Evening star., 1932-05-02
D. c. CARPENTERS
WAGES ARE CUT s.
Union Fails to Act on Slash
Voted by Builders, Making
Drop Effective.

Carpenters employed on construction
jobs in the District, exclusive of Gov
ernment work, went to work today at
a daily wage Of So, according to off,
cials OF the Master Builders Associa-
ton.
This action resulted from the failure
OF the carpenters union to take action
on the wage cut of So voted by the
Master Builders, and made public by
them last week. There is a total of
% contractors holding membership In
the Master Builders, though conserva-
tive estimates Of the number of men
affected by the reduced scale order
today placed the figure at less than 200.
Open Shop Basis.
The carpenters were given until this
morning to act on the SO pay cut, and,
according to Frank ]. Sheehan, secre-
tary of the employers organization,
failure OF their representatives to meet
the demands Of the contractors brought
the pay cut into effect. It also places
carpentry in the District on an open
shop basis, since there is no provision
for recognition Of the union In the
event that union men previously en-
ployed decided to ignore the situation
and continue to work.
A fiat denial that carpenters were
working for So was made by John j.
Locher, secretary of the Washington
Building Trades Council. Though the
carpenters organization is not affiliated
with the council, action taken by them
would affect workers in other trades
which do maintain an afflliation. Ac-
A-II - r.. aI l.
representatives of the council today
showed that members of the carpenters
union were at work, and that they were
receiving the union scale of $11 per day.
officials Of the District Carpenters
Union could not be reached for state
ment.
Oficials Of the Master Builders,
however, cited two construction jobs
where carpenters appeared for work
this morning and were informed that
they went to work they would do
SO on the basis Of So per day. These
men, they said, asked permission to
go to union headquarters for advice,
and later returned to work with the
statement that they had been in
structed to take this action pending
further orders.
Mill Pay Revised.
Meanwhile, mill workers In the shops
in the District were at work today on
a revised scale of $3.50 and 81 per
day, but still in possession of their
union cards. This class Of workmen
produce the finished lumber for inte-
rior work, doors, windows, etc.
An order posted almost month ago
in the mills operating in the District
fixed the wage scale at IS to 81 per day,
effective today, and warned that the
shops in the future would operate on
an open-Shop basis. Through compro-
mise measures worked out with union
representatives, the scale was set at a
$3.50 minimum and a 81 maximum,
and the open-shop feature was elm
mated.
Trouble in q. S. Work Feared.
Anticipating labor trouble on the con-
struction Of Uncle Sans $1,000,000
Government warehouse at Ninth and
D streets southwest, today, two officers
Of the United States Park Police were
dispatched to the scene this morning,
but found everything serene and work
going along steadily.
The police were informed that union
interests are endeavoring to organize the
the truck drivers and unskilled laborers,
but are not interfering with the con-
struction work. The main contractor
is the B-W Construction Co. of Chicago.
The subcontractor for the supplying of
concrete for the job Is the Hudson Sup
ply & Equipment Co. of Seventh and T
streets northeast, which has employed
the Titcomb Batching Co. of SIT
Twenty-sixth street. firm which spe-
cializes in ready mixed concrete, to do
the hauling and preparation of the
concrete. The Titcomb firm maintains
open shop, and it Is their truck drivers
and unskilled workers on the job which
union interests are endeavoring to or
ganize, police are informed.