The Connecticut labor press., 1920-02-28
Mass Meeting of All Crafts to Be Held to Present Solid Front in Negotiations for New Working Agreements Sought for April 1. Council Decides for Plan to Act Together for Better Under standing All Around.

A gigantic mass meeting of all the Building Trades organizations of New Haven, with the exception of the Brick layers who are no longer affiliated with the Building Trades Council or the Trades Council, will be held within the r.ext week or 10 days to consolidate all the crafts in their efforts to secure new working agreements and wage scales this spring. This action was decided upon at the regular meeting of the Building Trades Council on "Wednesday night and committee consisting of the board of business agents was named to secure hall and make arrangements tor the gathering. It is probable that Music Hall will be selected if a suit able date can be secured.
 The concerted action is deemed neces- sary because practically all the trades have submitted demands for new agree ments upon the contractors, most of them requesting that the new agree ments become effective on April 1. As the demands differ according to the ideas of the individual organization making them, 1t was considered that the best plan would be to have a general meeting of all the crafts wherein the different matters could be discussed and sort of general understanding and agreement reached.
 The carpenters have already sub- mltted demands for $1 an hour which demand has been turned down by the contractors. The carpenters in turn re- jected compromise offer of go cents an hour and are still holding out for the $1 flat wage. The electrical work CTS, this week also submitted demands for increases, the painters, hoisting en- gIneers, iron workers, sheet metal work CTS, plumbers, and in fact all organiza- tons engaged in the building trades also have similar matters in the works. Therefore 1t was, decided to get together and talk them all qver so that one or ganization, down to its individual mem bers, would understand what the other IS doing and there will be no frictio nor clashlng of interests when the commit tees confer with the contractors.
 After the discussion it is proposed to have the building trades present solid body to negotiate the granting of the demands by the contractors. instead of having each individual organization working haphazard along it's own lines. It is believed that by having all the building trades acting in concert with the contractors, presenting their de- mands all at the same time, the con- tractors will be able to learn at once just what Labor will be seeking and be able to figure it out all at one time in- stead of having to take up wage adjust ment with different organizations at diff ferent times. The plan IS expected to result bene6cially for all concerned in- asmuch as the demands can be adjusted together and save weeks probably of dIckering with individual trades com mittees.
 The Building Trades Council at its meeting also filled the office of secre- tary by electing Eric Donna of the Electrical Workers. The office was left vacant at the annual election several weeks ago to await the decision of Sec retary Beadle of the Painters organiza- ton as to whether he was to retire.