Evening star., 1933-08-06
WAR ENTHUSIASM CREETS EAGLE BANNERS in IVES
DRIVE STARTED
TO UNION
AUTO WORKERS.
Wage Provision of
Code Hit by Detroit
Labor Chief.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
DETROIT, August 5.-A vigorous
campaign to unite automobile workmen
under the banner Of organized labor is
being conducted behind the scenes In
Detroit.
No signs are available that the cam
paign will be modified in any way by
the agreement reached upon the N. I.
R. A. code for the industry. In fact,
no sooner had the text of the automo-
bile code been made public than Frank
x. Martel, president of the Detroit
Federation of Labor, assalled the wage
provisions.
Efforts of the American Federation
of Labor to gain foothold in the auto
mobile industry are not new. They
have been waged frequently in the past.
Six chapters of the Automobile Work
ers' Union, which Is affiliated with the
national federation, have recently been
organized, however.
It was to the desire Of the manufac-
turerS to obtain clear definition OF
the relationships that are to exist to-
ward the labor group$ that the early
delay in drawing up ar automobile code
was attributed. To clarity this aspect
of the agreement, Gen. Hugh S. john
son, the industrial administrator, made
his hurried trip to Detroit.
Open Shop Continuance.
The code, as finally approved by the
manufacturers, contained the following
paragraph:
"The employers in the automobile
industry propose to continue the open
shop policy heretofore followed and un-
der which unusually satisfactory and
harmonious relations with employees
have been sustained. The selection, re-
tention and advancement of employees
will be on the basis of individual merit
without regard to their aftlliation or
mona ff1liation with any labor or any
other organization"
Generally speaking, the automobile
manufacturers have been very jealous
of open shop conditions in Detroit.
They have hotly resisted the A. F. L.
drives to gain wedge into Detroit
plants During the days of the great
est prosperity in the industry, the hlgn
wages paid in Detroit left little lncen-
tive to the workers to unite with organ
lied labor groups.
Federation of Labor officials appar-
emily scent in wages that have been
paid in the last two years an opening
by which they may reach field that
previously has defied them.
Minimum Must Be Raised.
The opening blast by Martel, who Is
the voice of the labor movement In De-
troit, was the statement that the AZ
cents -an-hour minimum established IN
the code must be raised In order 70
preserve a purchasing power Tor auto
workers that will permit them to live
as American citizens have a right to. =
The Ascent rate, he said, "is less than
that paid for common labor in Detroit
Larry s. Davidow, an attorney allied
with the union movement in Detroit
said that the 35-hour week and 43-
cent minimum wage would mean q
weekly wage Of s1505. which he called
totally inadequate" He said the aver
age automobile wage of 1929 was S3O.
The reply of Alfred Reeves, vice pres
ident and general manager OF the Ma
tional Automobile Chamber OF Com.
merce, was that generally the rates OF
paw under the code would be higher
than existing wage scales.
downright. 1888, by the Consolidated Press
Associetion)