Omaha daily bee., 1920-09-27
Warning Is
Issued To
! UnionLab
President Of Building Trades
Says Open Shop Will Come
Back Unless Men Settle
Chickering's.
Work Near StandstiIl
BY ARTHUR M. EVANS.

Chicago Tribune Omaha Bee Leased Wire.
Chicago, Sept. 26.-A warning to
the building crafts that unless they
resort to reason" and put an end to
Jurisdictional disputes, the unions
may go to smash and the open
shop" come into vogue, has been is
sued from Washington by John II.
Donlin, president of the building
trades department of the American
Federation of Labor.
In a letter addressed to each in
ternational union, affiliated with his
nincing words. declares that jhris-
dictional bickerings-strikes over
:. which union is to do certain work
: have turned the organized building
trades into destructive instrument,
which can no longer be tolerated by
its members" He says the only
salvation lies i'll the national board
tar awards, which was organized,
1March ), 1919, to deal with internal
y disputes and he urges that the crafts.
Nm,mbers and officers, give it full
Aupport In a word, he tells the
trades they must stop fighting or
succumb as unions. .-.
The letter, which is regarded as
the most important development i'll
months in the building industry
now stagnant throughout the coun-
try-was made public in Chicago
Sunday almost on the eve of the Ma
Ftional Building and Construction
congress, which assemblies at the
Hotel LaSalle today to consider all
phases of the question: What is the
matter with building activities and
what remedies can be applied"
Must Have Full Acceptance.
In part President Donlin says:
THE national board ofCjurisdictional
awards must have the full, practical
acceptance of the officers of all
building trades, and we have SO
obligated ourselves. The great menl-
bership OF our Unions is heartily in
accord with the plan as established.
Our movement without such a
court Of awards is not just and
right and not an effective instru-
ment for enhancing the opportun-
tiles of our membership. Organized
building trades can no longer con-
tinuc to cause loss to the investor,
loss to the worker and injury to the
Industries interested. Jurisdictional
disputes have made the organized
building trades, destructive instru-
ment which can no longer be toll
Grated by its members, who pro-
al, ya,,f
should promote and preserve inter-
ests and eliminate anything tending
to destroy.
"They feel this board is as neces-
sary to their interests, to the per-
petuity of their organizations, as is
the supreme court of the nation. The
national board for awards is our
only salvation"
Building Near Standstill.
Building experts say that so days
more will see building activities in
Chicago almost at standstill. Al
ready 5000 carpenters are reported
out of work. OF the men i'll the
building trades, now estimated at
45G00 in Chicago, as against $1,000
i'll 1916, SO per cent are now idle. A
month from now S0'to 90 per cent
are expected to be without employ
inent.i -
In Chicago, at least Sl5000G000
worth of building construction is
held up by prohibitive costs, the es-
innate being by the building de-
partment. In the middle west for the
! first eight months of 1920, the build
ing under contemplation is placed
at more than $1,225,000,000. But
contracts have been actually award
cd for a little more than $500,000,-
y 900. and Of this large part is in
suspension. Conservative men say
in the midwest the work lung up
amounts to Vat leas. $l,000,000000.
The less work the more strikes
that is Chicago's experience, Hardly
building under construction is
without labor troubles, mainly juris-
dictional, For instance, the new
Crerar library has strike of the
ornamental iron workers, due to
a quarrel over whether they or the
sheet metal workers should install
the shelving