Evening star., 1918-11-26
CEMENT WORKERS
AND PLASTERERS
ONSTR|KE HERE
Six Hundred Quit When ST
Instead of rs Cents Hour
Is Refused.
ASK INCREASE BECAUSE
0vERTIMEIS is STOPPED
Action Ties Up Government Work.
General Labor Disturbance
in District Feared.

in District Feared.
fnisliers working on the government
dormitories on the Union station plaza
and on other large government war
time projects went on strike this morn
ing. bringing plastering and cement
work to standstiu throughout the
city.
It is seriously feared by government
and labor officials here that the walk
out Of the 600 men today is but the be-
ginning of a series of strikes by other
laborers, with strikes by carpenters and
plumbers engaged on government work
to come next, probably December l.
Cessation of overtime work was the
cause given by the men for their de-
mand, made on their employers, for q
straight 81 an hour wage, to make up
for the overtime pay now lost to them
through the suspension Of overtime
generally on account OF the end of the
war.
Override Union President.
The strike followed stormy meet
ing of Local Union No. 96 Of the
Operative Plasterers' and Cement
Finishers' International Association
held in the old Masonic Hall. at 9th
and F streets, last night. when the
men finally voted, 81 to So. to strike
if their demands for 81 an hour. in
stead of the 80 cents an hour the.
were getting, were refused.
1t is declared that in striking to
day the men broke their agreements
which bound them until next Sep
tember. This view was vigorously
upheld by President Charles Smith OF
the local union, it is understood. who
refused to be party to the strike.
The union then voted to override
Smith, and elected Jack" Irving
president of the union. Irving then
put the strike vote. and it was car
| ried by the necessary majority. All
| the plasterers and cement workers
appeared at their respective places OF
| work this morning and demanded
| their new wage scale.
Would Mean 30 Day.
Boss plasterers and heads of con
struction companies refused the de-
| mands, and the men went on strike.
The men declare that their demands
are made to equalize their wages. and
| that there would have been no strike
| taken away from them. Formerly
| they were making 50 day. So regu-
1arly and So on overtime work. The
| scale of wages demanded by then
would net them IS a day without the
| overtime.
| Local builders were frank today in
their expressions of fear that this
strike may be but the beginning of a
! general labor disturbance such as the
| District has perhaps never witnessed,
| unrkinR
| the big contracts here, which are
| largely governmental work, demand
ed 81 an hour instead of their present
wages of IS cents an hour.
| Plumbers demanded S1.25 an hour
| instead of their present earnings OF
! so cents an hour. Both these demands
| were coupled with time limit OF De
| cember 1 in which the construction
| companies might meet them.
| 1--WE are living in the day of the over
turn of governments" said one plas
! terer this morning to group of fell
/ low workers congregated at 9Th ano
f streets.
Expect Demands to Be Met.
| The strikers plan to meet this after
noon to consider the situation, and
were full of hope that the builders
would grant their demands, owing to
the comparatively short time demand
ed for the completion Of most of the
projects.
supt Bent of the George A. Fuller
Construction Company. which is
building the dormitories for war
expressed the opinion that the con-
tracts with the government provided
| for strike contingencies. and that IL
the event of strikes the government
was to settle them. and that there was
then no time limit for the construction
of buildings.
! About fifty plasterers and cement
finishers quit work on the dormitories
| today, and all, work of that nature
there is tied up. About three more
weeks would complete the whole job
there, it is declared. Something more
than a weeks work of plastering and
cement finishing is needed d. 5
Schaffer of Baltimore Is handling the
plastering work on the dormitories.
and Fred Drew of this city the cement
work.
Labor Department May Take Hand.
The housing bureau of the Labor
Department was called upon today By
the various heads of construction
projects. and it is deemed certain
! that the Labor Department, through
its conciliation service. will take ac-
tive steps to settle the strike.
Two meetings of the parties at odds
BOSS plasterers." or master plas-
terers, were scheduled to hold a meet
ing at o'clock at the Builders Ex-
change to consider the strike.
The strikers planned a meeting il
| they could find a hall.
The striking plasterers and cement
| workers made their demands upon
employers recently. when it was an
nounced that the overtime work
| would be suspended, owing to the
| cessation of hostilities. The employ
ers refused the demand.
Among the big projects on which
all plastering and cement work
ceased today are the Treasury annex
construction under way just south of
the Belasco Theater. and the war risk
insurance building, on the old Arling
ton Hotel site.
Believe Mooney Innocent.
/ Action looking toward an Official
protest against the execution of
Thomas j. Mooney was postponed at
Central Labor Union meeting last
night in order that a special commit
i tee might determine the most fitting
/ form of protest.
sympathy for Mooney ran high
,mone the local labor men last night,
many declaring openly that they are
sure that he is not guilty. and that
ali they asked Is q fair trial. The
/ COMMITTEES appointed to consider ac-
i fion at the meeting OF the union to
be held Monday night is composed o.
"a. 4ae0.iton. =. j. Broek- j. harsssss