Evening star., 1939-06-13
Strikers Sign
Truces With
20 Contractors
1000 Carpenters to
Return to Work.;
Luborers Meet Today


A note of optimism appeared in
Washington's building strike today
as the Carpenters District Council
announced the signing of more than
20 separate tentative agreements
with contractors.
The move will mean a temporary
return to work today or tomorrow
for more than half of the 1000 car
penters who struck yesterday.
j. T. Oakley, secretary of the
eouncilfi made it clear that the agree
ments are only temporary. pending
the signing of major contract with
the Master Builders Association
and will become automatically void
when the negotiations with the as
sociation are completed.
Labor Department Conciliator
Howard T. Colvin said that he ex-
poets to meet with representatives
of the council and association to-
morrow to discuss plans for tlnal
settlement of the dispute.
Members of the association will
meet tonight at the Continental
Hotel to instruct their spokesmen
prior to tomorrows conference.
Frank j. Sheehan, secretary of
the association. explained that the
meeting will be the regular monthly
session of the group but that nat
urally the major item of business
will be the labor dispute
Representatives of construction
laborers, who walked out 1.500 strong
more than a week ago on major
building projects in the Washington
area, we're to meet with spokesmen
for contractors at 2 o'clock this
afternoon at the Labor Department.
MIR. Colvin said he is hopeful that
this session will result in sufficient
progress to culminate the dispute
within the next few days.
Additional tentative agreements
announced by Mr.. Oakley today were
similar to the one signed to enable
work on the Mellon Art Gallery to
continue despite the strike. That
project was virtually the only one in
the District not affected in yester-
days walkout.
The tentative agreement pro-
posals call for an increase of 1919
cents an hour for carpenters, or
wage of $1621a an hour, and an g.
hour day. Original demands of the
council called for $13 wage for a 7
hour day but this was refused by
the builders association. The scale
has been a $12 wage for an 8-hour
day.
Negotiations 'Amicable.'
I'VE expect to continue negotia-
tions on a strictly amicable basis"
Mr.. Oakley said. 1--WE realize some
concessions must be made on both
sides in order to be fair to the con-
tractors as well as ourselves"
The carpenters walkout yester-
day, which was not followed by
picketing, halted work on the $3,O00,-
900 Thomas Jefferson Memorial
with the foundation work within
week of completion, according to
spokesman for the contractor.
This job was not among those af-
fected by the tentative agreements
announced by Mr.. Oakley. though
there was strong possibility some
provision would be made for re-
sumption of work there later today.
The striking laborers, meanwhile,
were not pushing any form of tenn
porary agreement, pending resump-
ton of blanket negotiations under
advice of the conciliation service
today,
Larry Kelly, head of Local No. "a,
International Hod Carriers, Build
ing and Common Laborers Union,
indicated his group is standing firm
on their demands for 80 cents an
hour for common labor and IS cents
an hour for semi-skilled workers.
The old rate is 10 cents.