The Washington herald., 1907-03-07
FORM new ALLIANCE
Building Trades Perfect IN
dependent Organization.
| SEVENTEEN UNIONS INCLUDED
Practically Makes Unit of All Me-
chanicS Employed on Construction
WOrk-Oflccrs Observation-Disclosures
Have Not Yet settled Differences.
Labor Heads 10 Consult President.

/ I'm order 30 take firm and united stand
/ on the open-shop question the seventeen
building trades mechanics unions Of this
/ city have formed an organization to be
/ known as the Building Trades Mechanics
/ Alliance. The new organization absorbs
/ the former Structural Alliance and Al
/ lied Building Trades. It is entirely indie
pendent and will act upon all grievances
/ Of any of the trades represented. The or
ganizatiou practically makes a unit Of all
/ the trades employed on building cOnstruc-
! ton, and is powerful in that all buildings
1 In the city will be tied up by the calling
out on strike Of all the building workers
/ in the city If any attempt is made to put
uonuniou men 20 work on a building in
any one OF the trades represented.
/ The new organization is IA direct result
/ of the lockout OF the JOUrHeyman plumb
ers about eighteen months ago. it was
stated last night by a delegate who par
I ticipated in the formation Of the new
/ body that this action was taken with the
/ plumbers lockout ms an object lesson. A.
the time of the lockout there was uo
/ Building Trades Alliance, and conse-
/ quenJly the action Of the master plumbers
/ in throwing all union men out of their
shops was effective. Soon after the lock
out gn alliance was formed and all men
/ ju the buildiug trades called out or strike.
/ This move proved equally effective, and
+ in TWO weeks the master plumbers agreed
10 arb.trate
Able TO Tie-up Building.
/ II is significant fact that the new
+ alliance. that is even more compact and
+ larger than the old one was formed just
4 at the time that the master and Journey
men plumbers are disputing over the
award made in this arbitration. It was
said last night that. although the new
body was but an infant .f the master
plumbers did not abide by the decision of
the arbitration committee. every building
under construction i'm the city would Doe
f. tied up
/ The now organization is entirely indie
. pendent of the Central labor Union. al
/ though each OF its composite parts are
/ represented iu the central body. II VIII
/ act independently on an grievances OF the
. building trades.
There were five delegates from each
/ Of the seventeen unions present 90 effect
+ tae organization
Officers Elected.
officers were elected as follows. Presf-
. dent. John Fitzgerald. plasterer: vice
F. president James Bryan. structural iron
. worker, secretary James Coasidlne. sheet
/ metal worker; treasurer. John Wolfe.
/ bricklayor. and sergeant-at-arms. George
/ Baker. carpenter The trades represented
.rf E.f1
ers. carpenters piasterers. structural iron
. workers. sheet metal workers, plumbers.
/ electrical workers. hosting engineers.
/ painters. elevator constructors. interior
marble workers. stone cutters. stone ma
sons steam filters wood wire. and metal
/ fathers. tile settlers, and sheet and tile
. r0ofers.
Plumbers Stiu at Odds.
/ Members Of the Master Plumbers. As
/ ISOLATION and of Plumbers Local Union
. No. 8 are not yer finally al peace. DESPITE
7 the recent award Of the arbitration COM
mittee. Another dispute is on over the
/ meaning of article Of the award The
'5ourneymen claim that under il the bosses
I are not permitted TO continue the employ
ment Of non-uuiOl men in shops where
union men are employed. and vice versa.
labor Leaders Coming to Capital
/ Chicago, March "a conference which
labor leaders from Chicago and Other
cities viii hold in Washington tomorrow
with President Roosevelt and Secretary OF
War Tart. may avert an impending strike
iof the Great Lakes dredgemen. tugmeu.
itug-tiremcn. and steam-shcvel men. who
viii he represented at the meeting. 4
combined effort Co put the cight-hou
work day into effect on April ] is being
made by the unions. but is meeting with
deposition from the contractors. The sit
uation now has reached a serious stage
A strike would interfere with the progress
of many large government contracts on
the lakes, besides affecting millions Of dol
lars worth of smaller private enterprises
Through President Roosevelt the labor
men hope 20 bring sufficient pressure to
bear on their employers TO gain their de-
imaHds