Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1934-06-12
BUILDING TRADES
THREATEN STRIKE
FOR CARPENTERS
Secretary Says Offer Under
$1.10 Plan Smacks of
"Open Shop"
CHARGE is DENIED BY
CONTRACTORS GROUP
Firms With U. S. Projects An
nounce Union Men Will Be
Given Preference.

General contractors on Federal
buildings here announced this after
noon they would give preference in
employment to union workers under
the s1.l0 hourly scale set yesterday
by the Master Builders Association
for carpenters on a 40-hour-week
basis.
The contractors denied that inau-
guration of this scale, which has been
rejected as a strike settlement plan
by the carpenters, constituted the
open shop" They pointed out that
it is the rate paid here by the Public
Works Administration for skilled
labor.
This statement, however. was
promptly met by the assertion OF
John Locher. secretary of the Build
ing Trades Council, that regardless of
the contractors view 1t would be the
open shop and will meet with plenty
of opposition"
Warns of Spread.
Locher explained that the Building
Trades Council is on record as support
ing the carpenters in their demands
for $l.37la an hour for 6-hour day,
and that any attempt to put on non
union carpenters or union carpenters
until a new wage scale was reached
would be resisted by the Building
Trades Council by a strike. All union
workmen will be pulled off of any
building where carpenters are put on
the job under this open shop plan.
Locher warned, under the present
situation.
Washington is not going to &C.
cept open shop conditions peaceably, y
declared Locher 1T will resist the
open shop This move by the con-
tractors will also affect the jobs OF
these contractors in other cities"
Locher indicated that if the con-
tractors go through with their plans
for employing carpenters under this
new system. the heads of in
ternational unions in the building
trades will be called upon to take
action against these contractors
wherever they may be engaged in
building.
Carpenters Recently Joined.
The Washington Building Trades
Council is 100 per cent organization
of all the building trades in Wash
ington. The carpenters for some time
did not belong, but they recently
joined.
Meantime. District Commissioner
George E. Allen. in whose office the
general contractors met this morning
and reached their conclusion, was
making a desperate effort to bring
peace in the labor situation by a
direct appeal to William L. Hutchin-
son, the national president of the
carpenters
The contractors, through their
spokesman, Harry D. Watts. vice
president of James Stewart IL Co.,
stoutly denied the s1.l0 plan was an
open shop" movement.
Hiring Is Begun.
The move by the big contractors is
in line with the action taken late
yesterday by the Master Builders As
ISOLATION which virtually declared for
an open shop on carpenters. The
Master Builders Association today
began employing men at sl.l0 an
hour for a 40-hour week, according
to their members
The general contractors in ex-
planning why their offer is not the
open shop" said that they were
merely falling in line with the agree
ment which the Government has with
the carpenters under the Public
Works Administration.
The general contractors claim that
this agreement between the carpenters
and the p W. A. is bona fide, is in
writing and that it constitutes a real
contract.
Advertisements will be inserted in
local newspapers by the contractors as
soon as possible calling for carpenters
under their new offer.
When questioned as to whether
non-union men would be employed.
the contractors explained that the
carpenters must be experienced.
Nine general contractors were repre-
sented at the meeting with Commits
sioner Allen: James Stewart & Co,