Evening star., 1923-04-02
STRIKING PAINTERS
DEMAND So A DAY
AND 44-H0UR WEEK
Between 400 and 500 Men,
bers of Union Walk Out as
Cleanup Week Begins.
EMPLOYERS WILLING
TO GRANT INCREASE
Do Not Balk at Rate, But Allege
sixty-Day-Notice Agree
ment Violated.

A strike of between 400 and 800
painters today marked the arrival OF
Cleanup, Paint-up Week"
The painters refused to work unless
the newly established wage scale ot
50 per day, In lieu of the former So per
day, with the forty-four-hour Week.
was forthcoming.
Union officials claim that half OF
the membership of $50 pointers are out
on strike. Master painters assert that
800 are out. They say they are willing
to pay the additional dollar-a-day
wage, but charge that the walkout
forms a violation of an agreement
stipulating that sixty days advance
notice of a requested change IN cohul-
tions be given. They say also that the
request for a new scale for the paint
ers was made only on March 10.
Divergence of Opinion.
To this charge the union painters
reply that the agreement providing
for such notice expired on January
81. and that since then the agreement
has been null and void. II. Bowie,
business representative of the union
painters, asserted that the union
maintains it's members are not bound
by the agreement after it's expiration.
ON the other hand, the master paint
ers come back with the statement
that a clause in the contract supu-
lated that II would continue in effect
If no agreement were substituted
until reputation by either party on
sixty days notice. There Is u-
yergence of opinion between mem
bers of the Master Painters Asso-
citation of Washington and the union
painters on this point.
Whereas the master painters MAIN
tain that large real estate dealers
who employ a number OF men hau
Representatives present at the meet
ing of the employers saturday ana
all agreed to stop all work, the union
officials declare half of the member
ship to be at work either Tor con
tractors. builders or independent
painters not bound by the hasIe 9rs
Painters Association rules. The
agreement is a joint proposition en-
tered into between committees OF the
union and of the association, anu re.
ported back to the general bodies OF
each organizat ton respectively Tor
confirmation and ratification.
Employers Statement.
The statement issued by the mas
ter painters today said:
"A situation has arisen in the
painting trade of the city which has
resulted in d general stoppage OF all
painting and decorating work this
morning. The violation of an agree
ment which required that sixty days
notice Of change be given is the
tt rod -
painters. The journeymen issued
peremptory demand on March l6
that an advance of 81 per day be
made--the old rate was IS per day
the demand is for 50.
1t was stated by T. II. Reid, presi-
dent of the Master Painters ASSocia-
tion:
THE Master Painters Association
formed an agreement with the Jour
neymen striving to give stability to
our business in the making of con-
tracts, etc, and in that agreement
there was a clause whi1h required
that notice of sixty days be given
by either side If any change was de-
sired. AT the opening of the present
season negotiations were opened for
Il continuation of past conditions, and
while the wage conditions were more
or less touched upon no notice of
change of rate was given by the men
until suddenly on March IS, diSre
garding all previous negotiations, the
journeymen issued d peremptory de-
mand that wages be SO per day, ef-
fective April j.
our contention is htat the men
should abide the provisions Of their
agreement. We will grant the de-
mand of an Increase, but we require
that sixty days notice be given. and
not ten or twelve days. The journey
men must recognize the Master
Painters Association and observe
thprahV Ia
us to establish stable conditions in
the industry
Agreed to Increase.
Mr.. Reid further stated that as
late as Friday the Master Painters
Association addressed the journey
men, granting the increase. but ask
ing again observance of the proviS-
ions of the agreement. but. the journ-
eymen ignored that and demanded
that the increase go into effect on
Aprii /, regardless of the agreement
The large real estate dealers who
employ number of men had repre-
sentatives present at the meeting
Saturday of the employers. and all
agreed to stop. Those present were
the employers of quite five hundred
who are affected and idle this morn
ing.
A. H. McGhan, general secretary of
the International Association of Mas
ter Painters said:
I'VE deplore exceedingly the stop
page of work just at this time. as the
painting trade is very busy prepar-
ing for the Shrine convention. We
are not standing against the dollar.
but we do want the sixty-day notice
and we do want the agreement OBJ
served. as the. observance of the
agreement Is really the motto of both
Sides
H. Bowie, business representative
OF the painters, made a terse state
ment
we contend that the agreement
which expired January 81 of this year
made null and void all clauses entered
into at the inception of the agree
ment. That is our contention and the