Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-07-13
Strike
Hits StaIenate
Over Meeting
Contractors Defer
Decision on PorIey
To Settle Dispute

The four-day strike of AFL union
engineers, paralyzing work on near
ly s2o,ooo.ooo worth of Government
and private construction jobs,
reached a stalemate today that
threatened to carry over until Mon
day.
The impasse resulted when the
Master Builders Association, repre-
senting three affected contractors.
deferred decision on a union re-
quest for joint meeting to iron
out their differences.
Immediate cessation of the strike
hinged on agreement by the build
erS' association to the meeting.
since Howard Gohrband, president
Of the engineers local, has prom
ised that pickets will be withdrawn
the minute conference date is set,
Pickets on Seven Projects.
Picketing continued today on all
but one of the eight projects, most
OF them Army and Navy sponsored,
which were struck Tuesday by Local
%, International Federation Of
Technical Engineers. Architects and
Craftsmen (AFL.
AT the request of the Navy De-
partment, picketS were withdrawn
from the Navy Bureau of Yards and
Docks construction at Arlington, one
OF four disrupted jobs for which
John McShain, Inc, is the con-
tractor.
The Navy was in the process of
moving records and equipment from
the Munitions Building to the new
structure when the strike was called.
Today painters, carpenters and la
borers began putting finishing
touches on the huge building while
the Navy moved in.
Elsewhere, on two Harwood- Nobel
Construction Co. projects-the Ma
val Research Laboratory at White
Oak, Md, and the United States
Army Engineers shop building con-
struction at Fort Belvoir-it was
reported that some union workmen
afflliated with the Building Trades
Council were back on the job.
Workers Reported Back.
AT White Oaks it was reported
that Steamfitters, operating engi-
neers and truck drivers, acting on
the advice of union local business
agents, had crossed picket lines
which generally have been honored
by Workmen affiliated with the
Building Trades Council.
A Fort Belvoir report said steam
ttters were working there, together
With rooferS, who have remained on
the job throughout the strike.
Union officials denied those work.
ing were acting under instructions
of business agents.
Our stand all the way through
has been to leave it up to the indi-
vidual whether he chooses to cross
the picket lines" said John Locher.
secretary of the building council.
We certainly are not on strike.
Rather, We are doing what we can
to bring the disputing parties to-
gether."
Builders Lack Quorum.
Union officials said they were in
formed by the Master Builders AS
ISOLATION that yesterdays meeting.
to determine a course of action.
failed because a majority N the
board OF governors was not p: esent.
F. H. Martell, Builders Association
president, said it was a practice of
the group not to act unless a ma
Jority was available and that no
statement could be issued until such
a meeting was called.
Engineers Union President Gohr-
band said he was in receipt of a
letter from the Regional War Labor
Board at Philadelphia, stating the
negotiations dispute referred to it
June 18 would be placed before a
one-man panel if an objection was
not heard within a week.
viii Ask 3-Man Panel.
Mr.. Gohrband said he would re-
quest the WLB to assign the case
to three-man panel since one man
was not empowered to grant union
recognition-the principal issue in
volved in the strike.
A complete shutdown was re-
ported today at the Andrews Field
project, Camp Springs, Md, where
a few men" were working yester-
day. There also was no activity at
Georgetown University Hospital,
the Army Map Service project at
Dalecarlia, the Naval Medical Hos
pital project at Bethesda and the
colored housing project in Lincoln
Heights.