Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-18
LABOR OFFICIAL
GIVES HIS VIEWS
Says Local Strike Is Against
the Open Shop.
at CANNOT BE TOLERATED'
Declaration That There Must Not Be
Any Mixed Crews.
ALL UNION OR ALL NON-UNIoN
Not the Purpose to Paralyze Building
Industries, But to Fight
for Principles. ~

The strike of the building trades
Of Washington is against the open
shop"
I'VE cannot consistently be union
men and stand idly by and see our
sister unions destroyed in detail"
I'VE have firmly decided that we
cannot tolerate the open shop"
The shops in the District must
employ all union men or all non
union men. There can be no mixed
crews"
1T is not our purpose to paralvze
the building industries OF the Dis
trict, but to fight for union princi-
pies, and we are in the fight to stay.
We have no white flags TO fly"
The foregoing are excerpts from general
official statement made 10 a representative
of The Star last evening by Vice President
lhomas X. Preece of the International
Bricklayers and Stonemasons' Union Chair
committee of the Building Trades Mechan-
les Council and Business Agent Gilmore Of
the Amalgamated Carpenters who are
among the principal directors OF the struc-
tural trades strike now on IN this city
The trio Of officers had just come from an
important meeting of the executive commit
tee and were authorized by that body to
make the statement.
1t is a mistake to suppose that we are
striving to do injury to the building inter-
ests of the city,, Mr.. Preece said. ITO do
SO would be to injure ourselves as we are
very much interested In the prosperity of
the building industries But we are fight
ing against the establishment OF the open
shop. which Is diametrically against pros
per1ty In the very first instance this
strike was declared against the open shop
and to save our unions from being DESTROYED
plecemeal, and We have never varied from
mat policy If We did not act vigorously
IN such an emergency certain employers
would pick out our unions by one and
put an end to their usefulness.
Both sides of every controversy make
mistakes. When have made them the
tendency has been to select the craft that
erred and destroy its union. II we permit
this practice to continue 1t will only be a
matter OF time before organized labor here
Will be thing of the past We have said
to certain contractors: We cannot assist
you to do this We accord the employers
the right to work all union men or all
unionism, like oil and water will not mix.
Mention of Exception.
The only exception will make is in
cases, for instance. of fair general con-
tractor whose work becomes involved
through the plumbers or other trades not
through any faul of his own, but through
his subcontractor becoming unfair after the
subcontracts were let. In such cases when
an appeal Is made to us requesting that we
permit the job to be finished by union me-
chanics and promise is made by the con-
tractor that In all future work in letting the
subcontracts he will See that union men
must be employed upon them. we will grant
the request.
I'VE have been assured by MANY CON-
tractors and firms that they will abroeate
as far as possible all sub-contracts now in
eHect upon which non-union mechanics are
employed. This has already been done in
some instances. and We are now negotiating
with certain sub-contractors Some Of the
sub-contractors who employ non-u union men
decline to let go unless they be paid the
entire sum involved in the contract This
would entail great loss upon the general
contractor who wants to be fair with union
labor and we will not permit them to suf-
fer such loss, for we regard them as our
friends Hence in special cases like that of
the municipal building, will consent to
allow union mechanics to work on Jobs with
the non-unionsts who employed on sub
contracts that were entered into prior TO
this strike. This regard but a square
deal, and will bart of our policy
Phases of Building Contracting.
Vice President Preece then described GER
tain phases of the business of building con-
tracing.
Some general contractors are but
brokers' he said. They take a lob of
building one or more structures and let the
work of carpentering. painting, plumbing,
bricklaying etc. to sub-contrsctors Thn,,
he rob
invite bids for the various classes of work,
These are totaled and IL or 20 per cent add
ed and the estimate is prepared and given
TO the architect for his consideration
Should the general contractor be awarded
the work as the lowest bidder he gives bond
for the faithful performance OF the CON
tract and the sub-contra ctors are required
in turn to give bond to him. In the mean
time the work Is begun and progresses
While the general contractor sits idly about
and visits the job every day or two.
During the progress of the work the gem
eral contractor receives from the architect
certificate permitting him to draw so
much OF the money when the basement is
IN, ana so much for each story of the build
ing, while the sub-contractor is required TO
use his own bank account to buy the necas-
sary materials and pay his men. The gen.
eral contractor seldom advances the sub
contractor any money until the building is
one story high from the grade. Then he VIII
advance to those who have done the work
thus far about 30 per cent of the value OF
what has been accomplished.
I'm the meantime the general contractor
has received from the architect the money
which he has placed In bank for his own
use or on interest Similar payments are
ma de to the subcOntractOrs until each Of
them has completed his contract ana the
building has been finally accepted by the
architect. Then when the general CON
tractor gets ready NJ pays the subcon-
tractors In full, with the exception of IL
or ~ per cent which Is usually kept back
for a period of six or twelve months after
I he building is finished
Says Contractors Are Brokers.
Thus, you see some of the general con-
tractors are but brokers, with compare
ffrely no exDenses They have no rD,p.u