Evening star., 1925-04-14
70 CONTRACTORS
PLEDGE FIGHT ON
WAGE INCREASES
Only Four of Larger Firms
Refuse to Sign Agreement
to Oppose Unions.
PICKETS ON LOOKOUT
FOR STRIKE-BREAKERs
Central Labor Body Votes to Pre-
pare List of Friendly Banks
for Patronage.

As result Of the activities OF 2
special subcommittee of the Citizens
Fair Wage Committee, 20 builders and
general contractors in the city have
signed statement pledging them
selves opposed to increase in wages
IN the building trades at this time
ii was disclosed today.
This subcommittee has been at
work for the past week lining I'D the
builders and contractors and, accord.
ing 10 Rufus 5. Lusk, secretary of the
Fair Wage Committee, the results
have been beyond expectation.
Never before, it is pointed out.
nave SO many concerns in the CON
struction business in Washington
stood together in opposition to the
demands of the building mechanics.
| Today only four construction comma.
mes or any size have refused to sign
the statement and many OF the Is not
vet approached are expected to ioin
with the 20. These are smaller con.
Germs, ii is said
Text Is Withheld.
W nile the text of the statement to
! which those firms agreeing have
| pledged their signatures will he with
held from publication at present. it is
understood that the firms signing will
also do all in their power to assist the
sub-contractors i'm the fullfllment of
their contracts Should they be faced
with strike.
The latter provision is a very i'm
| portant one, as the support of many
OF the subcontractors employing union
: labor Is very largely dependent upon
( cooperation with the builders and
general contractors. The names of
I the firms are also being withheld from
| puDllcdtlon at present, but it is under
| stood that the list contains practically
+ all of the large contractors and build
/ ers and many who have heretofore
/ refused to 20 on record against the
4 demands Of labor.
! T1e subcommittee which visited the
/ various firms to get their signatures
! ana was appointed by William T. Gal
/ liner. chairman of the citizens fair
wage committee, includes:
James c. Robertson, vice president
( of the Associated General Contractors
/ of America: Arthur L. Smith. president
Of the Building and Manufacturers
| Exchange; Herbert T. Shannon, presi.
! dent of the Operative Builders: c. H.
/ Galllher, secretary of the Samuel H
! Prescott Co, and w. E. Mooney OF
/ the Builders Exchange.
Pickets Watch for Strikebreakers.
Pickets are touring the city watch
/ ing Tor instances where strik ebreakerS
| are being employed to take the place
I OF the striking painters on jobs where
/ other union men are working. Ac-
I cording to Arthur Chamberlain, presi-
+ dent of the local painters and paper
i hangers unions, the Building Trades
/ Council will pull off, union men
! affiliated with their organization
/ where strikebreakers are employed.
/ Mr.. Chamberlain said that other me-
! Chanics in the building trades working
| on jobs are also on the lookout for
strikebreakers and will report any in
| stances at once. Mr.. Chamberlain
/ has appealed to the local carpenters
/ union for its support. The carpen-
ters do not belong to the Building
! Trades Council and will take up the
/ appeal at their meeting on Friday.
I Thus far only one sympathy strike
has been called, that was on work
heing done, at the Holy Name Church
School. Mr.. Chamberlain said, how
ever. others will be called wherever
! it is found necessary.
BY a vote of 80 to the Central La
Dor Union last night decided to select
( a list of labor banks" from among
the AZ financial institutions replying
to their recent letter. The executive
committee is empowered by resolu-
tion to study the letters, make a Sc
lection and report back to the central
mittee will choose about six banks.
Text of Resolution.
The resolution, which was adopted
after considerable parliamentary de
bate and was opposed chiefly by dele
gates from the Federal Employees
Union, read as follows:
The replies shall be placed in the
hands of the executive committee,
who will study and select a 'selective
list favorable to us. TO which we can
give our patronage"
The suggestion that labor patronize
no bank that does not have Union
labor's approval was loudly cheered
by the delegates at the meeting. An
other suggestion was made that the
Central Labor Union form a build
ing committee to create a plan
whereby the organization could build
cheap houses for its members.
Secretary Rogers of the association
outlined the necessity of labor banks.
There is no reason why the trades
unions should not control the credits
of the world if they deposit in their
own banks declared Mr.. Rogers.
The speaker pointed out that labor
banks were of great value TO the
unions and said the Mount Vernon
Savings Bank has been a source Of
information for us that we couli not
get any other place.
The arrest of a picket on + street
last Wednesday by a Headquarters
detective drew much coluEIent and
rS-rE,F Fka