El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-04-21
Strike Held Up
On u. S. Work
OutAtH Bliss
Carpenters Await Decision ;
Other Unions To Ask
For More Pay.

Construction work at Fort Bliss
would have been hindered at least,
by a strike Of q union carpenters
and six Carpenter foremen Monday
but for the timely arrival OF Capt.
Jos. ". Parrot. one OF the five mem-
bers Of the wage adjustment board
Of the United States army. The local
union has deferred action TO give
Capt PARROT a chance to investigate
the prevailing scale paid in FL Paso
and TO report back to the wage board
in Washington. which viii take about
week. The carpenters contend for
the scale prevailing here, which they
claim is SI1s cents per hour, and
should be paid under the "Gompers-
Baker" agreement.
1--WE had been trying TO get this
wage difference adjusted FOR the past
five weeks said W r. Welch, presi-
dent Of the local carpenters union.
"Out at Fort Bliss the constructing
Quartermasrer has been paying our
carpenters only Is cents an hour in
stead Of Sliz cents, our union scale.
Capt Parrott, Of the wage adjusting
board. arrived saturday afternoon.
Walter Highsmirh, business agent or
our carpenters local and I mes with
him and we agreed 10 defer action
until wednesday night, when We viii
consider the matter at that meeting.
However as Capt. PARROT came on
here from san Antonio, on account Of
this matter. we want 70 give him
reasonable time to make investiEa-
tons and so he will have 20 report
by wire 70 his board in Washington
and get a reply
Others Want More Pay.
while Capt. Parr0tt is here the
union bricklayers plasterers. sheet
metal workers, iron workers, electri-
clans and plasterers who have the
same grievance that we carpenters.
viii no doubt come forward and pre-
sent their respective eases also. They
are all paid at Fort Bliss under the
union scale prevailing in Fl Paso-'
I am down here adjusting the mat
ter Of wages for the army wage ad-
Z iustment board all along the bord er
where We have construction work for
the army" said Capt Parrott- 4
have Just completed the work from
Brownsville 10 Laredo and was in
san Antonio when 7 was sent here.
There are 10 be several millions spent
on the border for barracks and other
construction work for the benefit OF
I the army This work extends 10 all
| the camps from Brownsville, Texas,
/ TO NOgales. Ariz-
] Secretary Of war Baker and sam
uel GomDers. president OF the Amer
Z lean Federation Of labor, made an
agreement called the 'GOmper Baker
agreement which requires that in all
{ trades the government shall pay for
Z army work the prevailing scale where
/ the work Is done; that Is, the scale
prevailing I'm the community or To-
cality and paid by the majority Of
J the master builders and contractors.
Labor Paid High Here.
IN Brownsville only the plumbers
are organized. On big work labor
: from san Antonio Is taken down and
paid the scales prevailing in the lat
] ter place: and they are lower than in
} Fl Paso. At Laredo they are also
lower than san Antonio There Is
T organized labor in Laredo but mostly
Z MeXicans. and they were organized a
! few months ago by Samuel Gompers
when he was in Laredo at the inter
national labor congress OF Mexican
land American labor ORGANIZATIONS In
san Antonio the adjustment was made
iprior TO March T. The scale in al
trades there is lower than is claimed
Ito prevail in I'D PasO. and so IN is