineers. The Employers As,
recitation in the meantime has recognized
new unions as organized in some of these
trades. the most important being the house.
-miths' union of New York The eighty
foremen from the Housesmiths' and Bridge
mems Union who have organized as the
American Society OF Supervising Iron
Frectors and who went to work last weeh
with the members of the new union Of
holsesmiths have not so far been suspended
by the .Housesmiths and Bridgemen &
'i'nfon In the foremen's union shop
Stewards" have been appointed