New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-05-08
Wage Boards to
Halt Building
Strikes Urged
A. +. of L. Council Suggests
Local Arbitration Bodies
Over Country Made Up of
Contractors and Workers
Avert Sympathy Walk. Out
Union Leaders Complain of
Depression; N. Y. Only
City Experiencing Boom

CINCINNATI, Ohio, May T.-Estab-
lishment of local wage conference or
adjustment boards throughout the
country to prevent unnecessary strikes
ard lockouts in the building industry
was urged here to-day by the executive
council OF the building trades depart
ment of the American Federation Of
Labor.
Under the proposed plan announced
by John Donlin, president of the
building trades department, arbitra-
tion Of wage disputes is provided and
sympathetic strikes in behalf of unions
making "unjustified demands" are pre-
vented. The plan has been successfully
tried out in several cities, including
Cincinnati, he said.
"The new movement" he added, twill
give stability to the industry and in
spire confidence in the building and in
vestment public"
The proposed boards will be COM
posed Of representatives of the building
contractors and the various unions.
Wage scales for the various crafts will
be established on an equitable basis,
according to the merits Of the trade.
There will be no uniform scale. The
advances or decreases in wages as gen.
eral living conditions will permit.
Bars Unfair Sympathy Strikes
zone of the chief merits Of the plan"
said Mr.. Donlin, els that no sympa-
thetic strike can be called to uphold
the unreasonable or unjustiaed de-
is one of our troubles to-day and a
situation that must be rectified."
Reports received by the council,
President Donlin said, showed that
building conditions throughout the
country are Every bad" but there Is
some slight improvement.
t'New York City is the only big cen
ter in the country that is experiencing
building boom," ne declared. "Our
men are ell working there and volun-
tary increases in wages are being
paid by the employers in order to get
workers.
Wage reductions will not solve the
building depression situation. The
build at the present time. They ap-
parently are satisfied with buying lux
uries-not homes
The high cost of building materials
is also responsible for. the slump in
building, the labor leader said, adding
that these costs had advanced 140 per
cent during the last few years, but had
only declined about 40 per cent up to
the present time.
Will Accept Fair Wage Cuts
"The councils reports show that the
building trades unions are willing to
cooperate in reducing building COSTS
added Mr.. Donlin, "by accepting equi-
table wage reductions in line with the
falling costs of living"
The executive council Of the Ameri-
can Federation held a brief session to-
day, working on its report to the an
nual convention Of the Federation.
This report, it WIS learned, will in
clude Recommendation for a general
application Of the initiative and refer
endum in the political affairs of the
United States and Of our several
states"
Word was received by the council
that J. H. Thomas, head of the rail
way workers union in England, viii,
be In the United States soon and will
address the Federation's convention in
Denver in June.
Jere L. SullivaA secretary of Cha
Hotel and Restaurant Employees In.
ternational Alliance appeared before
the executive council to-day with reso.
lutlons adopted by the local executive
board of the alliance of Buffalo, which
completely exonerated President Com.
pers OF the Federation of the charge
that he had stopped at non-unior
MOTEL on his recent visit to that city.