The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-12-20
.Misleaders in
the American
Labor Unions
By WILLIAM z. FOSTER

After going nine years without a
wage increase the 1900 New York
carpenters, on November II, 1915,
voted four to one to fight for so
cents per day raise in wages. The
movement was specifically author
lied by the national office of the
United Brotherhood of Carpenters
and Joiners. The local officials
signed contracts covering $4,000
| men at the new rates, and made all
preparations to strike the remain
ing 5000 workers on May LIST, 1916.
All was legal and regular. Then,
like bolt from the blue, President
VIM. L. Hutcheson demanded that
the strike be held off. This was
manifestly impossible, it being al
ready too late, so the 5000 men
went out. Conditions were good and
victory was certain. Hutchinson
thereupon went to New York and
after couple of secret conferences
with the employers, together with
Brindell and Halkett, illegally signed
an agreement that the men continue
at the old rates, with the increases
to go into effect several months
later. Then, calling a meeting of
300 workers, which lasted exactly
40 minutes, Hutcheson told them
what he had done and rushed to
catch a train west.
Then the storm of resentment
burst. To accept Hutcheson's agree
ment meant cut of SO cents per
day in the wages of the $4,000 who
were at work. Hence they revolted.
On referendum they rejected Hut
cheson's proposition 10000 to 1O4.
The New York State Council of Car
penters condemned Hutcheson's IN
warranted and tyrannical Interior
ence "as betrayal of the interests
OF the carpenters of New York and
violation of the principles of the
labor movement" Only the Dock
Builders, Brindell's local, accepted
the agreement.
Hutchinson Immediately expelled
the 65 New York carpenters locals
with their 1900 members, and
opened an office, with the empIoy-
ers, to recruit scabs to break the
strike. But in spite of him the strike
was won, and he eventually had to
reinstate the outlawed locals. After
wards employers claimed that this
agreement" had cost them $4,000
in brides.
This treachery was a fair intro
duction to the policy of Hutcheson.
freshly arrived at the presidency of
the brotherhood. His later conduct
was on a par with his start. One
of his many treasons was the sign
ing of the Chicago agreement in
1924. At that time Hutcheson. to-
gether with Jensen, president of the
Chicago Carpenters District Coun-
Gil, met with the five leading con-
tractors. The newspapers next dav
announced that the carpenters had
won CLOSED shop" This news
elected Jensen the day following in
the union election. 1t was not until
weeks afterwards that the rank end
file got to see the agreement. Then
to their amazement they learned that
1t was practically identical with the
infamous Lands Award, to defect
which two years before the carpen-
ters had led one of the bitterest
strikes in the history of Chicago.
Hutchinson did this in the midst of
great building boom, when the
workers easily could have insisted
on real agreement. Hutcheson is
one of the very blacklist reaction
aries in the labor movement.
Robert p. BrindelI.
Brindell was the most energetic
and outstanding labor CRATER in
New York since the days of Sam
Parks. He was exposed in 1920.
just at the beginning of the great
national drive against the trade
unions in all industries. The expos
ure was made by the Lockwood
Committee, created by the N. Y.
State Legislature to investigate the
high cost of building in New York.
Samuel Untermyer was chairman Of
the committee.
Brindell was president of the
Building Trades Council and of the
Dock Builders Union, affiliated to I
the Carpenters. A dozen years be- 7
fore he had been a soda clerk in /
Providence. He became the right
hand man of Gompers and Hutche-
son in New York. Peter Brady,
James P. Holland, and Hugh Frayne
were his close pals. He was deep
in Tammany Hall politics. and held
various political jobs. He was a
rabid 100 per cent patriot, at one
time proposing to the american"
unions that they should quit the
United Hebrew Trades because it
harbored "disloyal" unions.
Brindell conducted his graft OPP
erations on grand scale. Beside
him Sam Parks appeared "piker."
Where the latter would get $3.50,
Brindell took $4,000. He was bold
and domineering, but his methods
lacked the extreme violence char
acteristic of Chicago burglars
His council, $4,000 strong, had a
"closed shop" agreement with the
Building Trades Employers Asso-
citation, each agreeing to work ror
or to employ only members of the
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