Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-22
IN LABOR CIRCLES
s. CD

80
It is reliably stated that the labor unions
which have refused to work on jobs where
| non-union plumbers are employed will soon
issue statement to the public in justi1ca-
ton of the action they have taken. The
statement will give in detail the causes
which finally terminated in the present sit
uation It Is said that the responsibility
therefor will be charged to the various
master builders associations, who, 1t will
be alleged, were partial to the master
plumbers and opposed the efforts Of the
trades unions to bring about peaceable
settlement Of the trouble between the
master plumbers and the journeymen.
The statement will charge that the mas
ter bricklayers. with the master builders,
| in joint conference with the journeymen
| brtcklayers, diverted the conference from
the purpose for which it was called as
| stated in resolution adopted at a meeting
OF the joint board Of arbitration OF the
Master Builders Association and Journey
men BrickIayers' Union, held at Wonn's
Hall on July IA. The resolution, which was
transmitted to the master builders asso,
| a meeting to be held on July 10, states
that the joint board of arbitration OF
Bricklayers' Union, No. l, District Of Co
a,
citation, request the Master Plumbers As
ISOLATION and the Master Builders Associa-
tons to meet with the board on Thursday,
July 10, at Wonn's Hail. and endeavor to
journeymen plumbers and the employers OF
the Master Plumbers Association"
1t will be alleged that the master plumb
ers refused to submit the matter to arbi-
tration, q representative OF the association,
who was present at the first Joint meeting,
stating that the master plumbers had moth
| ing to arbitrate. The journeymen will
charge that at the next meeting, held on
ter bricklayers, adopted a resolution limit
ing the joint committee to the hearing Of
statements from the master plumbers and
the journeymen, and then determining who
| is right and who is wrong in the pending
contention. 1t will be asserted that had the
master builders and the master bricklayers
insisted In the purpose. as stated I'm the
resolution adopted at the first meeting. mar
monious relations would have been restored
between the master plumbers and the jour
neymen and the present strike OF the buiid-
ing trades would have been averted.
The report, it Is said, will show that the
journeymen bricklayers throughout the
series Of meetings held by the Joint COM
mittee from their union and the master
tions maintained that the plumbers troubles
should be arbitrated, and had the master
bricklayers and master builders co-operated
with them with this single object in view
no SIrlk0 WOulO nave OCCuTTeU IL Will NC
asserted that the master bricklayers were
fully aware of the sentiment OF the brick
layers, but relying upon the term OF their
contract applying to strikes, they concluded
that should the bricklayers take drastic
action their national organization would
order them to return to the jobs left, and
thus break the force Of the present con-
certed action of the building trades.
1t will also be stated that to attainsthis
end the master bricklayers have appealed
to the International board Of bricklayers
against the action of the journeymen, be-
1eving, as they have stated, that the au-
thorty Of the national board Is absolute In
the matter.
Mr.. Frank Morrison, secretary Of the
American Federation Of Labor, visited Min
neapolis Monday for the purpose of looking
the A. F. of L. to be held there. Mr.. Nor
rison went over the convention program
with the local men and devoted all his time
to business in connection with the proposed
union label exhibit It Is limited that the
exhibit will not be confined strictly to
display of union-made products, but that
several sweat-shop scenes will show condi-
tions under which the non-unionist works.
particularly in the tailor and cigar-making
Industries, ..-r 81. -s-..-. .---. -
That the convention will cover fully two
weeks there is no doubt, and the chances
are that it will last considerably longer.
The present Is critical time tn the history
of the American Federation of Labor, and
the advent of the federation into politics
have had pretty fair trial by the date the
convention assemblies. That the political
aims of the organization will be well con-
sidered and take up considerable time Of
the delegates Is conceded by nearly all.
Besides the political questions, there are
several stubborn controversies between
affiliated unions which will come before the
convention. Among these Is the dispute
between the steamf1tters and the plumbers,
which has been an issue at every gathering
| of the federation for seven or eight years.
It was thought in some quarters that the
recent action Of the executive council in
granting aff1liation and charter to the
steamftters would settle this matter, but
notice has been given that the plumbers
will continue their fight in the convention
the end is not yet.
Two other organizations which annually
air their grievances are the longshoremen
and the seamen, neither being able to agree
as to the control Of some lines Of work.
Year in and year out these unions come
before the convention in an effort to get
together but each successive attempt has
proved q failure.
Then, too, the brewery workmen are in
| hot water, their trouble being that they are
| unable to control the teamsters, engineers
and firemen employed in the breweries. In
this case several other organizations have
stepped in and claimed control Of the re-
| spective lines. For instance, the Team
sters Union asks that brewery teamsters
be compelled to affiliate with that organi-
| cation, and the same with the stationary
engineers and fremen, all three of which
are claimed by the Brewery Workers
Union. -
| One dispute which will in all probability
| be settled, and settled permanently, Is that
| of the Amalgamated Woodworkers and the
Brotherhood of Carpenters. Negotiations
| have been in progress for several years,
with the result that an agreement now