New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-02-19
Both Sides i'm Strike
ut Building Trades
90 TO Capital To-day
Workers Seek Arbitration
Only in Conference With
Secretaries Baker and Will.
son; Employers Are Mum

Ronald Taylor, president of the
Building Trades Employers Associa-
ton, and William L. Hutcheson, inter
national president of the United Broth
crho0d of Carpenters and Joiners Of
America, head delegations which leave
New York for Washington this morn
ing to take up the local strike situa-
ton with Secretary of War Baker and
Secretary of Labor Wilson. Both sides
leave with little confidence that the
trouble will be adjusted as a result of
the conference
On the part Of the employers, It
was stated yesterday that the dele
cation is going as matter of cour-
tesy to the two Cabinet members who
requested its presence in Washington.
Inc committee goes without powers
to bind the association, though, should
occasion require, it can submit any
proposition that may appeal to it to
members of the governing committee
Of the organization, who will be with
IN reach of the telephone. The Hutch
eson committee has power to make
settlement, but members of it said last
night they did not expect to be called
upon to exercise that power.
Workers Want Arbitration
at is" said one spokesman for the
allied unions last night, Railways pos
sible to end a strike, but in this case
it is most improbable. The committee
will not agree to let the matter be
settled by Secretary Baker, If he can
induce the employers to refer the mat
ter to the War Labor Board or to some
other form of arbitration the unions
will agree. Otherwise it's fight to a
finish"
and" added the president of an in
tcrnational building trades union, at
looks like a fight to q finish"
AS part of the fight bricklayers and
hosting engineers struck yesterday in
New Haven, Conn; Waterbury, Conn;
Watertown, Mass, and Yonkers. In
Watertown and in Yonkers the con-
tracts affected are government work,
the Watertown job being a Federal
housing contract, and the work in Yon-
kcrs tie construction of a hospital for
convalescent soldiers. In this city ele-
vator repair men struck on several of
the large buildings and others will go
out to-day.
Two More Unions to Quit
Tomorrow, should to-day's confer
ence prove a failure, all plasterers and
cement fnishers employed by New
York contractors will be ordered to
quit work. Edward j. McGivern, inter
national president of this organization,
authorized the statement last night
that orders to this effect, affecting
about $500 men, had been given Ed
ward ]. McSorley, international presi-
dent Of the fathers, said his men would
quit with McGiverns.
A chance that the strike might in
volve contracts held in Philade lphia
and Washington by a non-member of
the New York builders association was
averted yesterday by promise that
the strike on the Ellis Island improve
ments, on since last November, would
be speedily settled AS on the other
Jobs in this city, the $3.50 day is the
question at issue.
The employers association held it's
annual meeting yesterday, the oc-
casion being taken to discuss the
strike situation in all of its bearings.
After the meeting it was announced
that Mr.. Taylor, with Charles j. Kelly,
T. n. Chambers, Fred b." futile and
j. ?. Ryan, would 90 to Washington
to-day. The union men did little but
mark time. With Mr. Hutchinson on
the committee to go to Washington are
W. j. Bowen, of the bricklayers; P.
V. Cook, Of the plasterers; Milton
Sncllings and John II. Donlin.