Evening star., 1934-05-11
CARPENTER STRIKE
|MPASSE REACHED
Workers and Contractors
Stand Pat and Solution Is
& Unseen This Week.

Negotiations in the strike of unior
carpenters throughout Washington
apparently had reached a deadlock
today.
Both carpenters and contractor.
held fast to their positions, with the
prospect that no solution to the sit
uation could be reached this week.
Although a compromise propose
had been put forward by third par
ties, they were not acceptable tt
either the carpenters or the contrac.
tors. The carpenters still insist or
the $137R an hour for six-houl
day, while the organized contractors
are still insisting on $1.l0 an houl
and an eight-hour day.
Labor leaders, however, claim that
although the Master Builders AsSo'
citation would not agree with the car.
penters' demands, about % employers
including contractors, had already
agreed to the carpenters proposal
About 200 men are at work through
out the city for these % employers
labor men said, at $137l2 an hour fol
a six-hour day. In addition to tht
eight contractors, the other employ
ers include department stores ane
persons employing few carpenters
Federal Work Tied Up.
Most Government construction was
still tied up, however, with the situa-
ton growing worse, as carpenter work
threatened to delay other crafts. One
Of the most seriously affected, Gov
ernment officials said, is the Justice
Department building. 1t was on this
structure where the carpenters strike
prevented construction Of stands fol
the dedicatory exercises scheduled tc
be held yesterday afternoon.
Thunderstorms, however, postponed
the ceremonies, new date for which
had not been fixed at noon today.
One interesting question which
caused considerable speculation ir
both labor and contracting circles to.
day was whether any of the big con-
tractors on Government buildings
none of whom belong to the Master
Builders Association, may break away
from their informal understanding
with the association and sign up with
the carpenters.
Carpenters Are Needed.
Several Federal structures are near.
ing completion and are in need O.
carpenter work. Two new building.
are just getting under way-the ex.
tension to the Internal Revenue
Building at Pennsylvania avenue a
Tenth street. and the addition to thu
Federal warehouse in Southwest Wash.
ington. Excavation is under way nov
on both of these. and carpenters will
be needed to build wooden forms in
which to pour concrete foundations
There were persistent reports that
some of the biggest contractors were
seriously considering a break ava!
from the Master Builders Association
to negotiate direct with the carpenters
but none of the contractors themselve:
would confirm this report.
Labor circles felt that negotiations
next week might take a trend in this
direction.
Meantime, there were indications
the Senate may approve soon the
Walsh-Davis resolution to make q
sweeping investigation of kick-back
rackets throughout the country. The
resolution is now in the Senate Com
mittee on Audit and Control.
Chairman Walsh of the Senate
Committee on Education and Labor
who conducted preliminary hearing
into the kick-back racket. feels con-
fldent the Senate will authorize such
an investigation.
Local labor leaders felt confident
the pending inquiry would be helpful
to the cause of labor in their fight
for the new carpenters wage scale.