The Washington herald., 1918-03-07
LABOR SPURNS
LAST DEMAND
OF AGITATOR
Union Men Resent Efforts Of
Carpenters Head to Re-
open Ship Trouble.
By JOHN L. MURRAY.

Dtscrsdited by his own fellow
unIonists. out Of court with the Navy
and Shipping Board. William L.
Hutcheson, president of the United
Brotherhood OF Carpenters and Join
ers, who called the recent strike Of
the carpenters in the shipyards. last
night prepared what every oficlal,
government and union, believes will
be his obituary as a union labor
leader.
New Demands.
He Is drafting a new demand on
the President to go over the heads
Of the Navy Department. the United
States Shipping Board and the inter
national presidents Of union labor
who hatly refused to make the spe-
claI concessions he still insists on.
His manner last night, as he in
terrupted his conference with other
brotherhood officers over their de-
mand on the President. was one Of
preparing for battle; his words al
most a prediction Of national dis
aster.
VIII the shipyard woodworkers
Quit and tieup shipbuilding? Well, the
big trouble won't come unless the
President turns US down. That'll be
up to him."
But there will not be any battle. any
tying up OF ship yards, and national
disaster through stopping work on the
bridge to Pershing; there will be notn-
ing but q general ignoring henceforth
Of Hutcheson's demands by the Amer
lean Federation of Labor. the Navy
and the Shipping Board. This Is the
expression of all three factors con-
cerned. 50 far as they are concerned,
Hutcheson's day in court is done.
His intimated threat that forty
thousand wood workers will stop work
IL the President does not stultify the
decision of Franklin D. Roosevelt, As
sistant Secretary of the Navy; Charles
A. Piez, general manager of the emer-
gency fleet corporation on the Shipping
Board. and Samuel Gompers, president
Of the American Federation OF Labor,
by granting the concession of union
absolutism that they have refused.
leaves naval and ship board officials
less than indifferent.
VIII Not Strike.
From hiEh In the councils Of the
nations shipbuilding program came
last night the statement that there
will be TO strike, because there are
5000 carpenters idle, according to
Hutcheson's own assertions, more than
are needed in shipyards, and because
his own men are not behind him
in hght on the governments most
vital need.
These special privileges he asks are
that he be allowed to put his own
representative on the Shipbpildlng
Labor Adjustment Board, created by
the agreement with the unions to fiX
wages, hours and conditions OF en-
ployment, but that he make no agree
ment to abide by decisions concern
ing conditions of employment, unless
they conform to union conditions.
Also, that he be allowed to have a
agency Of the Department Of Labor
to pass on applicants and that en-
ployment Of carpenters be operated
only through these agencies.
: The attitude of the labor leaders at
the conference that rejected these
demands was expressed at the meet
ing. variously, in this wise:
I'VE cannot afford to hamper the
government in its shipbuilding now.
The union ship must remain a closed
question till the end OF the war, ano
every strike, though we reserve the
right to strike, must go no furths~
than arbitration. The agreement w
have now with the Navy and Ship
ping Board is as near now to a union
agreement as the law allaws
The carpenters never should have
struck. Hutcheson's talk OF forcing
an alternative OF government owner
ship is madness; it's a choice be-
tween waiting till after tho war for
the Strengthening Of the union and in
viting conscription of labor. for gov
ernment control Of the men might
mean conscription. and that woulo
mean death to unionIsm for nifty years
at least"