The Connecticut labor press., 1920-10-30
new YORK AGAIN
In THROES OF
GRAFT SCANDAL
Investigation of Building Trades
Conditions Reaching Into
Wide Fields.
AMAZING TESTIMONY GIVEN
If Men Are Guilty Labor Will
Be First to Condemn
the Culprits.

the Culprits.
The building tradesmen throughout
connecticut continue to follow the reve-
lations of New York's astounding
situation ]. in .that business with the
closest attention and it is the concensus
of opinion that if the Lockwood com
mittee has the goods" on Robert P,
Brindel1, president of the Building
Trades Council, as strongly as the evil
dence SO far submitted would indicate,
the sooner he is made an example of
the better it will be for employe as well
as employer.
According to the evidence introduced
during this weeks sessions of the COM
nlittee the employees have been victim
lied by Brindell quite as extensively as
the employers are alleged to have BEEN
This indicates that Brindell ran a union
all his own in opposition to the one
authorized and chartered by the Amer
lcan Federation of Labor and apparent
ly pulled down pretty good things
from it in addition to the income from
his other activities.
Members of the union of house
wreckers recognized by the A. F. of L.,
testified that they had been driven out
of work by Brindell when they refused
to join his dual local which has no A.
F. of L. standing.
When they decided to work under
the Brindell rules they were charged
in addition to their own official union
dues and initiation fee, Brindel1
initiation fee of $50 per man and an
extra fee of $50 payable in $40 or SIS
weekly instalments as the price of a
privilege to work" card When that
$50 is paid they are compelled, they
testified, to take out another "privi-
lege to work" card and start right in
again to pay the weekly $40 or SIS to
Brindelps collectors. Cards, receipts
and other documentary evidence were
record in substantiation of these allie
cations.
William Waixel, who operates
house wrecking business under the
name of the Garden City Wrecking
Company in, Long Island City, was the
first witness. He has been in the bllsi-.
ness about so years and told of the
sudden demise of the Demolition Con-
tractors Association, comprising about
80 of the largest house wrecking con-
Germs, last May. when Brindell started
in TO control the business.
The association was not allied with
the Building Trades Employers Asso-
ciation and had contract with the
House Wreckers' Union, Local 1494o,
associated with the A. F. of L., by
which the work was entirely unionized,
with wages of ST. an hour to the wreck
ers, who were all experienced men.
This union, in existence seven years,
was known as Zaranko's union, after
William Zaranko, its president and
business agent.
The Zaranko wreckers refused to go
into Brindelrs Building Trades Coun-
Gil which was organized year ago
this month. So in May last Brindell
organized local of his own, which he
called the House Shorers, Sheath
Pliers and House Wreckers Union, and
started to put the Zaranko union out
of business or force its men into his
union and compel all contractors to en-
ploy none but council union men.
Waixe1 said he had trouble from
the start" when this situation developed
beginning with the wrecking of the
Munson building at Wall and Beaver
streets, which he undertook to do for
the George A. Fuller Company.
Delegates from the Building Trades
Council insisted that he discharge the
members of the Zaranko union and take
on members of Brindei1's dual organ
ization and then he was called into a
conference with Brindell at the office
of the Building Trades Council, ar
ranged by Mr.. Whiting of the Fuller
Construction Company Brindell told
him at that time that unless he dis
charged his men and put on the men
affiliated with his union he, Brindeil,
would break him.
The witness said he would go broke
any way if he put on the inexperienced,
worthless men who were affiliated with
SBrindell's union so he took chance on
continuing without them. Finally such
pressure was brought to bear on the
Fuller Construction Company that that
concern induced the witness to hire the
Brindell men, the Fuller company bear
ing the expense of most of the payroll
from that time on.
The reason for the Fuller company's
extraordinary action in this instance, the
witness said, was that Brinde1l was able
to automatically close down about 10
or Is other jobs that the Fuller COM
pany had in progress i'll New York at
that time.
The witness figured that it cost $47,-#
600 to finish up his job for the Fuller
people with Brindell's men instead of
$4,000 that it would have cost with the
Fuller people made up the difference to
him.
Later on the witness bid on a job
which the Thompson-Starett Company
had and was informed that he was not
on the list of contractors which had
been furnished to that company by the
Building Trades Council. He was told
that he would have to get fixed UP with
that organization before he could do
business.
The witness added that. before he
could get any men from, the Building
Trades Council he had to sign an
agreement to hire none other and he
also had to pay Brindell $1,000. He
didn't get the job and later he paid
Brindel1 another thousand to get a
contract.
Walkers testimony was corroborated
by Robert c. Whiting. general super
intendent of labor and outside con-
struction for the George A. Fuller
Construction Company. He stated that
the contract let to Waixel was the only |