Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-31
v DISPUTE WITH MASTERS
Belief is Expressed That There Will
Be No Strike.
HISTORY OF THE DIsPUTATIoN
Award Of Arbitrator, Make Public a
Month Ago, Follows Disagreement
Of Long Standing.

After a long session last night at the
Corcoran building the representatives of
the Allied Building Trades of Washing
ton passed resolutions pledging aid to
the Local Union No 5 of the Journeymen
Plumbers and declining to send back to
arbitration the questions in dispute be-
tween the journeymen and the master
plumbers. 1t is not believed that this
action will result in any strike or lock-
out or other serious disturbance of the
building trades in Washington.
The history Of the disputation goes
back more than two years to the dispute
between the Journeymen and the masters
In the plumbers trade. This matter was
fought to the point of lockout by the
master plumbers, and after the dispute
had dragged on for about a year it was
referred to arbitration. This was the last
important move in the dispute. The de-
clsion of the arbitrators was handed
down just month ago. 1t was not a de-
c1sive victory for either side, but the
workmen held that they had been given
the worst Of it. However, they agreed ia
the award'as they interpreted it, and the
men in all the building trades have since
been at work.
The master plumbers were not satisfied.
however, with the Interpretation of two
sections of the award as given by the
Journeymen and wished to send 1t back to
the arb1trators. The point in dispute was
the old one of the open shop. The in
depreciation of the wording of sections
nVe and six In the award was in doubt.
P0infc IN
The working plumbers insisted that it
meant that Local No. 5 should have the
right to say whether union plumber should
or should not work building with a
"scab' plumber. The master plumbers
neld mat the award left it optional with
the individual plumbers whether or not they
should work on a building with a nom
union man. This, the journeymen declared,
would have been simply decision in favor
OF an open shop.
The meeting Of the representatives of the
workmen in all the building trades last
night was to determine whether or not this
phase OF the award should be sent back to
the arbitrators. The committee having the
matter under consideration on behalf of the
men was the same temporary committee
that was appointed last August. 1t was a
committee with plenary powers and repre-
senting all of the journe ymen in all of the
building trades.
Their resolutions as adopted last night in
effect simply stated that the Allied Building
Trades Council, made up Of the journeymen,
had compelled its own members, the jour-
neymen plumbers, to live up to the award
Of the arbitrators, and demanded that the
association of master builders shall require
the same of the master plumbers
A copy of these resolutions will be draft
ed to be sent to George c. Hough, the sec
rotary of the Master Builders Association.
Master Plumbers Satisfied.
The master plumbers, on the other hand.
profess to feel perfectly satisfied with the
outcome of arbitration. Several of the men,
bers stated to a reporter for the Star that
they are satisfied with the situation as 1t
now stands, and they propose to stand
pat" This may mean that so long as the
1ourneymen plumbers are at work the mas
tiers are satisfied, and that they will agree
to any action Of the Master Builders Asso-
citation. But none Of the master plumbers
would go into details as to just what action
they would take in case the journeymen
refuse to refer their dispute to the arbitra-
ton board.