Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-05
|ASSA|L DEMANDS
| OF |RONWORKERS
Builders Say 10 Per Cent
Raise. Is ExcessiveJobs
Reported Tied Up.

Declaring that demands OF Local No.
5, Iron Workers Union, for 10 per cent
increase in wages If granted would
force this city to pay 80 per cent more
than the average union wage in 100
cities of the United States, the Build
ers and Manufacturers Exchange of
the District of Columbia today issued
formal statement saying that $50
union structural iron workers who quit
work April were still idle.
The statement declared that all mem
bers of the exchange had refused to
comply with the demands CT the union
and set forth the reasons.
The strike" as the Builders Ex-
change statement terms it, has tied up
dozens of jobs" throughout Wash
ington.
Labor representatives claim, on the
other hand, the trouble Is not a
strike" but a lockout" and claim to
have agreements with about three
fourths of the contractors doing struc-
tural iron work in Washington for the
increased wage scale Of 10 per cent.
The largest of these jobs is the In
ternal Revenue Building.
Effort to Give Facts.
E0IEIltu Nv I1Ooo UOAltiSOI,
of the exchange, the statement said:
I'm view of the fact that representa-
tives of Local No. 5 of the International
Association of Bridge, Structural and
Ornamental Iron Workers have made
certain statements relative to the ex-
isting conditions in the strike situation
for increase in wages, it is believed
hat the general public, the financial in
terests Of the community and builders
not connected with this organization
should know the facts. There are 100
firms, members of the Builders and
Manufacturers Exchange, including all
of the ornamental iron and erection
shops in Washington, who have refused
to grant this increase.
"At the time the strike was called
on April /, $50 union structural iron
workers were working for the local
contractors. Today not one union man
is so employed.
"A survey of 109 cities paying union
wages shows that the average wage
is $129la cents per hour for Journey
men. Washington is therefore paying
at the present rate 20 per cent more
than the average wage, and If the in
crease is granted will be paying 80
per cent more than the average WASH
h6soAA 40 INV paying AABHCi wages
than in SO cities where union labor
is employed.
Living Costs Decline"
"All members of the Builders Ex-
change refuse to comply with the de-
mand of the union for the following
reasons:
Prices of commodities have steadily
declined during the past two years, and
no claim for wage increase can be
based on the usual plea of high cost
OF living AS a matter of fact, Local
No. gives no reason at all on which
to base their demand.
owing to Slackening in real estate
operations competition in our industry
has become so keen that at the present
time work is taken close to cost, and
often below cost. Most of our MEM
bers have no profit to show for 1928.
The members of this association
realize that they are only agents be-
tween the labor unions and the public
and that any wage increase is ulti-
mately paid for by the public. 1t is
therefore the sense of this association
that the public. through their appoint
ed representatives. should have a voice
in determining what constitutes a fair
wage.
This association is pledged to a pol
icy of cooperation with other building
trade associations and labor organiza-
tons. Such cooperation Is only DOS
sfble when the parties concerned are
willing to abide by the decisions of
cooperative committee in which each
party is equally represented"