New-York tribune., 1921-12-28
Untermyer's Plan forTwo.
Year Contract, Retaining
Present Scale Through
Next Year, Is Accepted
Employers Ready
TO Decide To-day
Association Refuses to
Dust Secretary Accused
by Lockwood Attorney

Developments bearing on the Lock-
wood Legislative committees investi-
CATION of New York's building industry
occurred in rapid succession yester-
day. The following summarizes the
principal events of the day:
Heads of all the building trades
unions in the city, at a meeting in
Building Trades Council headquarters
at 13 st. Marks Place, accepted on
behalf of their organization an arbi-
tratlon plan submitted by Samuel I'm
termyer, volunteer chief counsel for the
Lockwood committee, providing for a
twoycar contract from January ! and
the maintenance of the present wage
scale through 1922
Officials Of the Building Trades En-
ployers' Association announced that the
board of governors of that organiza-
tion will meet day at the association
Offices, 80 West Thirty third Street, to
take action on the plan with a view to
It's acceptance or rejection.
Labor Conference To-day
representatives of the Building
Trades Council, the New York State
Federation of Labor and the American
Federation Of Labor decided to hold a
conference to-day in the Hotel Cont
mental over the memorandum of re-
forms and changes in rules demanded
of the building trades unions by the
Lockwood committee.
Delegates OF the various building
trades unions, it was stated by Patrick
i tb1 p,1,l Il
Trades Council, will meet with Mr..
Untcrmyer in his office tomorrow af
ternoon to discuss the memorandum of
reforms, and probably to give him
their final decision concerning them.
Although withholding comment on
Mir. Untermyer's letter charging the
Building Trades Employers Associa-
ton with being breeding center for
illegal combinations responsible for
high building costs, officials of that or
ganlzaton let it be known cmphatically
that they would refuse his demand for
The discharge of Samuel B. Donnelly,
the secretary, who was termed "a most
efficient man and worthy of every con-
fidence on the part Of his employers" ."
Crisis Avcrted, Is Belief
The arbitration plan, which was sent
simultaneously to the unions and the
employers association, was looked
upon in some quarters last night as
offering the greatest hope for un-
tanglng the labyrinthne and months
old differences Of the two sides in the
building industry that has yet been
whether it represented the exclusive
effort of Mr.. Untermyer himself, or
whether it merged the views of the
Lockwood committee as a whole in an
attempt to restore the industry to ct-
fective and progressive operation.
The plan was contained in a letter
signed by Mr.. Untcrmycr and ad-
dressed to Christian G. Norman, presi-
dent of the Building Trades Employers
Association, and Mr.. Crowley, as presi.
dent of the Building Trades Council
The text was in part as follows:
"Thc present uncertain labor condi-
tons in the building industry, due tc
the expiration in a few days of the eX-
isting contract between the employers
and the unions, continues to be the
subject Of serious concern to me ir
my relation as counsel to the commit.
tee for which ] am acting.
My understanding is that the offer
of the employers to continue the pres
ent wage for sixty days was made de
pendent upon an arbitration as to the
wages and other conditions that should
be embodied in new contract, ant
this condition has been rejected by tho
council, so that with the existing con
tract about to expire there is no ne
gotiation pending.
"The committee is impressed witt
the Importance of further stimulation
Of building, and that the labor situa
ton shall be Immediately cleared up Sc
that there will be no danger of further
disturbance from that source. ! tino
that owners and architects who are nov
planning for new construction in the
spring have grown timid and hcsitan
on account of the uncertainty of the
labor situation. This is the time wher
preparations must be made, and it is
of the utmost Importance that this un
certainty shall now be dispelled.
Solution Offered in Plan
with that end in view and afte
having very thoroughly canvassed The
situation, have the following solu
tion to suggest 10 both parties:
"G) That new contract be nov
made for two years from January l.
"(2) That subject to the conditions
hereinafter specified the present wag,
scale be continued for 1922 and tha
Continued on page fye)