New-York tribune., 1921-06-04
Street Cleaning!
UniOnBOlshevil1
Declares Leo
Hundreds Dropped Recently
We're Slackers During Big
February Snow Storm,
Commissioner Asserts

The controversy between Street
Cleaning Commissioner John P. Leo
and the union employees of the depart
ment over the recent dismissal of sew
eral hundred employees because they
failed to report for duty on February
20, last, the opening day Of the big
snow storm, was revived again yester-
day by the posting at all the stables
of reply by Commissioner Leo to a
set of resolutions passed by the street
cleaners organizations. The Commits
sioner referred to the organization
members as "Bolshevists."
The resolutions sent to Commits
sioner Leo by William F. Kehoe,
secretary of the Central Trades
and Labor Council, recited that
the men had been dismissed with
out warrant after years of faith
full service to the city, and that
the extreme penalty provided by the
department rules for missing a roll
call was dismissal after the fifth Of
fence. They also recited that the city
administration was endeavoring to
break up all organizations Of en-
ployees, including Me street cleaners.
The request was made that the dis
missed employees be reinstated so that
the so-called Code of Discipline of the
department may not be regarded with
contempt and in order that the street
cleaners may regard the city as just
employer"
False" Leo Replies
In replying to the resolutions Com
missioner Leo declared they we're
based on statements cabs olutely false
and misleading" The Commissioner
said chat not a single man had been
dismissed for simply failing to answer
roll call. The recent dismissals, he
said, sweref for deliberate disobedience
Of orders, in that they failed to obey
,the standing order of the departm ent
that every employee should report to
his post Immediately upon a snowfall.
"If the alleged years of faithful
service mentioned in your resolution; ,;
SAID Che COMM ssl oner, were of the
same quality as the service rendered
on February 20 it would account for
the decadence of the department."
The Commi ssioner said that he had
heard of no endeavor on the part of
the city administration to break up
any organization of employees. He
said he did not object to the men or
ganizing for their mutual benefit Re-
ferrlng to the present organization,
however, he said:
Calls 1t Contemplate
"But for an organization that will
take from it's members the money
which they earn and use it to hire men
to travel in a drawing room on Pull
man car between New York and AL
bany. to hire expensive rooms at lead
ing hotels in the city of Albany, to
squander this money for the purpose
of securing the passage of bill that
would wreck a pension fund created
and maintained for the benefit of en-
ployees who, by reason of advanced
years, can no longer earn sufficient to
keep them properly and provide for
their wants and necessities, and would
devote this fund to the use of lazy in
dlviduals when they reach the age of
fifty years; an organization that will
support over 900 members who delib-
erately lay down upon their work at
time when all should have devoted
every ounce of energy to the proper
performance of duty, which duty when
neglected threatened the comfort and
Welldie OF eacn ana every working man
and woman and every household in the
city and endangered their lives by
reason of fire; that will admit into its
membership men who have absolutely
no interest in the welfare of the COM
munity in which they reside and who
are Bolshevists at heart, then | have
for such an organization the most ut
ter contempt"
In q statement issued by the officials
of the street cleaners organization last
night they declared that Commissioner
Leo, "by his insulting letter had won
the contempt of the lowest paid en-
ployees of the city who have been loyal
to the city at all times and who have
never spent dollar illegitimately." :"
They wanted to know if they hadnt t
the same right to ride in Pullman cars
or put up at respectable hotels as Com
missioner Leo had, "who is reputed to
be millionaire"
Home of Lee Kohn DESTROYED
BY Fire With 100000 Loss