Evening star., 1933-02-09
500 CARPENTERS
QUIT j. s. WORK IN
FIGHT FOR ST. PAY
Builders Term Action on Five
Major Government Projects
"Strike."
So DAILY WAGE SCALE
REFUSED BY WORKERS
Old Scale Is Continued by General
Contractors With Only Few
on Two Projects.

the action a strike" but union leaders
insisted it was a lockout
The situation was complicated by
some of the coolest weather of ths
year, which prevented other trades from
working, and probably would have kept
some of the carpenters idle anyway, ii
was indicated on both sides.
The controversy revolves around the
wage scale, which on Government
buildings, under the Bacon-Davis law
must be the wage prevailing for work
of a similar nature in the community
where the Government buildings are
being erected. The carpenters are in
sisting on $11 day, which is the
union scale. and has been paid up until
this morning by all contractors on
Government jobs. The subcontractori
on five buildings, however, taking the
stand that So is the prevailing wage
for carpenters in Washington, recently
posted formal notice that, beginning
this morning, they would pay So day
When the carpenters reported for WorR
early this morning both sides main.
tanned their position, with the result
that the carpenters did not work.
Two Continue $11 Scale.
At least two general contractors or
the buildings involved continued to pa!
small crews of carpenters $l1 a day
H. w. Blumenbsrg, general repre-,
sentative of the United brotherhood o.
Carpenters and JoinerS of America, re-
ceiyed detailed reports from all the Jops
affected this morning, and was dehnlte
in his declaration that the action was
lockout" ~
"Subcontractors have declared
lockout by refusing to give the mer
Their working checks and paying them
CT fer work done. The usual pay Gay
is Fri-ey." :,
pe buildings involved are the Con-
gioalonal Library Annex, Arcnives
Building, Department OF Justice, fos'
Officc Department and the structure
including three buildings in one. Inter
state Commerce Commission, Govern.
ment Auditorium and Department Of
The structures where general con-
tractors were paying their own carpsn-
tiers s1l day included the Post Once
Department and the Interstate Com
merce Commission-Departmsnt OF
Labor job
leaders that the scale OF $1l DAY Was
being paid today on the Central Heat
ing Plant in Southwest Washingtol
and on the Department of Agriculture
extensibie building. A notice has beer
posted at the Agriculture job, however
that the So pay scale will become ef'
fectiye there tomorrow morning.
The union carpenters reported FOL
work this morning at the regular houl
of 7:30 O'Clock, and signified theil
willingness to work for the same scale
they have received in the past, $11, Mr.
Blumberg explained, but were Offered
instead only So.
Subcontractors Adamant.
Subcontracto-s who had held {
meeting last night to unite on a sim
liar policy in the situation today, ap'
peared firm in their determination tt
pay only &c. They said the men hat
asked for S11 and been offered SO
When the men refused to work for So
the subcontractors termed that actor
strike"
Representatives of the union wer
insistent, however, that the actlol
should not be called strike, becaus
the men were perfectly willing to con
tulu6 dL Lie ICSuldl WdSC oSoAS.
General contractors on the nve 1op
concerned maintained a general atti
tunde of hands off," as did also tn
Treasury Department, which has gen
eral supervision of four of the five job
concerned.
What the next move will be coul
not be forecast, although there ha
been much hope expressed prior to tn
action this morning that the Bacon
Davis prevailing wage law could b
swung into action to prevent stoppag
of work. 1t was believed in severs
quarters today that eventually this la
will be invoked.
Labor Secretary May Decide.
How the Bacon-Davis law will
brought into action remains to be seer
Under procedure laid down by the lay
and the executive order of PreSiden
Hoover, it is provided that if a con
troyersy over wages cannot be adjuste
by the contracting officer" the matte
shall be referred to the Secretary c
Labor for determination and his deci
sion thereon shall be conclusive on a
parties to the contract
The contracting officers in the build
ings involved today are Maj. Ferry 4
Heath, Assistant Secretary of tn
Treasury, and David Lynn, architet
of the Capitol. At the Treasury,
was said today that the matter ha
not yet been formally presented. Ger
eral contractors, likewise, were keepin
their hands off the situation, so far &
could be learned for publication Thel
were unconflrmed reports, howeve
that some of the general contractor
at least were determined that VOL
should not be interrupted long, ar
thew ryoinlat toka actint1 kiY,
The fact that two general contra
tors are paying their own carpente
$l1 a day was interpreted by unic
leaders as indication that subcontra
tors will be asked to pay S11. But {
that point there was nothing fortl
coming from the general contractors
At the Department of Labor, it WI
explained that nothing officially hi
come up for action by the conciliatic
forces OF that department, althoue
there have been informal conferenc
over the matter with representatives
the union.
Mr.. Blumenberg for the carpente
today insisted that the subcontracto
had no right to make change Of p,
in the middle of a job on which tn
already had contract with the Go
ernment. I'VE cannot stop a contra
tor from asking for readjustment
wages" he said, but it must be +
future work, and not work that W
contracted for under the old scale. t
old saying is you can't cure evil wi
evl,' neither can you cure this depre
sion by reducing wages, and there
curtail the purchasing power of
working classes, for it Is only by q
ting the money of the great mass
working people into circulation that
) VII get back on the road to prosper1t.