The Washington times., 1906-03-06
MASTER PLUMBERS
PLAN OPEN SHOP
Will Resort to This Meas
Ire Ii Strike Continues.
J0URNEYMEN ARE WARNED
Given Until Next Monday to Resume
Their Places Under the Old
Agreement

The statement vas made this morning
by the master plumbers that unless the
1ourneyment who were locked out last
Saturday make application to return to
work before next Monday morning un-
der the old agreement, which the mas
ter plumbers charge the journeymen
have broken, the master plumbers will
declare for an open shop and will pro-
ceed to hll the places of the locked-out
men with nOR-uniOn plumbers.
This trouble between the masters and
the journeymen has been brewing since
last summer. when the journeymen, it
is claimed by the master plumbers, took
advantage of a very busy season to
make demands on the masters and vio-
lated the f1ve-year contract by organiz-
ing the apprentices and helpers and clos
ing the books against signing any more
apprentices.
Up to Journeymen.
Now the tables. are turned. so to
speak, and the masters have passed it
up to the iourneymen. The masters do
not recognize the boys union" as they
cali the apprentices. and, furthermore,
the masters viii insist that two helpers
or apprentices be assigned to three
Journeymen on job. with but one or
=
men plumbers. and today many Of them
are doing active work on the jobs made
idle bS the lockout.
The master plumbers have agreed that
If the apprentices go out in response to
demand from the iourneymen then the
apprentices can stay out for good. as
none Of them will again be employed
by- the masters. and the places made
vacant Will be filed from applications
now on file for work A master plumber
SAID TO-DAY that there are plenty of
Young men anxious 10 learn the plumb
ing trade. but they are denied the op-
portunity BY the iourneymen-s union.
Fight to a Finish.
The pending struggle promises to be
one 10 the finish as the master plumb
ers are as thoroughly organized as the
1ourneymen. and the former have been
preparing for it for nearly year The
question does not involve hours of labor
or wage scale. but hinges on a signed
contract between the fourneymen and
the masters. As stated by the master
plumbers. If the iouTheymen do not re-
cede and abide by the five-year contract,
then after next Monday the master
plumbers will conduct open shops.
Ihe JouTneymen were at COsteIlO's
Hail this morning TO sign the roll ana
features OF the lockout. There was every
appearance that the men expect another
siege such as they had three years ago
when the trouble between the masters
ana the plumbers lasted -or nine weeks
ana resulted in a cOmpromlse by The
signing of the fve-year contract, which
the masters now claim the journeymen
have broken.
Do Not Govern Apprentices.
At the headuarters of the journeymen
this afternoon il was said the appren-
tices and helpers would not be called
out unless the master plumbers put
non-union men to work. The journey
men say they do not govern the ap-
prentices' union. but merely give the
ooys instruction: that the officers of
the union are taken from the ranks of
the apprentices. and the apprentices
handle all moneys received from dues.
limitations etc
The board of directors of the Journey
men Plumbers Union. il was said this
aItsIhoon. VIII hold meeting tonight
ana agree on a program for Conducting
the lockout