Evening star., 1934-06-19
CARPENTERS MEET
EMPLOYERS, WITH
ALLEN AS UMPIRE
Building Trades Council
Leaves Negotiations Up
to Commissioners.
$1.25 PER HOUR LOWEST
PRICE UNION ALLOWS
Condition Hopeful as Committee
Is Given More Power in
Arbitration.

Carpenters and contractors were
scheduled to meet with District Com
missioner George z. Allen this after
noon in renewed effort to bring an
END to the carpenters strike
Shortly before noon, Commissioner
Allen heard from a committee from
the Washington Building Trades
Council that the council for the mo-
ment would leave negotiations en-
ure!y In his hands, hoping for a
settlement.
As long as there is anv raw of hone
OF agreement through the efforts Of
commissioner Allen, the committee
told him, the Building Trades Council
Will remain out of the picture. But
IN case the renewed negotiations
break down, the council will support
the carpenters.
New Authority Given.
The carpenters go into the corfer-
ence with Conciliator Allen armed
With new authority to sign an agree
ment within certain limits, not less
than SIPS an hour.
The committee from the Building
Trades Council which saw Allen at
noon included: Frank M. Biggs. pres
ident Of the council; John Locher.
secretary; John D. Fitzgerald, A L.
Schoenthal and Larry Kelly
Allen has taken a prominent role
as conciliator in efforts to compose
differences between the carpenters
and the contractors His Office has been
the principal meeting ground for op-
posing forces in the g-drawn-out
controversy which has been disturb
ing the construction industry here
since May /, when the union struck.
With the Carpenters Wage Com
mittee, however, armed with new au-
thority to negotiate, within certain
limits. and to sign a contract which
would be binding on the union, the
conversations assumed more hope
ful aspect
Informal indications from contrac-
tors were to the effect that they were
not pleased with the minimum limit
OF Sl.25 an hour placed by the car
penters on their Wage Committee.
Armed for the first time with real
authority to agree on a new wage
scale without referendum to the rank
and file of their unions for q refer
endum vote. the Carpenters Wage
Committee met today to discuss its
future plans.
The authority was conferred last
night at mass meeting of the mem
bership of five carpenter unions of
this jurisdiction, held at Odd Fel-
lows Hall
The action of this meeting virtually
complied with the request of the con-
tractors recently. that a wage COM
mlttee of carpenters be clothed with
power to "act for their membership.
who will be bound by their acts"
The move. of the carpenters last
night was considered a definite stem
forward toward final settlement of the
strike. which resulted in contractors
here putting men to work at the strike
breaking wage of sl.l0 an hour, eight
hour day.
The Carpenters Wage Committee
was authorized TO negotiate for a set
tiement within certain limit, some
where between the figures of 81. .25 an
hour, the highest offer of the con-
tractors. which was withdrawn. and
Sl.3712 an hour. the original demand
OF the carpenters. The committee also
Is authorized to negotiate on the uues-
ton OF whether the work week shall
be 80 or 40 hours or somewhere in
between.
The Wage Committee is authorized
to cooperate with William L. Hutche-
son, international president of the
Carpenters Union, who was present
at the meeting last night and sboke
IN favor of giving the committee
authority. w. T. Allen. another in
ternational officer, was present. The
committee consists of o. c. Rickard.
president of the Carpenters District
Council; j. r. RIMS. chairman of
their Strike Committee: j. B. Black
burn and Fred Kettner.
Negotiations Seem Impossible.
Negotiations with the Labor Com
mittee of the Master Builders Asso-
citation appeared impossible today as
some members of this committee were
out of town. 1t was considered likely
that this Labor Committee might be
to go into the question of negotiating
with the carpenters Wage Committee.
The Carpenters Committee will re-
port to special meeting of their dis
trict council at Carpenters Hall to-
night.
. President Rickard of the council to-
day expressed himself as hopeful" in
regard to the prospects for a settle
ment.
International President Hutcheson
is known to be taking an active and
vital interest in the negotiations.
Meantime. the District Building
Trades Council, which recently pro-
posed arbitration, today continued to
mark time. IN regard to the carpenters
strike. and made no new moves.
On Capitol Hill, it was understood
that preparations are being made for
opening soon hearings by the Senate
Committee on Education and Labor of
charges concerning the "kick-back"
racket and other alleged abuses in the
construction industry, both here and
throughout the country.
Investigators for the committee, of
which Senator Walsh is chairman, are
known to have been conferring with
labor leaders and with others. includ-
ing Government officials in charge of
the supervision of Government con-
tracts. Senator Walsh has indicated
he would call to the stand not only
labor leaders, but also contractors and
Government inSnorfnrS