Evening star., 1940-05-01
Deal for Strike Aid
In Union Strife
Revealed al Trial
Records Indicate Trodes
Council Backed WoIkout
To Win Teomsters' Help

. Minutes of meeting of the ex-
ecutlve board of the Washington
Building Trades Council, introduced
today in the antitrust trial of five
teamster union officials in District
Court. indicated the council sane
toned a city-wide strike among the
building trade unions in support of
the teamsters' stand against the
Operating Engineers Union over the
operation of concrete mixer trucks.
A copy of the minutes was among
number of official council docu-
mentS brought into court by John
Locher, secretary of the council,
appearing as Government witness.
Following the presentation of the
minutes, James Hayes, special as
sistant to the Attorney General, at
tempted to get in evidence a tele-
gram received by the council from
John P. Coyne, president of the
Building Trades Department of the
American Federation of Labor. de-
manding that the councils threat
not be carried out.
Matter Under Amusement.
The defense objected to the use
of the telegram as evidence and
the court took the matter under
advisement. A ruling was expected
early this afternoon.
The meeting referred to by the
minutes, took place last September
81, the day following the termina-
ton of the dump-truck drivers
strike. The city-wide strike never
materialized.
The trial continued today after a
witness testified late yesterday that
one of the defendants denied at the
outset OF the dump-truck strike that
the walkout had anything to do
with wage-hour negotiations.
Phone Call Cited.
Ben M. Cross, a member of the
committee of the Dump Truck Op-
orators Association, negotiating a
new contract with the .teamsters'
local, testified yesterday afternoon
that telephone call received by one
OF the committee during a negotia-
ton meeting September IL indicated
that dump trucks had been pulled
off the Federal Office Building con-
struction project. and that was the
first indication the committee had
of any strike, actual or contem-
plated.
The witness said that four of the
five defendants in the antitrust
trial were present at the meeting
Charles j. Bell, president; Stuart M.
Keyser, recording secretary; Lin
wood A. Trainham, secretary treas
urer, and Aubrey w. Stream. busi-
ness agent of the Drivers, Chauf-
feurs and Helpers Local, No. 639. In
answer to a question by member
of the committee, Mr.. Keyser said
the strike had been called because
of "the union condition of the
concrete mixer trucks" the witness
testified.
Testimony already had indicated
that the teamsters had made efforts
to take the drivers of these trucks
from the Union of Operating En-
gineers.
Testifies on Comments.
Mr.. Cross said the committee
member then remarked he could not
see why the dump trucks should be
pulled off because of trouble with
the concrete-mixer vehicles. and
added, 1T looks like it's no use in
going ahead with our business"
Mr.. Cross continued that Mr.. Bell
then spoke up: I'VE can go ahead.
1t {the walkout) has nothing to do
with this"
Mr.. Cross is a foreman for
Schroff Bros, trucking contractors,
and the meeting to which he re-
ferred took place in the offices of
that company.