Evening star., 1937-07-16
PAR[EY Arranged
MONDAY TO END
SCHOOL STRIKES
Representatives of All Par.
ties Involved to Meet
With Commissioner.
CONFERENCE is HAILED
BY COUNCIL OFFICIAL
Says Union Action Opposing I'm
portation of Cheap Labor
Has Won Support.

Representatives of all parties in
volved in strikes which have tied up
construction work on five Washing
ton school projects will meet with
Engineer Commissioner Dan I. Sultan
at 10 am, Monday, it was announced
today at the District Building.
Until that time. it was said by
representatives of the Washington
Building Trades Council which
called the strikes in protest against
use Of non-union labor on three of
the Jobs, the union workmen will re-
main off the jobs, but no other Dis
trict projects will be affected and no
picketing will be ordered.
John Locher, chairman of the coun-
ell, expressed satisfaction this morn
Ing at the prospects of a conference,
saying the union action had the sup
port Of most Of the local contractors,
who disapprove of the policy of a
few concerns of bringing cheap labor
Into Washington from other points
and then throwing them out of en-
ployment at the end of each Job.
Those to Be Invited.
Commissioner Sultan said he would
invite representatives of the John w.
Hunt Co., the Jeffress Dyer Co., the
lacchi Construction Co. and the
Harwood Nebel Co. to attend the
Monday meeting. These four firms
hold contracts for the disputed jobs,
although Locher emphasized that the
latter two have not been employing
non-union men and their projects are
strike-bound only in protest at policies
Of the other two firms.
The Master Builders Association
and the Subcontractors' Association
will be represented at the conference,
Sultan said.
Contracts must be awarded before
long, Col. Sultan pointed out, for
eight additional school buildings, in
cluding senior high school, for a
new Chain Bridge, branch library in
Petworth and health center. These
u,
unless the issue involved In the pres
ent tie-up of school buildings is ad-
tusted.
THE walkout on these jobs was
protest against the awarding of con-
tracts to non-union contractors" Sui
tan explained. He estimated that
tetween 200 and $50 union workmen
had refused to work beside non-union
men.
Different Type of Strike.
II am afraid this is going to be
very hard problem to solve.' Sultan
added 1T is different from the usual
strikes where questions Of wages and
hours are involved"
Col. Sultan sail the law requires the
District to award contracts to the
lowest responsible bidder This was
done in each case at issue, he said.
I'VE have no authority to say
whether the men employed on these
Jobs shall be union or non-union men.
We can only follow the law. Even be-
fore advertising for bids the District
Is required by law to have the Labor
Department predetermine the wages to
be paid on the jobs for the various
types Of work. They are supposed to
be paid the prevailing wage and in
practice in Washington it means that
the union rate of pay ordinarily is
ordered"
Col. Sultan said that if the strike
devolved solely on the issue OF wages,
he would anticipate little trouble in
bringing about settlement. He said
further that the situation creates a
''precedent" under the newly-revised
law which has succeeded the Bacon
Davis act affecting working conditions
on Government contracts.
The five school additions affected
by the walkout involve nearly s1,000,-
900 in construction costs. The Alice
Deal School addition Of 10 rooms and
and gymnasium, and the Charles
Young School of ron,s and gym
nlsium, are nearly completed. Only
q prolonged tie-up, COL Sultan said,
would prevent them from being fin
ished in time for the reopening Of
the school year next September.
The Grimke Elementary School of
3 rooms and gymnasium is in the
foundation stages. The contract was
awarded only recently. The other
schools are only partially completed.
They are the Eastern High School
addition of 13 rooms and gymnasium
and the Paul Junior High School Of
10 rooms and gymnasium.
The Hunt firm has the Paul and
Young school jobs, while the Grimke
contract was awarded to Jef1ress,
Tyer.
Col Sultan is keeping in close touch
with the Procurement Division Of the
Treasury but until late yesterday had
received no information that union
men had been pulled of" Federal
construction work. he said.
yet, If the unions follow the course
taken In connection with the schools, -
he added, there is danger Of a whole
lot Of Federal jobs being tied up
throughout the country"
Penalty voided by Strikes.
Col. Sultan pointed out that penal
ties for not completing contract in
time do not apply under the law Il
delay Is caused by strike.
The situation is aggravated by the
fact that the Building Trades Council
Is considering ordering union men OF
the Police Court Building job.
Work Is supposed to start next Mon
day on two large painting jobs in
voiving the City Post ONCE and the
Internal Revenue Building. Union
officers are said to have threatened
to withdraw their men from these
Jobs II non-union workers are en-
ployed.
The Commissioner pointed ou that