The Washington herald., 1907-05-30
EMPLOYERS UPHELD
Arbitrator Oyster Wants Me-
chanicS to Resume Work.
ONLY MEANS FOR SETTLEMENT
Long and Bitter Contest May soon
End II WOrkmen Abide by Deci-
sion-Wiu Meet To Consider YER
diet of Conference COmmittee-De-
tails of the Disagreement.

Capt James F. Oyster. acting as chair
man and umpire of the joint conference
Icommittee OF fifteen representatives Of the
newly organized Employers Association
Of the building trades. and fifteen repre-
sentatives Of the building trades me-
Chanics. after three. meetings to discuss
the matter. one Of them lasting until .
( o'clock in the morning, threw his vote 20
/ tFf employers side, thus defeating the
contentious of the men for recognition Of
a closed shop in Washington.
It is believed that all the men out on
strike on the new Metropolitan Club
building. at Seventeenth and II streets
northwest, and on che row Of houses on
Park road. near Seventh street. may re-
turn to work in a few days and the mat
ter be arbitrated
The fight has been long and bitter one,
and the trades have refused TO arbltrate
the matter, claiming that the master
plumbers had not lived up 10 the award
handed down by the board arhitrating the
differences between them resulting from
the lockout Of all the men last August.
Is
Of the entire fight
The Building Trades supported the Jour
neyman plumbers in their contention that
the fifth and sixth clauses provided the
closed shop under the old contract. and 10
enforce this they declared a strike on an
buildings where nonunion plumbers were
employed.
support Master Plumbers.
The master builders supported the mas
ter plumbers, and conditions became more
unsettled when all the employers Of build
ing trades mechanics formed an organiza-
tion, and promised 10 settle the matter
provided the strikers returned TO work
To this the trades replied that they had
been dealing with the Master Builders
Association, who, had contracted with
them to see that the master plumbers
lived up 20 the award. and could not rec.
ognize the employers association in the
controversy.
Negotiations were continued. however
and after the withdrawal of the brick
layers from the Building Trades Council
and change in the exec tive committee
the trades receded from their position and
agreed "a stand by the findings of the
joint conference committee. with Cant
Oyster as referee. The committee was
composed of the board Of governors Of the
Employers Association and the executive
committee Of the Building Trades.
Every question considered by this com
mittee was fought bitterly. and on every
vote taken the result was invariably Il
TO 10. Several propositions were ad-
vanced by both sides. and finally a com
mittee TO devise ways and means was ap-
pointed
1t Is not known if it was the report of
this committee that was adopted. The
resolution passed. and the findings adopt-
ed are long. Il is understood. containing in
all over 900 words This statement will
be made public to-day
1t is probable that the question Of re-
turning the men or strike TO work will be
presented to the full Building Trades
Council at its next meeting.
1t was announced last night that tba
fight between the brlckIav-
ers and the slate and tile roofers over the /
laying Of the roof on the new Union Sta
ton had been settled by the two interna- |
tional bodies
The decision, it is understood. was in
favor Of the roofers. The work Of putting
on the roof will be commenced imnoe- |
diately.