The Washington herald., 1906-11-18
MAY TIE UP BUILDING
Allied Trades Threaten to
Back Plumbers in Strike.
CENTRAL UNION, TOO, WILL ACT
Mass Meeting Called for Tuesday
Evening, When Question Of Hold
ing Up Hands of JOurneymeH VIII
BE Decided-OmciaIs OF OrganizH-
tiOn still Hope for Arbitration.

The dissensiOns existing between the
members Of Plumbers Union, Local No.
Z. and the Master Plumbers Association
are likely to assume serious proportions
within the next few days. and may re-
suit in the calling out Of the allied build
ing trades in the District of Columbia
a mass meeting has been called by the
building trades committee for Tuesday
evening at the Corcoran Building, Eff
teen,,> and T streets northwest. Every
man In the allied unions has been urged
TO attend and the question of whether
the strike shall be extended will be de-
cided then.
The trades are on the verge of going
out and staying out until the union shop
takes the place Of the open shop" said
Secretary John J. Purcell, Of the com
mittee. last night.
This remark is significant as showing
the attitude Of the allied trades toward
the open shop question, which has been
injected into the plumbers fight.
The building trades have gone on rec
ord as refusing TO submit 10 the arbitra-
tion board any question that did not ex-
ist at the time the plumbers were locked
out last March; and they will not con-
slider binding any award made by the
board in which the open shop, or any
organization other than Plumbers Union
No. 5 is considered.
Central Labor Union May Act.
Il is expected that the matter will also
come up at Monday nights meeting Of
Central Labor Union. II would appear
that the fight is to be taken out of the
hands of the journeyman plumbers.
If the allied trades strike, all the new
buildings in course OF construction in the
city may be tied up.
Secretary James S. O'Hagan. of the
plumbers union. said yesterday afternoon:
While we feel, and know that the
master plumbers have acted most unfairly
by the union throughout this prolonged
controversy, We have confidence in the
members of the board Of arbitration We
hope they viii obtain a settlement CT the
matter before long-though ! am afraid
it will not now be done before the close
Of the present year"
It was denied yesterday that any agree
ment exists between the Master Plumbers
-h~1ONleLNLJii anu ipNetl supply HOUSES. Dt
the terms of which journeyman plumbers
are prevented from purchasing supplies
and goods necessary for undertaking a
contract There is absolutely no truth
in the statement" =" said former officer Of
the association.
This denial, however, was repudiated by
a widely known official of the union
The agreement does exist" he insisted.
1T may not be in writing. but it IS in
effect just the same. Why. in the supply
houses are exhibited signs which read
To the Trade Only and that means the
master plumbers"
Union Cards Bone of Contention.
Another official of the iourneymen is
authority for the statement that the
original cause Of dissension between his
organization and the bosses" was the
unions rule that helpers should bear
union cards, and that the oPen-shop ques-
tion was not injected into the discussion
urtil March last, six days after the
lockout
Another and a far-reaching cause Of
disSension between the two organizations
is found in the contention that the law
regarding the licensing OF journeyman
plumbers Is a dead letter. The members
Of the union believe that all journeymen
in the District OF Columbia should be
registered. after proper examination.