Evening star., 1937-07-15
SCHOOL BUILDING
PROJECTS TIED UP
UNION DISPUTE
Workers Are Called OF in
Protest Against Nom
Union Employees.
WALK0UT MAY SPREAD
TO NEW COURT HOUSE
Leaders Demand Showdown on
Old Issue, Declared Never
Satisfactorily Settled.
BACKGROUND

ACkGROUND-
DESTROYS OF approaching a closed
shop condition. building trades
unions inUolued in both Federal
and District construction Jobs have
been successful on numerous occd-
s1ons in persuading open shop con-
tractors to use only union Uorkers
on such projects.
Strike issue on both classes OF
public contracts arose recently in
awarding of jobs to firms ,Uhich
Tould not meet this union condi-
ton.
Construction work on District
school projects involving nearly $780,
900 in contracts was at a complete or
partial standstiH today as the Wash
ington Building Trades Council
called of union employees in protest
against use Of non-union workers.
The jobs affected were the Paul
Junior High School. slSO,750: Charles
Young School, sl05, ,8S9; Alice Deal
Junior High School, s162,6O7, and
Eastern High School, s393.732.
Walkout May Spread.
In addition, it was said at the Build
ing Trades Council, similar action is
under consideration with regard to the
new Municipal Courts Building and
several less extensive projects
Work was first held up at the Paul
and Young Schools, both under con-
tract to the John w. Hunt Co., when
the contractor declined to withdraw
non-union workers from those projects.
The strike call on those jobs was is
sued yesterday.
This morning officials of the Build
ing Trades Council took similar action
on the Alice Deal job, under contract
to the Lacchi Construction Co. OF
Baltimore, and the Eastern High job.
being handled by the Harwood Nebel
Construction Co.
At the District Building it was ex-
planned that the controversy is en-
tirely between the unions and the con-
tractors, although admittedly the Dis
trict will suffer from any prolonged
cessation Of work on the urgently
needed school extensions
Although the dispute has not been
brought to the Commissioners off,
cially as yet, union officials said to-
day they probably will bring their
grievance directly to the local au-
thorities soon if the contractors do
not respond to the strike calls.
Showdown Asked.
Eve would like showdown on the
issue" B. P. Holcombe, business agent
of the Painters Union. said. The
question of sole recognition for these
public jobs never has been settled on
a satisfactory basis"
AS the District situation appeared
heading toward climax, probably in
a conference between the Commits
sioners and representatives of tho
contractors and the unions. labor off,
cials were awaiting developments at
two Federal construction Jobs where
a separate strike threat exists.
These projects are painting and
plastering jobs at the city post office
and the Internal Revenue Building.
Two contracts have been let in each
instance to firms employing non-
union labor. Notified by the Treas
ury Department Procurement Div-
sion to begin actual work. the two
firms are expected to have their men
on the jobs by Monday at the latest.
If non-union men are brought in
for the work, Holcombe said today,
members of his organization will be
called out Immediately not only from
jobs in the same buildings, but from
other Federal projects. At the same
time, he said, he will request that the
Building Trades Council call out their
construction workers on all other Fed
eral projects now under way. includ-
ing the Apex Building.