Evening star., 1909-09-01
CHARTER IS REVOKED
A. F. L. Gusts Building
Trades Mechanics Council.
ELECTRICAL UNIONS ROW
That's the Reason for the Fedora
tons Action.
MECHANICS VOTE UNANIMOUS
They Refuse to Eject Electrical
Men, as Demanded by the
General Body.
VOTE UNANIMOUS

formal order was issued today by
/ President Kirby of the building trades
department of the American Federation
of Labor. revoking the charter of the
Washington Building Trades Mechanics
Council.
| 1t was explained that this action was
| taken because of the refusal of the coun-
| ell at its weekly meeting last night to
eject from its membership locals, Nos. n6
and 14s Of electrical workers. as demand
ed by the American Federation of Labor.
| President Kirby stated today that steps
/ will be taken at once tn organize a new
building mechanics council in the District
| OF Columbia. The old council is now
without the pale Of trade unionism, so far
1 as the A. r. L.. is concerned. he added.
4 The situation will be further complicated
! by the fact that at the next meeting of
| the Central Labor Union steps will be
taken to unseat the delegates from the
/ Building Trades Mechanics Council. The
central body. at its last meeting, elected
/ the delegates from the two local unions
| of electrical workers. they are affiliat-
ed with what is known as the Reed fac
tion of that craft.
| Gauntlet Thrown Down.
The Building Trades Mechanics Conncil
last night threw down its def to the
American Federation of Labor, when, by
unanimous vote, 1t declined to oust the
electrical workers from membership.
! President Kirby Of the building trades de-
partment Of the A. F. l.. was present at
the meeting when this action was taken.
and as he was leaving the hall one Of
| the delegates remarked:
You had better take the charter along
with you
NO" Mr.. Kirby responded Il hope you
will have the courtesy to send the char
| ter to my Office
President Kirby informed the meeting
that by direction of the American FEEDER
| alton of Labor the unions of electrical
workers that continued their affiliation
! with the Reed faction must be expelled
| from mebershp in the Building Trades
| Mechanics Council.
| After some discussion the matter Of
expelling the electrical workers was put
to a vote. Every delegate from the
eighteen unions OF the building trades
voted against the expulsion of the two
retained in the membership of the coun-
ell. Following the vote, Mr.. Kirby left
the meeting.
Do Not Owe Allegiance.
Delegates to the Building Trades Me-
chancs' Council explained their attitude
in the matter. They declared that the
District council was formed long time
before the organization OF the building
| trades department of the American Fed
| Grafton of Labor. for the specific purpose
| of fighting the open-shOD movement in
augura,ed here by the Employers Asso-
| citation. The electrical workers had as
| sisted in winning this fight without the
assistance of the A. F. L., and for that
| and other reasons the council could not
consistently expel the electrical workers.
| The position was also taken that the
| contest in the ranks of the International
| Brotherhood of Electrical Workers be-
tween the Reed and the McNulty factions
was an internal organizational matter
and is no affair of the 4. F. L. or the
| Building Trades Mechanics Council.
One of the delegates asserted that the
| council had taken out a charter as an
affiliating body with the building trades
| department OF the American Federation
of Labor as a courtesy and not because
| it was necessity. as the federation has
| given the local workers but scant support
in the strikes and fights for better condi-
/ tions. II is understood that the council
will continue its existence as an inde-
pendent abor body.
| The office of general business agent of
| the council now held by William F. Gill
more of the carpenters, will be discon-
| tinued after this month, 1t was said
Mix Business and Pleasure.
The electrical workers burned midnight
oil in two OF the halls of the Costello
| building last night. In one hall a bus-
ness session was In progress until after
HllUUlSnl UtilS NdU SOUIutu III tIfc OlllcI
there was a jolly party of delegates and
! their friends enjoying the program and
refreshments of a smoker.
| The late session of the convention was
| held to dispose of much of the accumu-
| lated business of the organization. When
word was received that the Building
| Trades Mechanics Council had declined
| by unanimous vote to oust from member
ship the two Washington loca S Of elec-
| trical workers. the delegates expressed
| their qualification.
! President Reed of the electrical work
ers alternated between the business ses-
| sion and the funfest. He delivered an ad-
dress before the guests at the smoker.
| and talked matter-of-fact affairs to the
delegates in the other hall
There was program of music, speak
| ing and story telling. Sam De Nedrey
secretary of the Central Labor Union,
who was on the list one Of the prin-
| cipal speakers, sent his regrets as he was
| detained by official duties at another
place until a late hour.