The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-04

and have STONED entirely the buildinl
Industry In Chicago and vicinity. Two
hundred thousand men are out of worl
a. a result.
The Paradoxcs.
Here are some of the paradoxes:
Unions for years have sought n CLOSED
shop in the building industry that is
none except union men should be EN-
ployed. They have asked that differ
ences be arbitrated. Arbitration is tn,
Waterford OF unionism, They organized
20 that they would be able TO work
more steadily at better pay.
Against them the employers have
stood for an open shop. wherein they
could hire whom they chose. They have
hesitated TO deal with union leaders as
representatives OF the men. or. in other
words. to engage In collective bargain.
inE:.
Association. the general association OF
employers in the building industry in
Chicago, to which all other groups OF
trades employers belong or affiliate. has
Joined with the Chicago Building Trades
Council in agreeing upon a form OF
working agreement containing eight
cardinal principles. chief OF which is
that there shall he no strike and no
lockout.
This agreement is an absolutely closed
shop agreement. The only kind of u
strike II permits is one where %non-union
men have been employed on a structure.
Otherwise IL keeps men always at work
n guarantees them three courts Of ar
bitration before they can be deprived Of
any rights which may come into dispute.
Rejectment of this agreement by the
unions has caused the lockout. Several
reasons lie back Of this. Not the least
~ them. although this implies no re-
Election o n the honesty of union men in
the rank and file. may be found in the
indictment record OF the United States
Grand Jury.
Eighteen Leaders Indicted.
Eighteen labor leaders are under in
ictmen In the Federal court charged
with having held up interstate ship
ments of materials and machinery dur
ing the tendency of an effort on the
part OF certain business agents. or
walking delegates OF the unions, to ex-
tort graft money from the owner or
contractor before the material or ma
chinery would be permitted to be used.
Hundreds of thousands Of dollars
were extorted each year: other nun
dreds of thousands of dollars worth of
losses in delayed construction and still
other hundreds OF thousands of dolIs RS
losses in wages to workmen were de-
scribed and told Of before the Federal
Grand Jury.
The new plan. called v~ariously the
uniform form of agreement" or the
ODonnell peace plan" after Simon
ODonnell. head of the Chicago Building
Trades Council and father Of the idea
or no strikes, but steady work in union
Ism. makes collection Of this graft i'm
possible.
The tool of the business agent in this
collection was the sympathetic strike.
He encouraged other leaders to stop
work to enabh. him to WELD "A heavier
club over the contractor. That chance
will be stopped IL others than the nine
teen trades already signed adopt the
uniform or peace plan agreement.
BY coincidence the agreement is on
posed chiefly by those trades unions
which have been thrown out OF the
building trades council because Of the
practices related previously.
The causes which have kept certain
OF the union out have no parallel I'm
the causes which hav kept others
out. There Is no accusation that there
Is graft In the carpenters union. And
the carpenters strike Is the backbone
OF the labor discomfort in the city.
They asked for an increase In pay from
SO cents an hour, already the highest
pay OF carpenters in America, to 70
cents an hour.
Carpenter Contractor blamed.
Lack OF judgment and Management
now admitted. on the part OF the car
penter contractors prevented an early
adjustment of his disagreement and
gave time for ~discontents In the union
TO bring to the fore other complaints.
Matters progressed to the point when
the union ranks got away" from the
carpenters eaders. Even when James
Kirby, general president Of the inter-
national union. came to the city and
was named arbitrator for his men, they
refused TO go back to work pending
the outcome Of the arbitration and later
almost unanimously, by referendum
vote, refused even to grant him au-
thority to settle their strike.
Independent contractors, Who saw a
chance to gather in the cream OF the
building work in the city during the
strike, signed any kind OF an agree
ment the carpenters insisted on In or
der to get the union men to work while
the regular contractors were at DISPUTE
with the unior.
Union men to save themselves from
h IS a week strike benefits rushed
&C gerly to these contractors to get
work. AZ n result practically a fun
complement OF union workmen obtained
employment. The wage was the coveted
~ Cents an hour, With this condition
obtaining they abandoned strike as
sessments. declared the strike won and
stopped paying benefits.
Contractors and those materials maxi
ers whose regular business depended
upon peace and the contracts Of the
regular contractors came to appreci-