N.Y. Painters Begin Drive To Organize
Polsteta, Isidore
N.Y. Painters Begin Drive To Organize Union Seeks to Line Up Alteration Workers to "Fight for Candidates By Isidore Polsteta HflHE effect* of the depression IpL on the building Industry and...
...Fay, with Theodore Brandle and T. J. Sherlock ,are spoken of as the labor "bosses" of New Jersey...
...The union will ask for, the six-hour day and the six-day week with the sixth day under the control of the union...
...1.20 more than the wage which the Building Trades Council was about to accept: When this was found out by the other unions they demanded the same consideration...
...A man must paint so many rooms • day, or he is told to pack his grip and go...
...The past few weeks have witnessed many union activities including conferences with employers, special meetings of local unions and the District CounciL Gradually the idea is gaining ground that the need of the hour Is organization of the painters employed at alteration work...
...And their conditions amount to virtual slavery...
...One of these opporutnities is that of organizing the men working in the Mat field of "alteration painting...
...The members claimed that a despotism had been established over them through the international officials' appointing a supervisor over the local with full power to do as he pleased...
...By having the union members name substitutes for the sixth day It Is believed that the unemployment situation would be relieved...
...This supervisor is Patrick J. Oom-merford, who only recently was acquitted of a charge of calling a strike on a job because the contractor would not deal with a cinder company in which Com-merford was interested...
...This includes painting, decorating and paper-¦Maging in apartment houses, loft laBdbigs...
...I There is no Justice, mercy or pity, just plain business...
...i»2» or 1930 to Commerford and another official Of the engineers...
...Leon Rosser Land's address at the weekly meeting of the Bronx Free Fellowship, Azure Masonic Temple, 1801 Boston road, near East 172nd street, on Sunday evening, June 12, at 8 p. m. Commerford Defies Edict Of N.Y...
...In the meantime, much dissatisfaction with the conduct of affairs by the Building Trades Council has been stirred up...
...Fay is an owner of two companies for whom the members of his union work...
...BRONX FREE FELLOWSHIP "Things That Cannot Be Destroyed," will be the topic of Rev...
...At present the newspaper plants operate on a three-shift basis...
...Phillips, Negro miner, is on trial for his life In Harlan circuit court, charged with murder in connection with the battle of Everts, in which three deputies and an unknown number of miners were killed May 5, 1981...
...Robison, candidate for Congress, charged that Jones had set the trials at a date which would purposely interfere with Robsion's political campaign...
...He has been under charges In the courts for preventing members of the union from obtaining work...
...It is understood that the Mason Builders' Association would forego Its insistence upon a 20 to SO per cent wage cut if its members were permitted to sub-let brick and masonry work...
...For the ¦Bust painting industry is essentially concerned with renovating •r what is commonly called "al-taratloa painting...
...ft and its twelve sfluiated local I & relation to most of the other ¦sjliMiig unions the Painters Union stands hi a class by Itself as ¦ Is not strictly concerned with new eonst ruction only...
...The revolt of about half of the unions in the Building Trades Council, chiefly of the trowel trades, following the leadership of the Bricklayers' Unions, which are not affiliated and have resisted the wage reduction, and the announcement of the Elevator Constructors' Union that it would call a nation-wide strike to enforce its demands, has forced the officials of the Building Trades Council and the Building Trades Employers' Association to come together again to reconsider the terms of the agreement calling for a 20 to 30 per cent cut which the Building Trades Council had already accepted...
...A weekly wage Increase of $3 will be askea making the wage for the first shift from 11 a. m. to 6 p. m., $68...
...Judge T. B. McGregor is hearing the trial in place of Jones, whose open Mas against the miners resulted In a change of venue from Harlan for three previous trials, in which two officials of the Evarts U. M. W. local were found guilty and another miner acquitted Although the prosecuting attorney won out In first trying a man who had been out on ball, it was later discovered that he didn't have the necessary legal papers to proceed...
...The Elevator Constructors' Union, however, Insisted upon the original terms and finally issued an ultimatum through Its international president, Frank Feeney, declaring that if the dispute were not submitted to arbitration by June 8 a strike against the projects of the manufacturers In other cities would be called within 48 hours...
...Elections are to be held shortly, including delegates to the District Council and an Executive Secretary and BBwhns- Agents...
