New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-10
$500 Carpenters
OnU. Work Here
Ordered to Strike
Union Threatens to Call
Out 10000 in Fight
for Closed Shop

More than $500 carpenters employed
on government work near New York
were ordered on strike yesterday in an
effort to enforce the closed shop rule
on all such contracts. This step was
taken late in the afternoon by John
Rice, secretary of the Greater New
York District Council of the United
Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners,
after two conferences, at which repre-
sentatives of the union, Of the con-
tractors and Of the government were
present, had failed TO result in an
agreement. There will be another con-
ference this morning at the Hotel Van
derbilt.
Failure to adjust the differences, Mr..
Rice said, would mean national strike.
involving 20 900 carpenters, which would
bring work on all of the new army can
tonments to a halt and eventually tie
up all government construction WORK
where carpenters are employed. Mr..
Rice declared that work on 1000 build
ings could be stopped.
"Our next move" said he, "will be
to order out all men within a radius
of 400 miles. It is up TO the govern
ment to get busy
Mushroom" Contractors Blamed
At present orders have been issued
only to the carpenters at work IN the
immediate vicinity of New York. The
union men declare that mushroom
contractors are taking advantage of the
situation to force organized labor into
ali untenable position. Alien labor has
been imported for work on City Island
and in other places, it is said.
The union demands that all govern
ment work be unionized, and promises
| that the transformation will be faclll-
tated by it in every possible way. In
! itiation fees will be RENTED, 1t IS
said, and inducements offered to all
who enter the union. The union guar
antees a sufficient number of men to
carry on the work. As a first step 1t
demands that non-union men be dis
! charged or the contracts OF the men
! employing them cancelled.
"Our general instructions" said Mr..
Rice, "include the unionizing OF the
work at Montauk Point, Mineoia, the
park in Brooklyn adjacent to the navy
ward. City Island, Yaphank, Pelham
| Bay Park, Rockaway, Governors Island
and many other places.
MANY of these mushroom contract
| ors we are fighting are men who ola
dock building work and are now trying
to control the work on the canton
ments. These contractors, through their
political affiliations. have ben trying to
get the contracts for the work.
Stiers Corporation Assailed
The alleged methods of the Stiers
| CORPORATION, which is building quarters
| for the Naval Reserve at Pelham Bay,
is one source of dissatisfaction. Both
union and non-union labor was en-
ployed by the corporation, IT was said.
! In an ultimatum which was said to
| have been laid down by the union at
the afternoon conference in the Hotel
| Vanderbilt, O. week was given for the
| government to force the contractor TO
unionize his carpenters and lronwork,
ers. Otherwise, it was said, there would
be a strike which might affect 10000
men.
At the conference were Rear Admiral
| Harris, Captain Brown, a retired army
officer who is now contractor; Henry
! Stiers. Of the offending firm; John Mof-
| fit, labor leader; Henry Hunter, secre.
tary Of the Allied Metals Trades, and
| r. ". Guerin, of the carpenters union.
IL was said last night that work at
| the navy yard, at the Mineola flying
| field and at Yaphank had not yet felt
| the effect of the unions orders.