Evening star., 1942-03-10
lusk' Figures
Questioned al
Wage Hearing
80 Pct. Of Housing
Built at B. Scale,
He Asserts

by union representatives at the La
Dor Departments prevailing wage
hearing today after he had asserted
that 88 per cent of all residential
construction in Metropolitan Wash
ington in 194l was erected at open
shop rates.
The hearing is to determine wage
rates to be paid here in the Gov
ernment's huge war housing pro-
gram. A portion of the evidence
was heard last Tuesday. 1t was
adjourned at that time until today
to allow building trades union lead
ers and private builders oppor-
tunity to assemble additional evi-
dence.
10 Per Cent by Government.
Mr.. Lusk said that 23625 resi-
Dental family units were built last
year in the metropolitan area. OF
these, 1854, or 10l per cent, were
erected by various Government
agencies and 800 per cent by pri-
vate builders. Mr.. Lusk said that
= per cent of the private work was
provided at the closed shop or "A"
wage scale. Including public opera
tions, most of which was built at the
high union wags, about IL per cent
OF all building was provided by
closed shop contracts.
Stating that he had complete fig
ures on all residential construction
In Washington for the past seven
years, Mr.. Lusk said he was able
to find only few private jobs
erected in the past year at the full
union scale. These, he said. were
generally a more elaborate type of
single family residence.
Mr.. Lusk added that he had a
partial breakdown Of wages paid by
builders on 20 per cent of all the
private residential work of 1941. He
submitted the figures as a sample
which showed the general private
construction wage scale. Out of 996
common laborers employed on the
projects. IS per cent received 40
cents an hour, 4S per cent got As
cents an hour and the remainder
so and 55 cents. The union scale
for laborers is IS cents an hour.
Data on Carpenters.
He also submitted data on 623
carpenters, of which 81 per cent
were paid 81 an hour and Is per
cent s110 an hour. The remainder
got varying rates, some lower and
Z few higher than the figures quoted.
About "a per cent of the brick
layers on the private jobs received
$l.3714 an hour.
Statisticians presented figures
tending to show that as labor and
construction costs increased res
idential building decreased. Mr..
Lusk said that increased costs, prin-
cipally raises in labor rates, brought
building operations nearly to a halt
In 1921. He said that home building
costs rose $50 per cent from 1918 to
1921. largely due to increased wages
of labor. When wages dropped after
1921, he said. building picked up.
Since then most of the private build
ers have operated non-union shops,
Mr.. Lusk said.
Many Workers Available.
On the subject of availability Of
labor, Robert A. Morrison, division
chief in charge of building trades
at the District Employment Center,
testified as to the number of build
ing mechanics on his rolls in Feb
ruary. The list, he said. included
both union and non-union workers,
and he had no figures as to the
number of common laborers avail
able for work.
The number included 80 electri-
clans, 161 bricklayers, 235 carpen-
tiers, 1877 cement flnishers, lis plas-
terers, II pipefitters, "a plumbers,
16 steamfitters and asbestos work.
ers. Mr.. Morrison said that last
month his Office cleared more than
900 workers in all industrial clas-
sifications.
. The testimony of Mr.. Lusk was
criticized by four union leaders, who
took turns cross-examining him on
many details in the questionnaires
he had submitted regarding the con-
struction projects.
John Locher. secretary of the
Washington Building Trades Coun-
ell. objected to the testimony OF Mr..
Lusk as having paid too much at
tention to the question of an open
shop or a closed shop.
I'VE are here" said Mr.. Locher.
mot on the question of an open or
closed shop, but on question Of
prevailing wages
Lusk Data Questioned.
Taking up the QUESTIONABLE of a
contractor whose name was not
identified by the witnesses. Willy
Arnheim of the Laborers District
Council objected to a report which
showed that there had been 668
houses in a project running over a
period from 1888 to the present time
on which it was reported that 80
carpenters had been paid at the rate
of a dollar an hour.
Mr.. Lusk said the report would
be adjusted to indicate generally
how many houses the carpenters
worked on within the year 1941,
which is the basis for the prevail
Ing wage hearing.
At this point Frank Howard, of
the Carpenters District Council,
pointed out that the union had re-
Gently furnished about 500 car
penters at higher union wage on
a big Government job to build $50
housing units within four months.
He said it was questionable whether
sufficient number of carpenters
could be obtained at the lower wage
rate of dollar an hour to build
big Government housing projects
quickly.
Report to Be Asked.
Clem F. Preller, an electrician
union official, who is president, OF
the Buildings Trade Council, in
sisted that on one of the projects
reported by Mr.. Lusk certain elec-
tricians who were hanging fixtures
had received an hourly wage of $1.80
instead of the figures of rs cents and
81 per hour reported in the ques-
tionnaire from the contractor.
After some argument between the