New-York tribune., 1921-12-30
Unions Agree
With Reforms
BY Unternlyer
Building Trades Ready 10
Discard Many Practices.
but Insist Contractor Fur
nish Brick and Mortar
SIS Initiation Fec Set
lockwood Lawyer Wishes
Employers We're as Open
to Reason as Employees

Repre- rosentativcs OF almost all of The
unions in the building trades conferred
yesterday in the Office OF Samuel Tn
,ermyer. 100 broadway, chief counsel
- the Lockwood Legislative housing
committee. on the remaining points.
some Of them Of much Importance, in
the present practices of the unions
which the committee has demanded be
xemedied
Gratifying progress was mnde at the
conference, Il was said, and in all but
one instance adjustments were reached
or else the way was paved toward the
reforms wanted. The exception had to
do with the bricklayers. who insist
that a man 70 be called a contractor
must furnish the bricks anu mortar as
we'll as the contract ior the work.
Two Issues Compromised
Two issues were compromised. These
Were the age at which apprensIces
cou.d be admitted to learn the particu-
lar trade and the maximum amount per
missiblc for initiation fees. Mr.. I'm
termyer agreed to accept twenty years
as the outside age limit for apprentices
and 10 permit the maximum initiation
fee in any union to be put at SIS. He
had asked for twenty -hve-yea age
limit and $50 initiatioa Zee.
The delegation Of labor men was
headed by Patrick J. Crowley, presi-
dent of the Building Trades Council.
They arrived at Mr.. Untermyer's Office
at about 3 o'clock. Earlier in the aft
crnoon Hugh Frayne, general organizer
of the American Federation oe Labor,
called, but said he had no statement to
make after his talk with Mr.. Inter
.c RI
IS of the opinion that the New Yor,,
local unions should not commit them
serves upon matters governed al pres
ent by the constitution OF the A. 2. of l..
He told Mr.. Untermyer that he had
been nj Squoted in some of the morning
papers, especia ly with regard TO in
corporation of unions, which labor lead
ers oppose.
Most of the abuses of power found
by the Lockwood comm ttee, and indi-
Gated by Mr.. Cnte~myer in his letter to
the Building Trades Council of Decem-
Der 20, already have been corrected
In some cases the matters complained
OF are dealt with by the constitutions
and bylaws Of international unions,
over which the local unions have no
authority. 1t was agreed, on these,
that the locals would recommend to the
international body that the changes be
made
Initiation Fee Payment
The committee agreed TO the SIS
initiation fee on the distinct under
standing that it be payable in easy
insta.lments and the man be permitted
to work IN the mean time.
In obJecting to allowing any one to
take contract for bricklaying who
did not furnish the mate rials to do the
work, James Fogerty, of the brick
layers, explained that this was the only
way that irresponsible persons could
be kept out of the trade. The commit
tees will insist that this rule be
abolished, on the ground that it un-
duly interferes with the rights of
owners.
Mr.. untermyer explained his atti-
tude on the question of incorporation
of labor unions, saying that newspaper
reports indicated that he had been mis-
understood. He said that the commit
tee had not sponsored the bill now
awaiting introduction at Albany. His
announcement at the last meeting of
the committee, he said, was that those
abuses .hat had been brought 60 light
either must be voluntarily corrected
or else the committee would ask for
the incorporation and regulation of
the unions and for the enforcement OF
the criminal statutes where necessary
eff the changes demanded are volun-
tarily made" Mr.. Untermyer said
there is no reason why the committee
should further pursue this proposal of
incorporating the unions. If the Grim
1nal combinations of the employers
that are still being sheltered under the
roof of the Building Trades Employers
Association were one-half as amenab bic
TO reason ana argument as the officials
of the unions have proved to be, the
abuses, eXtorton and criminal con-
spiracies that have not yet disappeare
from the building trades would soon
be ended"
Nevertheless Mr.. Untermyer did not
wish it understood that the unincor.
:. porated labor unions were the worst
! offenders.
$50 long as our state and Fedora
n governments" he continued, "are con
tent supinely to tolerate, and the
courts continue to enforce the despotc
DEGREES of that monument of monu-
ments to the folly and incompetcncy OF
government in the person of the New
York Stock Exchange, which remains
unincorporated and unregulated and