Evening star., 1933-02-04
CONTRACTORS SEEK
NEW PAY CUTS IN
BUILDING TRADES
Group to Confer Tuesday
on Plans for Reducing
Wage Scales.
ORGANIZED CARPENTERS
RESIST SLASH TO SO
Protest Meetings Arranged on Be-
half of Common Labor, Paid
IS Cents an Hour.
IS union carpenters planned vigorous

IS union carpenters planned vigorous
resistance of some kind against the pro-
posed pay cut from Sl1 to So day on
six big Government projects, a group
of contractors arranged to meet Tues
day to discuss the possibility OF reduc-
ing the wage scales OF other bulldlng
trades.
Meantime another movement was put
under way today on behalf OF common
labor, which is said to be receiving 80
cents an hour, or $3.50 day, to hgnt
for an increase in pay.
Carpenters discussed ways and means
of handling their problem at lively
meeting last night of Union No. l32 at
Carpenters Hall. The question CT dsal-
ing with union carpenters VINO had &C
cepted So day instead CT the union
scale CT S11 a day was understood TO
have been turned over to the District
Council of Carpenters, which meets
early next week.
Labor to Fight Slash.
Organized labor will put up a vigor-
Gus fight against reduction of the car
penters' scale it was indicated today,
especially as it is now taken as an at
tempt by the contractors to lower the
wage scale of organized labor, especially
of the building trades. The three prin-
cipal means of dealing with the ques-
tion from the point of view OF the
carpenters were said to be negotiation
with proper officials under provisions OF
the Bacon-Davis prevailing wage law,
negotiation with contractors who are
proposing the cut, or strike.
According to one labor leader. the
saving to be made by cutting the wages
LII iV,fo 1,n
pockets of the contractors and the
Government would not save cent.
On the other hand, one contractor
said he would be willing to turn back
to the Government the savings he
could make by a reduction in wages
paid to his men.
Contractors Meet Tuesday.
The meeting of contractors to con-
slider reduction of wages to other crafts
of the building trades will be held Tues
dav afternoon at the Office of R. E.
Milor. subcontractor On the Post Of
flee Department Building. who is chair
man Of an Executive Committee OF
Mason Contr3 ctors.
Vt is understood that this session
will discuss the possibility not only OF
cutting the wages of bricklayers and
stonecutters, but also of other crafts
working on Government buildings. :.
One contractor who plans to attend
the meeting said bricklayers were being
paid S14 day, on the union work on
Government buildings, whereas he knew
of several other builders outside OF
Government work. who were paving
hr!cklayers here in Washington 81
oar
As word of this mcvement to cut down
the general paw scale of union labor IN
WASHINGTON circulated through union
circles early today there arose more un.
official talk of possible strike against
the proposed cut. One LABOR leaoer'
fer instance, said the hosting engineers
would not lift stone or materials Tor any
workers who they considered were Vlo-
lsting the union rules by accepting
lower pay scale than authorized by the
unicn.
Protest Meetings Planned
Plans for the protest meetings for
unorganized labor went forward To-Day,
with arrangements made for meeting
to he held for white labor on Tuesday
night. and colcred labor on Thursday
night. Those behind this movement
rotuted out that on the same job there
were working union brickiayers receiv-
ing S14 a day, and laborers who were
beInr paid S14 a week If any kind OF
cut is to be made in the higher-paid
labor, it was pcmted out. some of the
money thus saved should go to the
lower-paid labor which is being paid
cnly S14 a week. Many weeks, how
ever, this labor can not get in a full
five-day week, and has to sacrifice pay
for whatever days are lost. Protests
may be made to President elect Roose-
welt, and to Senator George Norris on
behalf of the 35-cents-an-hour labor,
it was said.