Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-01
EMPLOYER ANSWERS UNION
CONTRACTOR RICHARDSON HITS
BACK AT BRINKMAN.
Says Fight With Central Labor Or
ganization Is for Rights, and
Nothing More.

A statement has been given out by Jo-
seph Richardson of the Employers Asso-
citation of the Building Trades in response
to a recent statement made ny John H.
Brinkman of the Central Labor Union, in
connection with the appeal of the en-
ployers for funds to continue their con-
test for the open shop in the District of
Columbia.
In his statement Mr.. Richardson says
Mr.. Brinkmans recent utterances were
evidently written to deceive the business
man and mechanic alike" and therefore
calls for some notice on the part OF the
organization of employers. Mr.. Richard
son, who Is a contractor with extensive
business interests. adds:
There Is not now. nor has there been
since the beginning of the trouble be-
tween the employers association and the
union labor leaders. any question con-
corning hours or wages. The primal OBJ
ject of this struggle is to determine
whether the labor leaders shall control
the building industry of the District as
they see fit and prevent the members of
their organizations from producing a fair
days work and good work or whether the
employers shall have the right to pass on
the efficiency of their employees and man.
age their business. which. in most cases.
they are not only under contract but bond
For the benefit of the public we would
say that there is no longer any strife be-
tween the employers and the majority of
union mechanics. The latter are working
under open shop conditions for every
member of our association. The struggle
Is kept alive only by the labor leaders.
whose continuance 20 live in idleness de-
ponds on the continuance of the struggle,
and by few selfish employers who, for
their own personal gain, are pandering
eolicitousiy to the paid agitators
1T is an undeniable fact that there are
many other union men in this city out of
work VINO would be glad to take Jobs
not prevented from doing so by the labor
leaders and the selfish employer Many
union men, nevertheless, are working to-
day right by the side of nonunion men.
We would not be compelled to bring any
men to washington to take the places of
men who are willing but prevented from
working II labor leaders would permit
their men who are willing to work to
do so.
Don't Discriminate.
We Go not discriminate against a man
and refs to take him because he is a
union nan. Since the beginning of the
strike there has not been one man dis
charged because he was q union man by
any member of the employers associa-
ton. Cur only Offense, if Offense 1t be-
has beel to employ other men to execute
our WORK after the labor leaders had COM
PEELED tleir men to leave us. The small
business man to whom Mr.. Brinkman re-
fers sl.,uld welcome a condition which
would eliminate the credits he has to
carry because his customers are forced
into tdltness by some radical labor leader
1T may be news to the public, neverthe-
less We know it to be fact. that the
union 5len in the building trades, aside
from tae plumbers, never were in favor
of the sstrike. and submitted to ii only
after tse strongest pressure and repe ated
visits % Washington of labor agitators
from al parts of the United States"