Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-12
CONTRACTORSISSUE
STRIKE. STATEMENT
Dispute Over Hours Pay for
! Men Is Set Forth in
r Controversy.

Andrew Murray, president OF the
General Contractors and Builders As
ISOLATION, today issued a statement ex-
planning the position of the association
on the controversy with carpenters
who have been out on strike for ten
days because of their refusal to work
for less than s1.12h per hour.
The statement says that it's object
was to give "a true statement of the
facts for the carpenters themselves as
we'll as the public" '
Neither the master builders nor
their wage committee ever received an
offer of s1.12is per hour as the scale
of wages desired by the carpenters,
and the first the builders knew of such
a scale was on October L. when they
received individnaI1y by mail a notice
that SI.12l5 would be the. wage scale
for carpenters in Washington. d. G,
Alexandria. Va. and vicinity. to take
effect on October /. thus ignoring the
Master Builders Association entirely,
the statement said.
Committee without Power.
.At the meeting of the two wage
committees on August 25 the carpen-
ters presented their demand of SIPS
per hour and the builders offered the
men 81 per hour. but as neither COM
mittee had the power to change its
figures. they adjourned to report to
their respective organizations and re-
ceive power to make a settlement. At
this meeting one Of the delegates made
q statement that if the builders would
. make an offer of s1.12l5, he would pre-
sent it to his organization. although he
felt that they might throw him out OF
the window for so doing.
"a del3v the two commit
tees met again on September %, at
which time the chairman asked the
carpenters if they had a new demand
to present and their reply was that
they still adhered to the $1.25 scale
it was that or nothing
LAS the builders had decided that
they would not pay $1.25. there was
nothing left to do but adjourn. Had
the carpenters brought their later de-
mand before the builders at that time
a settlement might have been effected.
With the prices of nearly everything
at the peak and a great many things
on the decline. what would the public,
especially those contempla ting build
ing, have thought if the builders had
advanced the wages of carpenters 81. 40
per day?
Builders Kindly Feeling.
"The master builders haVe the
kindliest feeling for the carpenters,
and are very sorry that the pleasant
relations existing for SO many years
had to be severed in this manner. but
in justice to the building public there
was no other course for them to pur-
sue; they have not locked out the
men. as their jobs are open to them at
81 per hour, whenever they care to
return to work. and the builders are
willing to meet them at any time.
1.-THE master builders are very much
encouraged by the manner in which
their customers and the general pub
lie are cooperating with them in be-
ing willing to wait for their build
ings, and also by the number who are
Joining them every day in their eff
forts to stabilize prices"
Few Hundred Men Out.
officials of the carpenters union.
state that only a few hundred men
are out of employment, and that
while the master builders organiza-
ton may represent IS per cent of the
general contractors of the city, as
claimed by them. the organization In
cludes master plumbers, electricians
and other employers who do not hire
carpenters. The claim is also made
by the union that the majority of the
employers of carpenters in the city.
including virtually every Independent,
have signed the SI12k scale and that,
their men are at work.