...The painters are on the march...
...Defense counsel fought to have the miners held in Jail because they couldn't raise ball tried first...
...The progressive element have nominated two outstanding candidates...
...at 1 P.M., at the New Star Casino...
...who has been foremost in fighting racketeering and for organizing the cities' non-union shops...
...N. Y. Typo Union To Ask Six Hour Day Of the Employers Formal announcement has been made by Typographical Union No...
...It was not a subject of the arbitration proceedings and, therefore, all of the bricklayers' locals rejected this recommendation...
...In many such shops experienced painters who formerly worked eight hours a •lay, five days a week, and received |13 per day, are now forced to work ten hours, six days, for 18 or SO per day...
...Justice McCook referred the matter to Justice Hammer...
...He has a contract with the union which has several years to run to act as its business agent at a handsome salary...
...He said ia part: "Since labor unions are recognized as moral and beneficial to workers and society, such construction should be given to a particular provision of the union's constitution and laws so that it will be legal and moral, rather than morally unlawful...
...The total number of painters in New Tork City can safely be estimated at 40,000, all of whom when employed work at "alteration work" with the exception of 2,000 above Bsantioned...
...Here ia where the troubles of the union have their origin...
...the miners who have been Imprisoned more than a year without trial will have to wait until fall to find out their fate...
...Captain Ben Golden of Ptne-ville, Ky., attorney for the General Defense Committee, Is associated with Robison...
...Kwgh there is over SO per cent •f unemployment, the majority of employers doing old work are nonunion Coupled with this there are EpMbreds of painters, many feraser junon men, who take small •jontracU in order to eke out an | Many formerly signed-up employers maintain open shops, and as the union does not control this work, the worst conditions of em-Bte~*ent prevail...
...An Interlocal conference of eight unions ia sponsoring a mam meeting to consider advisability of a general strike and an organizing campaign...
...6 of the demands which it will make upon the newspaper owners in New Tork City in the forthcoming negotiations to determine a contract in place of the one which expired three years ago but which by mutual consent has been followed up to the present...
...United Mine Workers' attorney, and Judge D. C. (Baby-face) Jones, friend of the Harlan coal operators...
...Supreme Court Justice Ernest E L. Hammer handed down a decision In the suit of COS members of Local 128 against the officials of the international and the local...
...The jury Is made up of eight farmers, two mechanics and a business man from the Poor Fork and Pine Mountain sections of Harlan County...
...The spirit and power of the working classes in their resistance to being crowded down Is the only force from the economic point of view which can and will save economic society from progressive degradation...
...Negotiations Are Resumed In N. Y. Building Trades A new deal in the New York City building trades situation became probable with the resumption of negotiations with the employers...
...This meant that commerford and his appointees would be removed from office, a receiver appointed for the union, sa accounting at funds held, new by-laws drawn up and a new set of officers elected Justice Hammer took pains to explain that his decision was based on a recognition of the important role of the trade union in modern Industrial society and not upon any hostility to organised labor...
...Commonwealth's Attorney W. A. Brock, savage enemy of the miners' union, Insisted on trying F. M. Bratcher, out on bond, first, and won out If the trials drag out...
...At a special meeting of Local 828 those present voted 471 to 3 not to depose Fay on the ground that they would open themselves up to legal damages...
...Operators Hire Lawyers Assisting Brock are three attorneys hired especially by the coal operators to help railroad the 27 defendants to the penitentiary for life...
...The outcome of the new conference will affect the agreements that will be reached by the unions in the Building Trades Council with their employers...
...Justice Hammer's decision granted all of the requests of the complaining members...
...Negro Miner Now on Trial in Harlan Court Coal Companies Pay for Three Prosecuting Attorneys—Jury Pack-ing Charged HARLAN, Ky.-(FP)-E...
...This meeting takes place Saturday, June 11...
...In Newark, N. J., the order of the international executive board in ordering the removal of Joseph 8. Fay, business agent of Local 828 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, has been challenged...
...The employer blames his competing con-pactor, who In turn blames the BwVer or landlord for low prices paid for work, who in turn blames pr rentals and the depression...
...The arbitration award and the holding out of the bricklayers have induced the Mason Builders to resume negotiations...
