The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-15

company was getting in bad with the
steel manufacturers"
The open shop battle was being made
in New York and Philadelphia, the wit
ness said. as the entering wedge for the
fight between capital and union labor to
be extended over the entire country.
Samuel Untermyer, counsel for the COM
mittee. emphasized through the witnesses
that there is in reality no such thing as
an "open shop"--that the issue is union
or non-mlon.
Illustrating how all Of this fighting roT
supremacy and greater profits always
gets back ultimately TO the tax and rent
payer. Mr.. Horowitz estimated that the
excessive cost Of building due 10 this Inn
position of the Iron League policy was
"between $3.50, and 100000 on every
$4,000. 900 structure"
Further. this whole conflict between
capital and the unions over the open
shop principle has direct bearing upon
other phases of collision and grafdng In
the building industry. Witnesses testi-
fled that the Iron League had peen
"militant"-openly aggressive-wlth It's
fight for little more than one year.
strike Cause on Every job.
Through all of the testimony given be-
fore the Lockwood committee during It's
two months of investigation the one
thread that has been woven day after
dev into the pattern of the Brindell
council has been that strikes were al
ways possible because Of the employ
mont Of non-union labor. It has been
narrated so often the story has become
monotonous that when Brindell and MS
collectors wanted to force their own
union men on builder or TO drive iron
any structure the men employed there
the strike threat used always was based
on the charge that non-union men were
employed
In most Instances the non-union men
were the steel erectors, the men forced
on the builder by the Iron League. Hav-
ing exacted his terms Brndell always
was wiling TO permit his unions to go
ahead with the non-union men. but ac-
cording to the scores of witnesses VINO
have tried to explain the situation MS
terms were always cash. 1t was COM
mented upon that n more powerful cruz
could not have been placed in Brindeli
hands, and it was said he was not unid
In IT'S use. In their fight for the prin-
ciple of open shops and free labor the
ca plains OF industry, it was argued. mace
Brindell and his system possible ana
added to the tremendous toll eNacteu Oh
the builder. This was by no means
BrindelIs only weapon, it was said, but
it was one of his best.
What does this open shop mean In
practice?" Mr. Untermyer asked Mr..
Starrett.
1T means a scrap with the union
the witness said sadly.
Other witnesses filed in the connecting
links of testimony They described the
Iron League as the only organization
using the open shop showed that in the
organizations and associations OF steer
contractors and builders there were hard
and fast rules regulating the matching
of bids and adjustment Of business so
that all who wished to buy steel would
be compelled to adopt the open shop
ping directories and a community OF
interests all through the industry.
Mr. Horowitz said that the refusal OF
the steel companies to supply structural
steel unless erected under the open shop
method began about year ago. and
that since the cost Of this work had
gone up.
Would you say THIS method is
heavy burden on the cost of building ?"
Mr. Untermyer asked.
II would" Mr.. Horowitz said. The
Iron League has gripped the building
industry in Philadelphia, as here, he
added, but has not yet tried TO extend to
other cities.
81 understand this policy IS Just be-
ing spread about tho country" he con-
tlnued. The orders of the steel COM
pany were so binding, he said. that his
company was compelled finally to scrap
its steel erecting machinery valued at