The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-05-20
FIVE-DAY WEEK
THRUST UP AS
BIGGEST ISSUE
Plumbers Action Turns
Situation Overnight

overnight the i've day week mas
become the burning issue in the. New
York building trades.
When Plumbers Local 1, of Brook
lyn, defied the entire international
executive board together with Inter
national President John Coefield and
Secretary Thomas Burke Wednesday
evening on the issue of arbitrating
the five day week demand, the LOO
striking members put new life into
an issue close to the heart of every
building trades worker.
go back to Chicago" was the
meaningful advice given International
officials when a rank and file re-
bellion against bureaucracy showed
over board the nice little deal that
the executive board had framed with
the Building Trades Employers As
sociation. Unsuccessful in the Mon
day night meeting in forcing Local /
to abandon the five day week, the
International tried again Wednesday
evening-and failed.
Today the next step is very plainly
up to the bosses-and the Interna-
tional. While the Employers Asso-
citation held hurried conference yes
cerday at II a. m. 70 consider the
situation brought about by the uneX-
pected fighting spirit in Local 1, the
International was swinging the use
full old club of suspension over the
heads of the Brooklyn plumbers, on
strike since April 1.
Threats of the revocation of Local
rs charter were so current that men,
bers believed there must be fire where
there is so much smoke. So far as
the International is concerned, there
was "no announcement for the press
now" Nevertheless President Coe-
field was in conference for most of
the afternoon.
Bronx Backs Brooklyn.
Nearly as dramatic as Local is
action was that in Local 463, repre-
senting plumbers in the Bronx. Spik-
ing rumors-and reports published in
the capitalist press-that plumbers
in the rest of the city outside Brook
lyn strike, were bringing pressure to
end the strike, Local 463 by a unan-
imous vote expressed its admiration
in the splendid fight of Local l.. Not
one official dared oppose the mass
sentiment.
Sentiment in the Bronx meeting
ran swiftly against the international
officials for their willingness to agree
with the bosses that the strike must
be called off first before negotiations
begin. The formal bargain presented
to Local 1, that the strike be called
off and the demands arbitrated was
regarded as the virtual death of the
five day week, if accepted.
With the bitter experience in mind
of Seattle building trades workers
last week who arbitrated the five day
week demand and lost it entirely, the
Brooklyn plumbers have determined
to stick it out until the Building
Trades Employers Association is
willing to talk reason over that and
the $l4 scale.
Local 463 staged an instruction Of
its own Wednesday night over the in
junction obtained by union officials
against the bosses. Members were
indignant that officials would seek
to use the ancient anti-union club in
their own behalf. "A stain of 463,"
declared one enemy of the injunction,
whether used against labor or for it.
The present injunction, obtained
from the Bronx court TO restrain the
bosses from continuing their lock-
out, has been in effect a week with
out one plumber being taken back TO
work. Seventy members Of the
union were instructed yesterday
morning to present themselves to as
many bosses with copies of the in
junction.
The bosses just laughed and told
them to come back Friday, Saturday
or Monday. OF the as plumbers who
reported back to the union hall, not
one had gotten a job out Of the in
junction.
The slow paralysis of New York's
building industry as a result Of the
plumbing tie-up is becoming appar-
ent this week as thousands Of car
penters, plasterers and other workers
Continued on Page Five)