...The membership voted to demand the six-day week Instead of the five-day week because it felt that leaving the sixth day in the hands of the employers would only result In the elimination of labor by speeding up Instead of.in the Increasing of the number employed...
...Futt^the elevator manufacturers rmfde a verbal agreement to pay their employes $11.20...
...The plaintiffs returned to court and applied to Supreme Court Justice McCook for an injunction stopping the creation of this local...
...Painters Begin Drive To Organize Union Seeks to Line Up Alteration Workers to "Fight for Candidates By Isidore Polsteta HflHE effect* of the depression IpL on the building Industry and the Building Trades Unions bat keen partly reflected In recent settlements of wages and working conditions With the exception of p few trades, which as yet have pat bent the knee to the Master Builders Association, almost all thus far have been adversely affected One of the unions still holding out is the Brotherhood of Painters, District Council No...
...One Bruno Wagner, of Local 499, who la an old time progressive labor leader and Socialist, and David Matxgen, Local Union 908...
...Whereupon the Building Trades Employers' Association brought pressure to bear upon the elevator manufacturers to withdraw- their offer...
...i This necessitates a progressive and aggressive outlook on the partj at the rank sad file aa well as the union Isadmwhhn, Past administrations have given little if any attention to this phase...
...The division of the employers' ranks has been the strength of the unions...
...and on the contrary have used the organization aa a means of making easy money for onVishi through racketeering at the izptnae of both employers aad union members...
...The contractors on small operations agreed to submit the differences to an arbitration board which handed down an award granting a wage reduction from $15.40 to $13.20 a day Instead of the $12 asked by the employers...
...the third shift from 1 a. m. to 7 a. m., $74, and the fourth from 8 a. m. to 1 p. m., $71...
...The opening of the trial was marked by verbal fireworks between former U. S. Senator Rob-si on...
...The arbitration board tried to induce .the Mason Builders' Association, whose members are the large employers of bricklayers and also do a general contracting business, to submit tbt whole matter to arbitration just as former disputes over a period of almost fifty years had been, but the Mason Builders under the guidance of the Building Trades Employers' Association declined to accept the offer and continued what theJarbitrators frankly called a "lockout...
...Accordingly he picked a Negro miner to stand trial, hoping to benefit by race prejudice...
...Rob-sion ia opposed for Congress by a relative of Commonwealth's Attorney Brock...
...Sub-contracting is opposed to the bricklayers because it would lead to the evils which have developed In the needle trades where the practice has prevailed...
...Court Tries to Reorganize Local of Operating Engineers Despite Order Defiance of a court decision in New Tork City and of an order of the international officials In Newark marked last week's chapter ia the already tumultuous history of the International Union of Operating Engineers...
...No sooner bad Justice Hammer delivered his opinion when the accusing members discovered that the officials were taking steps to circumvent the decision by organising a new local...
...A few years ago he organized an Excavating Contractors' Association...
...Since then the membership has fallen to 9,000 had probably not more than 2,000 Ks employed ia said work...
...the second shift from 6 p. m. to 1 a. m., $71...
...Secondly, the important group of bricklaying employers has not been united...
...Defense attorneys tried to halt the trial by charges that the jury was hand-picked...
...What apparently seems to be • hopeless situation as far as the Painters Union and its members are concerned, has nevertheless certain, as yet untried, possibilities for improvement...
...The supervisor also figured in last week's contempt charges against the building contractor, Patrick Mc-Govern, who was sentenced to 60 days hi the House of Detention by Federal Judge Woolsey for giving evasive answers to the grand Jury when he was asked whether he had given any of $880,000 In 1938...
...Coupled with this idea Is the desire to see a new progressive administration...
...hotels, public buildings, •_>., and covers a territory as large as the entire city of New : Before the slump in new construction of houses approximate ip half the union membership of 10,000 were employed on and off •a new work...
...The board of arbitration condemned the unsocial attitude of the Building Trades Employers' Association, it pointed out that the bricklayer worked only a limited number of days a year, implying that this accounted for his nominally higher wages than other craftsmen, and recommended that the small employers In the Associated Brick Mason Contractors, Inc., should "be free and permitted to sub-contract for masonry and brick work in all building operations of general contractors, under such terms as shall safeguard the maintenance of the rates under this agreement...
Vol. 13 • June 1932 • No. 24
