New-York tribune., 1920-06-13
Unions Charge
Political Plot
La Pier Fight
Labor Chief Says Large Cor
porations Will Use Issue
in the Coming Campaign
to Confuse the Voters
Hard Struggle Promised
Merchants Announce Truck
ing System Has Been Put
ON a Permanent Basis

Peter ]. Brady, head of the Allied
Printing Trades Council, acting in an
advisory capacity to the unions in
volved in the local transportation
troubles, issued a statement last night
on the attitude of the labor chiefs to
the open shop trucks being operated
by the commercial interests of the
city to break the freight tie-up at the
piers. He wired the statement from
Montreal, where he is attending the
convention Of the American Federation
of Labor.
Mr.. Brady declared that if the mer-
chants went through with their S. .0oO,-
600 open shop trucking system. "they
Will set up a condition that will mean
little short OF industrial chaos in the
city. Every industry in the port will be
affected in some degree, ror. depend
upon it, the organized trades of New
York will not stand idly by and see
the unions OF the transport workers
crushed'
In his statement he CHARGED that
the action of the merchants was "in
reality large political conspiracy"
and promised hard fight L the Citi-
zens' Transportation Committee went
ahead with its program under cover Of
justice Fa"cett's decision prohibiting
sympathetic strikes and boycotts on
common carriers.
Trucking System Organized
On the heels of that came an an
nouncement by the merchants that they
had placed their trucking system on a
permanent basis by Incorporating it
under the name of the Citizens Truck
ing Company, Inc, thereby hoping to
end forever the labor suuabbles that
have been involving the business of the
port. The company was Incorporated
at Albany with capital stock of
100000.
1t also developed that the seven local
coastWlse longshoremen's unions who
We're considering the question of re-
turning to work pending action of the
interstate Commerce Commission on in
creased freight rates for coastwiso
steamship lines decided. once more to
remain out until their wage demands
were granted. Their decision, however,
does not settle the question, fer if
majority of the other Atlantic coast
locals vote to return the New York
unions will also be bound to go back
Mr. Brady's statement follows:
ut is very evident that the officers
of the Merchants Association have
taken sides with the coastwise steam
ship companies in the war upon the
unions in the port of New York At
The same time the money and energy
which will now be used in the estab-
hshment of Independent trucking con-
Germs could be ased to much greater
advantage and for the benefit not only
Of the merchants themselves, but also
for the greater benefit of the public if
these energies and money were used in
sincere and honest effort to bring
about an adjustment between the rep
resentatives of the coastwise steam
ship companies and the unions in
Holved.
Sorry War Is Waged
~ am extremely sorry that the ofn.
GERS of the Merchants Association have
taken this step to make war upon
legitimate and loyal unions. The
unions of New York should not and
cannot except fair and honest treat
ment from the so-called Citizens
transportation Committee when they
have such counsel as Walter Gordon
Merritt, former counsel for the Anti
Boycott Association, and Walter Drew,
counsel for the Erectors' Association
and the American Bridge Company, a
subsidiary of the United States Steel
Corporation.
"Outward appearances appear to in,
dicate that this is not merely a war
upon the transportation trades, involv-
ing freight tie-up of from to 5 per
cent Of all the freight handled in the
Port of New York, but in reality the
beginning Of large political con-
spiracy for use in the coming political
campaign wherein the interests of large
corporations, through the use of public
ity and money in great quantities, will
attempt to confuse the minds of the