Evening star., 1950-07-04
Iron Workers
Cited 10 NLRB
ByCarpenters
Jurisdiction Dispute
One Of Two Tying Up
Six Projects Here


Six Projects Here
A long standing jurisdictional
dispute between AFL carpenters
and iron workers has led to the
filing of charges against the iron
workers with the National Labor
Relations Board.
Another dispute between the
Construction Contractors Council
and the AFL Building and Con-
struction Trades Council also has
been carried to the NLRB.
The disputes have lead building
workers-about $50 in number
according to the estimate of
Francis J. Kelly, attorney for tn.
contractors council-to quit their
jobs.
According to Mr.. Kelly it is a
strike, an assertion denied by
Frank j. O'Connor. secretary of
the Building Trades Council.
Began on School Project.
The dispute originated on a
construction job of Victor r.
Beauchamp, Inc. AS it developed
1t has tied up six construction
projects the Beauchamp COM
pany is engaged in and which
amount to more than 81 million.
Contractors are apprehensive lest
it spread to the work Of other
contractors and eventually slow
down building in Washington.
The jurisdictional angle Of the
controversy had its beginning at
a school which the Beauchamp
company is erecting at l05o1
Georgia avenue. Silver Spring, for
st. Johns Catholic Church.
Work of installing aluminium
framed windows was assigned to
the carpenters. When the iron
workers objected the work was re-
assigned to them on the ground
that 1t was the practice in this
area for ironworkers to handle
such jobs.
This brought protest from the
carpenters, who are not members
OF the Building Trades Council,
and the dispute was taken to the
National Joint Board for the
settlement of Jurisdictional Dis
putes. This is a board set up BY
contractors and unions two years
ago.
Exclusive Agreement Sought.
The board ruled that before it
could act the work would have to
be in the custody of the first
union to which it was ASSIGNED
the carpenters,
At about the same time the
Building Trades Council asked the
Beauchamp company to sign an
agreement that it would hire AFL
workers exclusively and sublet
work only to contractors having
union agreements.
In discussing this, Mr.. O'Connor
said. I'VE want agreements with
all contractors recognizing the jur-
isdiction of the trades affiliated
with our council. We want work
properly assigned in the first in
stance, not after it is under way"
The contractors council, which
maintains it is the bargaining
agent for the Beauchamp COM
pany. carried the dispute to the
NLRB. 1t accused the iron work.
ers OF violating the jurisdictional
disputes section of the Taft
Hartley Act. It also accused the
Building Trades Council of illeg-
ally interfering with the right of
the Beauchamp company to select
its own bargaining agent and of
trying to force the company to
sign a closed-shop agreement in
violation of the Taft-Hartley Act.
Pact Violation Denied.
Mr.. O'Connor said he does not
consider the proposed agreement
any violation of the act. He said
the Building Trades Council also
questions the right of the con-
tractors council to have recourse
to the NLRB.
Last Thursday members of the
Building Trades Council visited
Beauchamp jobs and posted
pickets with signs which said the
company was unfair. Mr.. O'Con.
nor said the men at work were
not asked to quit, but those mem
oers Of crafts affiliated with the
council did leave their jobs. He
said possibly some carpenters quit
also.
The NLRB regional Office at
Baltimore is now investigating the
contractors council complaints.
Mr.. O'Connor pointed out that the
Building Trades Council is not.
involved in the charge involving
the jurisdictional dispute, which
is a matter for the iron workers.
In addition to the school in
Silver Spring these projects were
listed as being carried on by the
company: A labor.
atory warehouse in Silver Spring,
the Church of Christ on upper
street NV, a plumbers
association building on Twentieth
street between K and L streets
NV, an addition to the Bethesda
Chevy Chase High School and
work at the tourist camp in
Potomac Park.