Evening star., 1934-05-27
Which Unions Will Heed Call
Remains Unsettled Un-
til Tomorrow.
M'DONOUGH CHARGED
WITH IGNORING RULING
General Walkout Call Held Viola.
ton of Decision Reached
by A. F. of L.

The "triplet" buildings - Depart
ment of Labor, Interstate Commerce
Commission and Government Audi
torium-will be the center in Wash
ington's labor troubles tomorrow
when several normally complementary
forces will pull against each other in
one of the most unusual general
strikes" in the history of the Fed
eral building program.
No questions of wages or hours are
involved. all crafts in the dispute
are members of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor, and the contractor,
James Stewart g. Co., has always
employed union labor. Yet the gen.
eral strike, growing out of juris-
dictional dispute between two unions
belonging to the A. F. of L., will find
several crafts taken off the job,
while others remain at work.
Which trades will follow the strike
order of M. j. McDonough, president
of the Building Trades Department
of the A. F. of L., transmitted through
the Washington Building Trades
Council. and stay off the job, and
which will go to work tomorrow morn
ing had not been entirely disclosed
last night, but it is known there will
be split in the ranks Of organized
labor over the general strike.
Strike Called as Protest.
McDonough called the strike in pro-
test against what he called the use
of men from the Bricklayers, Masons
D1o Tyoto tinr1ol TTninr,
to break a strike by the Operative
Plasterers and Cement Finishers' In
ternational Association. Repreenta-
tives of both sides to the dispute, each
of which have plasterers as members,
outlined new angles of their positions
last night.
Meantime, union carpenters planned
to call mass meeting either
Wednesday or Thursday, when they
will take a secret ballot on the ques-
ton of approving the recently nego-
tiated wage agreement with the
Master Builders Association. The
Wage Committee, headed by o. c..
Richard. has recommended the agree
merlt providing for an increase from
81 to SIPS an hour, and an eight
houf tday. There will be- no change
in-the status of the carrehters prior
to the vote. If the membership ap-
proves the proposal, carpenters would
return to work. elsewhere in the city,
but would be faced then with the
question of whether to return to the
"triplet" buildings, which are now
under the general strike order.
Bates Scores McDonough.
McDonough came in for sharp
criticism from Harry c. Bates, act
ing president of the Bricklayers, Ma
sons and Plasters International
Union. ass.-
The action of McDonough in Or
dering the strike of building trades
organizations against the B. M. &
P. I. u, due to a jurisdictional dis
pute between this union and the
Operative Plasterers and Cement Fin
ishers' International Association,
Bates characterized as contrary to
the laws of the Building Trades De-
partment of the A. F. of L." He de-
clared the Washington Building
Trades Council at its last regular
meeting, decided the dispute should
be settled by the international Of
ficers of the two organizations in
volved, and McDonough was SO ad-
viSed.
President McDonough of the
Building Trades Department is also
a member of the Operative Plasterers
and Cement Finishers' international
Association" declared Bates. land ir
his desire to use his Office as President
of the Building Trades Department tc
assist the organization of which he is a
member, he instructed business agents
representing trades comprising the
Washington Building Trades Council
to remove their members from the
operation. in face of the action oi
the Washington Council against any
such move"
Claims Issue Settled.
The long standing dispute through
out the country over the setting ot
artificial stone was definitely settled
Bates said, by an agreement between
the B. M. and P. I. U. and the o
P. and c. F. I. A. in August. 1929
when it was agreed by the two
organizations that the installation oi
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