Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-11
FEDERAL WORKERS
TO GIVE UP ALL.
Correspondence Shows Con-
CiIiatory Efforts of Green
Without Avail.

officials Of the National Federation
of Federal Employees are determined to
go through with the movement to with
draw from the American Federation
Of Labor, despite the conciliatory at
titude Of William Green, president of
the latter group.
This was made known today in an
exchange Of correspondence disclosing
that the breach was occasioned by the
fight of the skilled trades in the Fed
Grafton Of Labor to be exempted from
the provisions of proposed classical
ton legislation backed by the Fed
eral Employees and condemned in its
entirety by the American Federation
of Labor at It's recent convention in
Vancouver in backing the trades
unioniSts.
At the same time, another sore spot
in the ranks of labor was aired with
the issuance Of statement from the
Metal Trades Department of the A. F.
of L., discussing its grievance against
the Federal employees for reputedly TAX
ing into their ranks mechanics who
properly belong to the international
union OF Lnelr craft.
Correspondence Given Out.
The correspondence, between Presi-
dent Green on the one hand, and
Luther Steward, president, and Miss
Gertrude Mentally, secretary treasurer
of the Federal employees, on the other,
was given out from Green's office fol-
lowing a conference there late yester-
dav with officers of the District Fed
80 TaI
at the instance of the Central Labor
Union of Washington, to discuss the
split.
Amplifying the contents Of the letters,
Green told the meeting the Federation
of Labor favored the principle of clasSi-
fication, but was opposed to putting
under the control of the Personnel
Classification Board the skilled work.
ers. who prefer the present arrange
ment whereby they are enabled to han
die wage questions with the heads of
departments.
It was the antagonism Of the trades
unions to subjecting their working and
wage conditions to the decision OF the
board that brought the attack at the
Federation of Labor convention on the
proposed new classification act.
Informed by Newspapers.
The correspondence shows That Green
was only acquainted with the secession
movement in the ranks OF the Federal
employees through the newspapers of
November 4, and that he wrote Steward
the following day, expressing his re-
gret and pointing to the necessity for
workers to stick together.
He pointed to threats made In
CONGRESS- for wage cuts for Federal
workers. and said that "for this reason
the Federal employees represented by
YOUR organization" would expect the
backing of organized labor In resisting
such a program.
Green also recalled the movement
for a flve-day week and for improved
retirement legislation as additional
causes for unity
Then he added:
ION the matter of classification leg
islation on which you base your pro-
posal to withdraw from the American
Federation of Labor. as I stated to you
in Vancouver following the action of
the convention, in my opinion it would
be possible to work out legislative
program which would protect the inter-
ests OF the Federal employees and which
would be satisfactory to all concerned.
Surely we ought to be able to formu-
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