Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-11
REPLY OF EMPLOYEES
Journeymen Plumbers Issue
Statement of Grievances.
SAY THEY ARE NOT TO BLAME
Master Plumbers Declared to Have
Violated Section of Agreement.
WHAT UNION WILL C0NCEDE
Belief Expressed That Steps Will Be
Taken to Secure an Early
Conference
SAY THEY ARE NOT TO BLAME
WHAT UNION WILL CoNCEDE

The lockout of the journeymen plumbers
of Washington has been in effect one week
and as yet neither side shows any sign of
yielding. 1t said last night that steps
would be taken early this week TO arrange
for a conference of the employers and the
workmen with the view of restoring har-
monious relations, but the report could
not be traced to any reliable source APP
parently both sides presenting stubborn
fronts and It is said much argument and
some persuasion will be required to unlock
the situation.
At recent meeting of the Structural
Building Trades Alliance of the District
the plumbers trouble was given considera-
ton, and the decision was reached 1t is
said, to give the locked-out workmen the
fullest support of the alliance. The de-
mands of the journeymen plumbers were
sanctioned. The alliance is composed OF
trades unions of the following crafts: Car
penteTs Joint District Council hosting
engineers tile layers, interior marble
workers, planners. sheet metal workers
stone cutters and plumbers.
by order Of the board of directors of the
Journeymen Plumbers Union a statement
of the controversy in the lockout was
given out for publication last night, which
IS IN substance as follows:
What the Statement Recites.
ilt StdteHlGiI TeClleS Ihat me Master
Plumbers Association of Washington Sat
urday, March 3. 1906, established lock
OUT of their journeymen plumbers. 1t is
then stated that the gist of the published
complaint of the Master Plumbers Asso-
citation is that the plumbers union has
broken tive-year contract entered into be-
tween the association and the union April
IL !OoS, IN not permitting the master
plumbers TO engage two helpers for every
thfee Journeymen plumbers
This contract, the journeymeu declare
does not directly refer to helpers in any
part, and if 1t contains any such agree
ment 1t is only by reason of a clause in
serted importing certain clauses of pre-
Uous agreement without setting out what
the terms of those clauses were If the
dispute rested solely upon this clause of the
contract 1t is possible that the union might
De at fault even If 1t did permit itself to
be outwitted by the master plumbers But
That clause cannot stand alone; the con-
tract must be considered as a whole as
any legal authority will hold
The contract, it is pointed out contains
an article as follows
Fourth, That for the purpose of estab-
fishing a method Of peacefully settling all
questions of mutual concern the Master
Plumbers Associa ton and Local Union. No
., Journeymen Plumbers and Gas Filters
boz. of the CITY of Washington D. c. sew
orally and jointly agree that no such
grievances shall be cOnclusiVeIy acted 11non
by either body Independently but shall he
referred for settlement to a joint commit
tee, hereinbefore mentioned in article first
of this agreement, which committee shall
consist of an equal number Of each asso-
citation.
The parties hereto agree to abide by
the findings of the committee on all mat
tiers Of mutual concern referred to it by
either party.
The journeymen then say:
Effect of the Section.
60 l,o
quoted the joint conference committe. No
vember Is. 1903, adopted series of sugges-
lions emanating from the union, thereby
giving them ali the force they would have
had If they had been originally incorpo-
rated in the contract OF April Il. 1903 and
among the matters therein agreed to were
the following:
10. Master plumbers working with tools
shall be governed by tle rules of Local
Union, No. ., and only one member of a
firm shall be permitted to work with tools
10. No helper shall be allowed to work
with tools"
The journeymen's union declares that the
Master Plumbers Association has violated
tie above items of the agreement. legally
a part of the original contract; and not
only that, but the union states the master
plumbers actually declined 10 observe ar
ticle fourth of the original contract in re-
fuSing a request of the union for a con-
ference of the joint committee during the
=
of their contract the master plumbers go
before the public with statements calcu-
lated to misead
The statement of the journeymen adds
The master plumbers recently presented
a demand on the union that the union
modify It's fees, permit the helpers to work
with some tools, concede other matters,
and, unable to secure their demands in
the manner provided for In their contract
they arbitrarily throw their employees out
of employment until they shall grant their
object which Is nothing less than, in ef-
feet to permit them to put helpers-men
not skilled in plumbing-to work with tools
in violation of their supplemental contract
and in time to so fill up the union with
men that half the members will be out
of employment half the year and complete
ly at the mercy of the master plumbers
And they do this. too, at a time when
there is not sufficient work for more than
q fraction of the Journeymen to be kept at
work.
Basis of Demand.
"TLey complain of inability to secure SUI
ficient numbers of Journeymen during the
rush season, and on that base a demand
that the union so modify It's rules that any
one claiming to know a little about plumb
ing may, by paying small fee Join the
union or be put at work, and apparently Sc
cure the UNIONS Endorsement for the char
acter of his work The union careful of
the character of its members and their
qualifications, is not willing TO throw omen
its doors to the indiscriminate enrolment
of men of unknown character and ability
There Is no obstacle to Il journeyman
plumber who is a member of the union In
other places getting work in Washington
ii he deposits a card from his own union
eYidencing his ability and character In
a trade where the men of necessity are
placed in positions, doing repair work
where they can have access to property
of valuable character, it behooves the
members, as a body, to employ some eau
q eli fn-