Republican farmer., 1918-03-15
1855 CAULKERS
DELAY so SHIPS
IN PUGET. YARDS

officials of the Allies and the United
States impressing more and more the
absolute need of ships to make posi-
BILE the American military offensive in
Europe, the shipbuilding program
has encountered another serious delay
through the unWillingness of small
group of organized 1aboring men to
give a full measure of cooperation
in speeding up production.
It was disclosed yesterday that a
number of wooden ships on the Pa
cific coast are ready for launching
and are being held on the ways be-
cause they cannot be caulked for the
water. In the Seattle or Puget Sound
district union of 1876 caulkers has
refused to permit apprentices to work
with the men, and have paid no heed
to insistence that the union be in
creased to meet the situation which
| demands at least 500 caulkers.
Appeals to William L. Hutcheson,
leader of the United Brotherhood of
Carpenters, by the Shipping Board for
aid have brought the response that
while the Carpenters union has
greatly needed men listed and ready
for this work, that the organization
feels it must reach an understanding
on demands made for representation
on the Labor Adjustment Board Of
the Emergency Fleet Corporation be-
fore it will be free to act.
These caulkers are getting base
pay now of 81 a day for eight hours
and time and a half for overtime.
Their average is said to be $40 a day.
and they are insisting on overtime as
a condition of employment, and in ad-
dition have asked a base pay of $40
q day for an eight hour day.
The Shipping Board and Emergency
Flee Corporation have appealed to
the Puget Sound caulkers in vain, and
officials are preparing to advertise
for patriotic union men to go to the
yards. This procedure has been held
up for days in an effort to avoid an
open rupture with the caulkers' orga-
nization in this district. There, how
ever, seems no other solution.
Samuel Gompers, president of the
American Federation of Labor, and a
large majority of other high officials
of the Federation and the big interna-
tional unions are doing all in their
power to speed shipbuilding, but a
number of groups are obdurate. The
caulkers are affiliated with the United
Brotherhood of Carpenters and Join
ers.
There are 225 wooden ships building
on the Pacific coast it was said by
Shipping Board officials today and
there is sufficient timber and other
materials now available to increase
the number to 400 if labor were
available. Instead of making this in
crease, however, it seems the number
now under construction may have to
be cut Gown unless the labor question
can be settled.
Fifty of the coast vessels could be
put in the water in March it is said,
if caulkers were available to finish the
seams on time.
Officials here, however, are despair
ing of getting them in the water for at
least another month.
In an endeavor to enlist the aid of
the Puget Sound District union, Will
liam Piggott, district manager of the
Seattle district for the Emergency
Fleet Corporation, sent this letter to o.
H. Brown, president of the union:
Dear Sir-We beg to call your
earnest and patriotic attention to the
very serious conditions which have
prevailed in this district for the last so
days, which conditions are now becom-
ing more serious than ever because OF
the fact. there is not a sufficient num-
Der of caulkers in the northwest to fin
ish the wood ships now under con-
struction and those that must be COM
{ Me lott -, to 4I,a
THE wood shipbuf1ding program of
the Emergency Fleet Corporation calls
for at least 162 ships to be launched
| between now and the end of Deem
Der, 1918, and at least 100 more as
rapidly as they can be built. This
extensive program during this time
when the need for ships is imperative
| is progressing as satisfactorily as can
] be expected for the caulking.
SIT is estimated that it will take ap-
proximately 1000 man-days to caulk
one vessel or a total of $4,000 man
! days to caulk all the vessels which
must be put into the water before
January 1, 1919. Figuring approx
mately 80 working days left in this
year and dividing this into the total of
10000 means that approximately 500
caulkers will be needed to do this wor
and this does not take into consdera-
ton necessary repair work.
There have been many discussions
between shipbuilders and the caulk-
crs' organization in regard to the alb
| sGlute necessity for more caulkers.
Little, however, up to the present
! time has been accomplished and the
| result is that we have many ships
row ready to launch which are being
held on the ways to be caulked and
| the situation daily is growing worse
while we have had plenty of evil
dence of the fact that the shipbuild-
ing program is being delayed for want
OF caull1ers, action has been deferre l
in the hope that yourself and the
wood shipbui1ders would be able IT,
work out a satisfactory solution.
I'm the meantime overtime work
has been not only necessary but a
condition has arisen whereby overtime
work has been insisted upon by caulk-
ers as condition of employment, it is
recognized that this IS time when
| every man must and will have to do
more than he would in normal
| times.
ct has been shown, however, both
in this country and abroad that ex-
cessively long hours undermine the
health Of the workers and decrease
| their efficiency in the long run. For
| these reasons organized labor has
consistently commended for the estab-
| lishment of an eight hour day.
This excess overtime, which has
been insisted upon by the caulkers as
ELL "a al