Evening star., 1928-07-19
POLITICIANS WATCH
AUT0RANT STRIKE
Democratic Chiefs Say Ras-
k0b Is Not More Involved
Than Ford or Others.
By FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

In presidential campaigns every little
movement has meaning Of its own
Hence. the politicians gaze AT the mo-
nlent is riveted ON a strike at the FISH.
Fl Booy plant In Flint, Mich. Their in
terest in the strike is aroused BY the
fact that Fisher Body is 2 subsidiary
OF General Motors and By the a6cli-
tionsl circumstance that AL Smiths
campaign manager. John ! Raskoh.
is finance chairman Of the General
Motors Corporation
The great automobile combination in
which Raskoo is primary factor is not
friendly To the organized labor move
nlent- 1t has always opposed any effort
on the part of General Motors tens of
thousands Of employees To form unions
for collective bargaining and other
purposes. The American Federation of
Labor has waded into the Fisher Body
strike at Flint on behalf of the men
Who walked out in protest against a re-
cent wage-cut Tile Federations or
eeniRers are on the scene. advising with
the workers. and trying 70 band the
strikers into union, If they succeed, |
il viii mark the labor movements first
successful penetration of the American
automobile industry.
Democrats Point to Others.
Democratic leaders at Washington say
1t viii be difficult for the Republicans |
to derive any capital from Chairman /;
RaSkob's labor record" because Gen. |
eral Motors attitude toward unionism is /
exactly like ths attitude Of other big I
motor manu- acturers. Henry Ford, who /
Is lined up with Hoover's presidential |
fortunes, he's never permitted organized |
labor to gain foothold in his factories |
Democrats also point out that John j. /
RaSkob's unpopularitv with the labor /
movement cannot possibly be greater |
than that Of former Gov Henry j. Allen I
Of Kansas, who is director -in-chief of !
G. o. P publicity in the 1928 campaign. /
While he was in Office at Topeka Allen
encountered the undying hostility of /
labor by his attitude toward strikes and
other issues involved in unionism /
Finally. Democrats explain. labor /
wastes no affection on the newest ar |
rival in the national Republican organi-
Eation. Gen. W. w Atterbury. president /
Of the Pennsylvania Railroad, who Suc-
cee0s George Wharton Pepper as Key
stone national committeeman. The /
"Pennsy" and United States Steel see
eye to eve with General Motors and the
suto industry on the evils" OF the
closed shop.
Canadian Union Move.
The American Federation Of Labor
has already unianizeG some of the Ca
madam plants Of the General Motors
Corporation. It succeeded in doing so
as the result of 8 strike affecting 1000
men at the corporations plant in
Oshawa. near Toronto. last Spring. As
soon as the men strilck against a 40 per
cent wage decrease the federation
jumped in. organized 34O0 OF the
strikers and then. with the cooperation
Of the Canadian ministry of labor.
helped to bring OF voluntary arbi-
tration. T
General Motors. the men and the
ministry each named an arbitrator. after
agreeing that the men should be REIN
stated at their old pay. The arbitration
was decided In fayer Of the strikers. but
formal settlement has not been made.
The men are at work on the former
wage scale. but the company has not
yet recognized the unionization of the
plant.
Effect Of Flint Move.
II the Fisher Body strike at Flint
should wind up with that segment of
General Motors workers unionized and
sml1sted with the American Federation
OF Labor, II might lead to the entry of
the organization movement into the
whole vast American automobile in
ousfry. In the past locals have been
organized at isolated points in the trade.
but they did not survive. +
Al Smiths personal status with or
ganized labor Is very solid So is Her
bert HOOvey's. The New York governor
some time ago was formally i7dorSed hv
the State Federation Of Labor at Albany.
Hoover has stood well with the trade
uniOnists ever since his friendly attitude
during the 1922 railway shopmeng
strike and his help in bringing about the
jacksonville agreement for satistac-
tory wage scale in the bituminous coal
INDUSTRY.
frauxr5~ht 1875