Evening star., 1925-04-04
BUILDING PAY ROW HERE
CONSPICUOUS IN NATION
Unions Elsewhere as Rule Are Content
With 1924 Scale-Labor Supply
Belieued adequate.

While the labor situation in the
building trades of Washington is
rather strained, due to the recent de-
mands of the eight building trade
unions for increased pay, and the re-
fusal of the request by employers,
there is only a slight change in the
wage Situation throughout the coun-
try.
Building projects have been held up
in New York, Philadelphia and other
cities because of jurisdictional disputes
between the unions themselves. but at
present Washington seems the only
place where any serious trouble is
looming.
\ review of the national situation in
respect to labor conditions in the build
ing industry recently has been COM
statistical department. The summary
of this review shows:
Majority for 1924 Scale.
% Majority of building crafts appear
willing to renew 1924 wage scales, al
though there is slight upward tendency
in rates in some of the larger cities.
(2) No general downward revision of
wage rates in sight but unions in some
smaller localities have decided to re-
duce rates slightly to stimulate building.
CD Contractors and labor unions gem
orally disposed to adjust differences
peaCeaby and avoid strikes or lockouts.
(4) Jurisdctional disputes between
carpenters union and sheet metal
workers and the plasterers' and brick
layers unions are tying up work on
number of operations in larger cities.
This situation constitutes the most seri-
Gus menace to the industry.
(5) Five-day week movement started
by some building crafts apparently post
poned for another year.
(6) Supply of building labor both
skilled and unskilled, believed ample
to meet needs of building industry.
Contractors in practically all cities
have declared against higher wage
rates, says the survey, but show
disposition to cooperate with the build
ing trades unions in an effort to adjust
peac~:~a;v wage disputes and to nego-
tiate new satisfactory agreements to re-
place those expiring June /, 1925. Con-
struction has continued unhindered
from this cause, except in one or
two localities where employers have
declared for the open shop.
Apparent abandonment of the
movement on the part of certain
trades to incorporate into their agree
ments clause providing for a five
day week has somewhat cleared the
situation, so that new contracts can
be maze without serious controversy.
There is practically no existing
building labor scarcity. skilled or un-
skilled, and bonus payments have en-
tirely disappeared, except in a few
isolated cases. The demand for ap-
prentices is also reported to have
subsided to some extent, although
high schools, universities and trade
schools throughout the country con-
tinue to turn out considerable num-
bers of new building craftsmen.
Less Seasonal Idleness.
There has been less seasonal idle
ness this year than in past years.
This is due to the fact that builders
are becoming better educated and
equipped to cope with adverse Win
ter conditions.
The protracted jurisdictional dis
pute between the United Brotherhood
of Carpenters and the Sheet Metal
Workers Union has taken on more
serious aspect because of the creation
of new union in the building in
dustry to be known as the Interna-
tional Union of Building Trades Car
penters The new union, which will
make application to take the place of
the ousted carpenters brotherhood in
the building trades department of the
American Federation of Labor, was
formed by representatives of indie
pendent carpenters unions in Ohio,