Evening star., 1934-07-11
"Spot" Investigations OF
Pay-offS Will Be Made
on D: c. Projects.
LABOR COOPERATION
NOT ON SCHEDULE
Building Trades Council An
nounces Decision, as Wage Board
Maps Work for Next Week.

Inspectors under direction OF the
Wage Compliance Board are sched-
uled to begin a new effort next week
to end the kick back" practices of
contractors on District projects, but
will work without cooperation OF or
ganized labor. according to a decision
announced today by the Washington
Building Trades Council.
Campaign plans we're mapped out
late Yesterday by members Of the
Wage Board, which was created re-
Gently by the Commissioners to pro-
tect labor against schemes employed
by some contractors to force workmen
to rebate portions of their legal pay
or TO pay them less than the rates
prescribed for the work they actual
ly do.
John I,ocher. secretary OF the Build
ing Trades Council, declared, however,
some plans OF the Wage Board would
prove useless and members OF the
council felt that as long as Capt.
Howard F.. Clark headed the board
labor would be wasting time and
effort" trying to cooperate.
Opposition Unanimous.
Members of the council, at a meet
ing last night, discussed the matter
and the unanimous sentiment was
that Capt Clark should not be on
the board "since he has proved HIM
self unfriendly to union labor by
numerous acts as director OF the work
relief program for the District" Loch-
er said.
While not announcing whether the
council would make any new effort
to have Clark removed from the board,
Locker said members Of union afilliat-
ed with the council would take their
complaints against "kick-back" prac-
tices either directly to the District
Commissioners or to the Senate Com
mittee headed by Senator Walsh Of
Massachusetts, which is investigating
violations of the prevailing wage law.
The Wage Board has been directed
by the Commissioners to supervise
methods of enforcing wage rate pro-
visions of contracts, to see that pay
schedules are prominently posted by
contractors, to check pay-offs and,
If possible. obtain at each pay-oh the
certificates of the contractor agreed
to buy the craftsmen that the proper
payment has been made.
Because the District has a limited
supply of inspectors, spot" investiga-
tions of pay-Offs would be made on
District contract projects, Capt. Clark
said after yesterdays meeting. In
spectors are to check the pay roll
schedules against the pay-off, and
workmen are to be asked to sign state
ments at the time that they received
the proper scale OF pay, Clark added.
Plan Called Useless.
1t was this plan particularly that
was described by Locher as being a
useless" proceeding, in the opinion
Of members of the council. He said
similar plan had been used on Fed
eral projects, and that 1t was found
to be no sure way of determining
whether the contractors had cheated
their men, or some Of their men
Clark emphasized it would be I'D to
the workmen to voice complaints II
they had not received their prescribed
scale Of pay. He said the plan TO have
Workmen sign certificates when they
had received proper pay was to pre-
vent workmen coming in long after
the project had been completed to
complain that they had not received
proper wages. He said that has been
one of the difficulties in the past, and
said that after a project had been
completed District officials had little
or no way of determining the facts in
a case.
Corporation Counsel E. Barrett Pret-
lyman recently recommended that the
Commissioners summarily revoke con-
tracts Of contractors found guilty OF
cheating their workmen. The Com
missioners, in setting up the Wage
Board, did not act specifically on
this point, but did suggest as a gen.
eral policy revocation Of contracts
where guilt was proved and where
the District found it legally possible
to cancel contracts.
Cancellation Difficulties.
On this point Capt. Clark said he
believed it would be rather difficult
to cancel a contract where the con-
tractor had large plant on his hands,
say that is as much as 100000
I'm such cases" he said I'VE very
likely would run into lawsuits d"
Clark said the Wage Committee did
not propose to establish a black list"
for contractors who evade the pre-
vailing wage laws, but that it would
present any such facts to the Com
missioners and leave any blacklist
ing" to them.