Evening star., 1937-07-29
LABOR UNIT MOVES
FOR SETTLEMENT
OF PAINTER STRIKE
All Departments Facilities
Are Made Available for
Cancellation.
TWO COMMUNICATIONS
BY PEOPLES EFFECTIVE
Direct Plea for Intervention Was
Made This Morning After
Contractors Complain.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
Union painters struck against all
Procurement Diuision projects
nearly two 1Deeks ago as t1Uo Open
shop firms began 1cork on four new
Government contracts For "a
hours all organized painters in city
10ere on strike, but since then only
interruption OF 1pork has been on
Federal Jobs. Painters hate COM
plants pending Nth National Labor
Relations Board as ueN as those
being considered BY Labor Depart
n1ent.
All facilities of the Labor Depart
ment will be directed at once to an
effort toward settlement of the strike
OF union painters against Govern
ment construction projects let through
the Procurement Division of the
Treasury Department, it developed this
noon.
This situation, which has been
sought by the union throughout its
tWo-Week strike, resulted from two
communications from Admiral C. J..
Peoples. head of Procurement to Sec
retary of Labor Perkins; the first
being a full report submitted vester-
day on the circumstances of the con-
troversy and the second a direct ap-
peal for conciliation services of the
department submitted this morning.
The latter action was taken by Peo-
pies after McCloskey & Co.. general
contractors, had complained to Pro-
curenent that iron work on the ApeX
Building was being held up by the
strike OF the painters. In his letter 10
secretary Perkins Peoples said a SIM
liar condition prevails at the Archives
Building and Government Warehouse
and is impending at the annex of the
bureau OF Engraving and Printing and
the Government Printing Office.
Cancellation Requested.
Peoples asked that the conclliation
service be employed ito investigate the
matter in its entirety and take such
steps as may be necessary to have
these men returned to their work"
IAN VAC SdIllC llllle lllC CluIS Vi lllS
solicitor of the Labor Department dis
closed that a public hearing touching
on at least one Of the issues in con-
troversy probably will be held under
their supervision within a few days.
The issue which the solicitors office
feels is clearly within its jurisdiction
under the amended Davis-Bacon pub
lie contracts act is the allegation of the
union that laborers are performing the
work of skilled painters at laborer's
wages
At the same time the office of the
solicitor is considering the question of
whether they have the statutory right
to rule on the question of whether
painters should work seven or an
eight hour day 1t is the contention
OF the union that the required wage
rate for public contracts should be
based on seven-hour day, with over
time pay due for all above that.
Would Take Testimony
The hearing now contemplated by
the Labor Department probably would
call for testimony from representa-
tives of the contractors involved, the
painters union and men actually
working on the jobs. A representa-
tive of the solicitor would preside.
AS the Labor Department indi-
Gated it felt itself privileged to step
into the controversy in an investiga-
tory capacity, B. P. Holcombe, busi-
ness agent for the union, said he
would allow member painters TO re-
turn to work at procurement prof.
ects pending completion of the in
quiry
The dispute has centered around
four contracts let by the Procurement
Division to the firms of William Will
son g. Sons of Atlanta, Ga, and
Coons & Raptis of New York City for
Jobs at the city post Office and the
Bureau Of Internal Revenue.