Evening star., 1952-12-22
Housing Agency
May Pub|icize
Stand on Labor
Alexandra Authority
To Call Special
Session in Dispute

Session in Dispute
The Alexandria Redevelopment
and Housing Authority will hold
a special meeting to consider pub
licizing its record in the recently
disclosed dispute over bids for a
148-units low-rent Negro housing
project.
Crux of the controversy is
whether the housing authority
should reject the lowest bid be-
cause it came from a union con-
tractor. An open shop steel firm
has protested that employment Of
the union firm would violate Vir-
|ginia's right-to-work law and Sec
ondary boycott provisions of the
Taft-Hartley Act.
The Virginia right-to-work law
IN effect prohibits closed shops,
and the protest charges any
building firm agreeing to employ
only union labor violates that law.
A spokesman for builders with
such an agreement, however, said
they have been advised by at
torneys that this is not the case.
d. C. Firm Is Low Bidder.
Glenn U. Richard, chairman of
the authority, said he would call
a meeting as soon as possible to
decide whether to answer reports
that the authority has been ar
bitrary in considering the bids.
Mr.. Richard said he did not know
II a meeting could be arranged
this week because of the Christ
mas holiday.
The dispute involves bids re-
ceived by the authority on No
vember 6 for construction of the
public housing project in two
blocks adjacent to the old Parker
Gray High School building.
The lowest bid of $1,191,67 was
submitted by Victor R. Beau
champ, Inc, of Washington, a
member of the Master Builders
Association and the Construction
Contractors Council.
Protest Is Filed.
But before the bids were opened
the housing authority received q
written statement from the South
ern Iron Works of Alexandria, pro-
testing acceptance of bids from
any builder belonging to the two
contractor groups.
The protest cited an agreement
between the contractor groups and
the Washington AFL Building
Trades Council to hire only union
labor, and declared that this vio-
lated the Virginia right to work
law and the secondary boycott
provisions of the Taft-Hartley
Act.
Southern further asserted that
because of the contractor union
agreement, non-union steel fab
ricator would be cut out of bid
ding for the steel work.
A spokesman for the builders
said there was nothing to pre-
vent them from accepting bids of
the non-union steel fabricator. He
said union builder might be
inclined to favor a union fabri-
Gator. however, to avoid any possi-
bility of labor difficulties.
Official Ruling Sought.
One of the bidders, Eugene
Simpson & Bro, of Alexandria,
was unaffected by the protest. The
Simpson bid was second lowest,
being $62,500 above the Beau
champ bid.
Confronted with the protest, the
housing authority has called on
Attorney General j. Lindsay Al
mond for a ruling. Mr.. Almond
said today he had just received
the request and could not predict
when he would be prepared to
rule.
Members of the housing au-
thority also conferred with the
Public Housing Administration.
Advised to Go Ahead.
John Taylor Egan, PHA adj
ministrator, said his advice to the
Alexandria agency was to go ahead
and award the contract to the
lowest bidder. Mr.. Egan said PHA
was interested in seeing that the
contract went to the lowest bidder.
PHA must approve any contract
award by the Alexandria authority
before Federal money is made
available for the project.
Mr.. Egan said he also reminded
the Alexandria authority that any
contract signed by the builder will
contain provision that the
builder abide by all laws, local and
Federal. Mr.. Egan said he be-
lieved the builders were aware of
this provision when they filed bids.
He said it would be up to the
builders to defend accusations of
violating work laws once the con.
tract is signed.
Mr.. Richard would not COM
ment on a report that the
Authority definitely had voted to
reject the Beauchamp bid and
engage Simpson. He said he
could only state at this time that
no contract had been awarded,
and the matter was in the hands
of the Attorney General.
M (ufvnar, DIannad