Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections: The Real Estate Record

Real estate record and builders' guide: v. 105, no. 14: [Articles]: April 3, 1920

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April 3, 1920 RECORD AND GUIDE 453 BUILDING SECTION Few Bricklayers At Work After Agreement Is Reached Men Quit Their Jobs in Bronx When Employers Put Them on $8.50 Per Day Pending Ruling by Mayor Hylan as Arbitrator LAST Tuesday morning many striking bricklayers, who have refused to work on jobs for which contracts were held by members of the Mason Builders' Association, re¬ turned to the projects that have been idle since January 1. The return of these mechanics removes the chief obstacle to building progress in. Greater New York and although the settlement of the difficulty between the workmen and the employers is not entirely completed, the feeling is general throughout the industry that a final agreement will be reached within a short time and that construction will be unhampered for the remainder of the year by further disputes. The decision to return to work was reached Monday after¬ noon after a lengthy conference at City Hall, between repre¬ sentatives of the bricklayers, the Mason Builders' Association and Mayor Hylan. At this meeting it was agreed that the bricklayers return to their jobs at their former scale of wages, which was $8.50 per day, and leave to arbitration their de¬ mand for $1.25 per hour or $10 per day. It was further agreed to submit briefs in support of their contentions within forty- eight hours after the resumption of work on the abandoned jobs. As comparatively few of the strikers have up to the present writing returned to work, the questions in dispute have not yet been placed before Mayor Hylan as arbitrator, and it is not certain just when they will be submitted. ALONG WEST END AVE. for instance, we have water¬ proofed or dampproofed the following apartments: No. 300 for Paterno Construction Co. No. 305 for Charmion Construction Co. No. 575 for Paterno Construction Co. No. 650 for Mayer & Mayer No. 690 for Campagna & Cerabone No. 884 for Paterno Bros. No. 885 for Paterno Bros. No. 895 for Paterno Bros. No. 905 for Paterno Bros. STRUCTURAL WATERPROOFING CO., Inc. 480 LEXINGTON AVENUE GRAND CENTRAL PALACE Vanderbilt 1300 ALL WORK SATISFACTORILY GUAR.\NTEED The text of the agreement consummated last Monday after¬ noon follows: "Agreement between the Bricklayers' Union of Greater New York and Long Island and the Mason Builders' Association. "The Bricklayers' Unions agree to rescind their strike order and return to work immediately under the agreement, which is to continue until all questions now existing and formerly considered by the Joint Arbitration Board are finally and mutually agreed upon. The decision of the umpire on the question of wages to be retroactive from the day the men return to work and shall continue until December 31, 1920. ".•\fter the men have returned to work the Joint Board of Arbitration shall renew their relations and sit to adjust what¬ ever grievances may be presented from either side. The um¬ pire is to be John F. Hylan, Mayor of the City of New York, and his decision is to be final and binding on both parties. Both sides to submit their briefs within forty-eight hours after the men return to work." In discussing this agreement Mayor Hylan stated that it would be necessary for both sides to make some concessions in order to help the housing situation. "Not only can house building now go on," he said, "but school house construction, which has been held up, can also proceed. Members of the Building Trades Employers' Association, which has been vitally interested in the strike of the brick¬ layers as it has prevented a large number of other trades from completing their parts of the work, have stated that there is plenty of work for all of the strikers immediately. The Building Trades Employers' Association for some time past has been insisting that the bricklayers join in the con¬ vention entered into between the council and the employers' association, but this stand appears to have been abrogated. A large number of bricklayers, estimated to be more than 2,000, have left the city since the beginning of the strike, Janu¬ ary 1, for work outside, but as many of these have families in New York they are expected to return now that the wage dispute will be settled. The announcement of the agreement to submit the wage dispute to arbitration has caused some confusion in building projects in the Bronx, which were proceeding despite the strike because employers were paying the rate of $10 per day demanded by the bricklayers. Just as soon as the an¬ nouncement was made that the strikers were to return on the $8.50 per day basis until the decision of the arbritrator was rendered, these employers reduced the scale in force on their jobs with the statement that they would also abide by the final dcision. Naturally the workmen would not agree to this and in a number of jobs the bricklayers quit immediately. Reports from various parts of the city indicate that al¬ though'the bricklayers have come to an agreement with the employers they have not returned to their jobs in the number promised. The best evidence of this fact is that the deliveries of commen brick throughout this city have been exceedingly light and orders for new supplies have been very light. Had the men returned in the number anticipated when the agree¬ ment was announced, mason material dealers declare that the relatively small stocks of materials held on the jobs would be used up within a few hours.