Evening star., 1933-11-10
BUILDERS DEMAND
n. RIA. ACT ONCODE.
Construction League Officials
Aroused by Delay Credited
to Labor'S Tactics.

Faced with the outright revolt Of the
Building Trades Department of the
American Federation of Labor against
its proposed code for the construction
industry. the Construction League,
through its president Alonzo J. Ham,
mond of Chicago. today moved to bring
pressure on the National Recovery Ad-
ministration to get immediate adoption
of the code it has presented~
The Construction League today termed
itself Indignantly aroused at intima-
tions from the N. R A. that hearings
on the proposed code Of the gigantic
construction industry may be reopened
after lapse of 60 days" and ready to
mobilize "ail of its forces here to bring
pressure for adoption Of the code"
Hammond authorized immediate es-
tablishment Of a special Construction
League Committee to be composed OF
nationally prominent representatives of
each major branch of the construction
industry to carry an intensive fight for
adoption of the code over labor's veto.
Answers Labor Charge.
The Construction League at the same
time answered charges of M. j. Nc
Dcnough, president of the Building
Trades Department of the A. F. of L..
that the Construction League does not
represent a majority of the employers OF
the industry in statement by Carlton
S. Proctor, chairman of the Code Com
mittee of the Professional Engineers, as
follows:
Mr.. McDonoughS charges of non
representation are particularly unrea-
sonable coming as they do from rep
resentative of a minority group. While
the league has never questioned Mr
McDonough's right to speak for that
portion of labor which he represents
and has given serious consideration to
all of his arguments, we know, as well
as he. that the Building Trades De-
partment of the American Federation
of Labor represents but small minority
of the total of construction workers in
the United States. What Mr.. McDon-
ough forgets is@ that there are high
way workers. tunnel workers, bridge
dam and dock builders and countless
other trades and groups outside that
section of the building industry with
which he is connected. AS a matter OF
fact. only portion of the building
tradesmen are connected with Mr.
McDonough's organization. 1t is my
impression that the largest single union
among the building trades, namely. the
carpenters, are not affiliated with his
department. Certainly he represents not
more than Is per cent Of the building
workers in this country.
$4,000 Members Claimed.
with regard to the Construction
League representation, the league TO
date has in excess of $4,000 employer
units behind its code and the supple
ments thereto"
The Construction League yesterday
charged that delay in adoption of a
code for the construction industry is
holding back billions of dollars in pri-
vate construction needed now to give
impetus to the recovery program.
It also charged that labor has held a
club over the N. r. A. with an indirect
threat of a general, building trades
strike as demonstration against adop-
ton of the Construction League code.
The threat, the league charges, was
contained in letter written by William
P. Carroll, executive manager of the
Cleveland office of the Building Trades
Employers Association, in which is
mentioned war council" held in
Washington by building trades execu-
tives at which he reported there was
unanimous agreement to call general
building trades strike to protest the
adoption of the Construction League
code.
Further Farley Hinted.
McDonough has denied any such
council was held. and said that the
conference possibilities OF the situation
have not been exhausted and that a
strike order is only last resort OF
labor.
McDonough and his group are un-
alterably opposed to the Construction
League code and are seeking adoption
of a separate pact for the building con-
struction industry alone, the so-called
Rosenthal code, sponsored by the Ma
tional Building Trades Employers AS
sociation. of which Oscar Rosenthal OF
Chicago is president.