The Connecticut labor news., 1922-01-06
F i n ial Interests, Especially in East and Middle West, Now Urging Union Agree ments, Declares Rep. Sheehe.


 dustry, is the contention of James Sheefe national representative of the United As Sociation of Plumbers and Steam Fit ters, who IS on the last lap of a nation wide investigation of the building indus try.
 a The wave of anti-labor sentiment that was forced upon the country in the wake of the world war is rapidly receding, ac- cording to Sheehe, who says that in the East and Middle West the big financial interests are encouraging building con- tractors to enter into Agreements with the building trades unions to bring about a revival of the building industry.
 The reason for this, according to Sheehe, is that people with money to in- vest i'll . building projects desire some guarantee that the work will be done under certain conditions and completed in specified time, and the only guaran- tee that such will be the case is for the contractors and building trades unions to enter into joint agreement regarding wages, hours and working conditions
 To prove his contention that the finan- cial interests of the East are in favor of joint agreements between contractors and building trades unions, Sheehe cites the case of. Boston, which has just passed through a war against the unions of the building trades.
 "As result of the fight made against the building trades unions,' says Sheehe, everybody was dissatisfied and the build ing business was dead Nobody was licked in the fight and there was general dissatisfaction among the workers, the employers and the public.
 Realizing that something must be 4A&e, and after careful study of the
 1ation, the Society of Architects,
 lacked, presumably by the big financial interests of Boston, invited the repre- sentatives of the building contractors and the building trades unions to sit down in conference with a view of negotiating joint working agreements
 ''The first conference was held within the past week, and 1 understand, that as a result an agreement providing for union wages, hours and working conditions will shortly be negotiated, and the architects and building contractors not only in Bos- ton but throughout the entire New Eng land states are looking forward to a big revival of building beginning the first of the year.
 "The Society of Architects of Boston made it plain to the contractors and union men that millions of dollars of building projects were being held up until there was some guarantee that the work undertaken would be completed at a specified time and that, in the opinion of the architects, a joint agreement be- tween the contractors and the union was the only guarantee that would be accep- table to the people with money to invest in building projects"
 According to Sheehe, the Society of Architects in Boston favored the union agreements after looking into the build ing situation in New York City, where, according to Sheehe, the greatest build ing boom in the history of the city is now on, and where all building is being done under joint agreements between the building contractors and the building trades unions, following an anti-1abor fight which resulted in sending the graft ing contractors to jail" according to Sheehe.
 ''In New York there is no talk of re- ducing wages of building mechanics, who are enjoying the best union conditions in their history" says Sheehe Tn New York the wages of building mechanics were based on the profits of the con- tractors, and not on the cost of living In fact, the wage board would not pass on the matter of wages until it had ex- amined the books of the contractors and looked into their profits. As a result, New York is enjoying the greatest boom III its history. There is no talk of lock- outs or strikes, all the grafters are in jail and there IS determination to go along peaceably and take advantage of the times. New York's experience has been great object lesson for the entire country and Boston and other New Eng land and Middle Western cities are rapid l ly falling into line and following the ex- ample set by New York"
 In discussing the building situation in Chicago, Sheehe said the wage decision rendered by Judge Landis "satished no- body" He says that the "decision was not practical and has resulted in chaotic l conditions in the building industry in l Chicago" Sheehe says that Judge Lan- dis ignored the suggestion of practical contractors that basic wage of $9 per day be established in the building in dustKy and that Judge Landis proceeded l