Evening star., 1945-07-10
Fort BeIyoir MPs Stop
Engineers Pickering
Construction Project
Woikout Recognized
By Union Men on
Six Other Jobs Also

Two pickets for striking union
engineers were taken into tenn
porary custody by military
police at a Fort Belvoir (Va.)
construction project today to
high light strikes at seven area
Government projects where
Washington Building and Con-
struction Trades Council (AFL)
members needed the engineers
picket lines.
A Fort Belvoir officer said that
the two pickets were released after
the provost marshal's office had
pointed out to them that they were
demonstrating in the street and
blocking traffic.
The pickets did not return to the
project, but union workmen-car-
penters, bricklayers, laborers, ETC.
remained off the job.
The strike was against two con-
Struction companies and followed a
vote taken yesterday by Local rs
of the International Federation OF
Technical Engineers, Architects and
Craftsmen. Today at least 1,50C
sympathizing AFL workmen from
the Building Trades Council were of
jobs totaling s20. .o0o, 900 in Govern
ment contracts.
Acting under a formal National
Labor Relations Board procedure,
the engineers voted on the strike
yesterday at six projects. The re-
suit was: Eight engineers were OPP
posed to a strike that would inter-
rupt wartime work, five favored one
and three votes we're challenged.
Vote Has No Bearing.
Howard Gohrband, president of
the engineers union. said the three
challenges were made by him be-
cause one construction company
voted three superintendents.
He said the strike was called be-
cause both construction companies
involved refused to recognize the
union and to negotiate a contract
for a 40-hour week, time and a half
for overtime, vacations with pay
and sick leave.
The fact that the engineers voted
against a wartime strike yesterday
had no bearing on their true feelings
on this strike, Mr.. Gohrband added.
He pointed out they already had
given intention to strike a month
ago, as prescribed by the Smith
Connally Act, and were legally en-
titled to strike no matter what their
individual compunctions against a
wartime walkout might be.
NLRB board officials agreed the
strike vote taken yesterday had no
legal bearing on the situation, since
the engineers have served notice
under the War Disputes Act.
Workmen Not Striking.
c. S. Preller. president of the
Building Trades Council, denied the
affiliated workmen had struck. /"
"They merely refused to cross a
picket line" he said.
The council has scheduled a
meeting for tonight to consider the
engineers petition to affiliate with
the council and probably will act
favorably, Mr.. Preller added.
THE upshot of all this probably
will be that the Master Builders
Association (an organization of
contractors) will recognize the
technicians," Mr.. Preller said. THE
engineers have been organized a
long time and deserve recognition. .
Cross Picket Line.
Two pickets were parading at the
United States engineers project at
Fort Belvoir, when $50 members of
the Building Trades Council ar
rived at 7:30 am. The construction
superintendent said the men crossed
the picket line, but refused to work.
Shortly thereafter a detachment
Of MPs arrived, armed with an
order from Maj. Daniel Gaffney,
(See STRIKE, Page A-I2.5