The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-10-23
Shoe Bosses Stink
Away from Capital
Strike Delegation
Send observer" Who
Does a Great Deal
of Talking
By SEYMOUR WALDMAN
washington Bureau)

-
gates of the Shoe and Leather
Workers Industrial Union continue
to press their fight for full union
recognition by the Shoe Manufac-
t,lrers' Board of Trade, in spite OF
the manufacturers attempt to evade
official responsibility in Fridays
closed hearing before the National
Labor Board.
Senator Wagner, Chairman of the
National Labor Board, informed the
shoe strikers delegates Friday that
''the manufacturers cannot defy the
N. r. A." and that this Board will
make a ruling without them at the
next conference Tuesday noon II
they are not represented by a dele
Cation with full authority TO settle
the strike for them"
The Shoe and Leather Workers
delegation, which remained in Wash
ington to attend to important mat
ters In connection with the hearings,
was led by Fred Biedenkapp. national
secretary; Isadore Rosenberg, general
organizer of the slipper department,
NOul4cCAs
In the absence Of Wagner at the
beginning of Fridays hearing. VIII
liam Green, head of the American
Federation Of Labor bureaucracy,
presided, despite the fact that the
rank and file OF the Boot and Shoe
Workers Union "a. r. Of L. have
repudiated their officialdom and
Joined with the militant SLWI.U.
Observer Present
No member Of the Shoe Manufac-
turers' Board of Trade was present
at yesterdays conference though the
National Labor Board had sent the
manufacturers an explicit invitation.
Their lawyer, Melton Esenberg, how
ever, did appear as an observer"
the status given him by an official
N. r. A. statement issued after the
hearing. Thus the manufacturers
participated in the hearings by proxy
but without responsibility.
Eisenberg, the articulate observer"
informed the Board that his clients
could not convene q committee to
appear at the conference. On Thurs
day afternoon, he said, they wired
the Labor Board that they could not
attend the next days hearings. The
National Labor Board, continued
Eisenberg, answered that this ar
rangement was not acceptable. $50,
out OF courtesy to the Labor Board
the manufacturers sent me, but with
out power to present or act on pro-
posals." Esenberg then presented
his clients arguments to the Board:
THE reason why the manufacturers
are not anxious to meet with repre-
sentatives of the Shoe and Leather
Workers Industrial Union Is that
this organization has been restrained
by the Supreme Court with injunc-
tons. Under no conditions will they
recognize this organization. There are
no economic issues involved. What
this union Is interested in is Com
munism and the overthrow Of the
American government"
Boudin replied, exposing observer"
Eisenberg's demagogic maneuver:
Our delegation is here primarily at
the invitation of the National Labor
Board. Time and again we have
been invited by the local N. r. A..
Board to present the situation of the
shoe workers. In all these confer
ences we were promised that the
manufacturers would confer with us.
Thus far, however, they have defied
the order of the local board"
Turning to Wagner, Biedenkapp
asked: suppose we postpone this
conference and the manufacturers
absent themselves AGAIN." Wagner
replied: This court will make a rril-
ing without them"
Delegate Rosenberg read telegram
sent him by the rank and file of the
Boot and Shoe Workers which con-
demned the Boot and Shoe "a. r.
Of L. officials for interfering with
the strike led by the s. l.. w. I. u.
In the course of the hearings the
S. L. w. I. U. delegation stressed
the point that they desire the matter
Of jurisdiction settled right here in
Washington" They maintained that
the Boot and Shoe union officialdom
has nothing to do with the New York
strike, that the Boot and Shoe men,
bership refused to accept their Off
cial leadership, that the signings of
agreements between the Boot and
Shoe Workers Union and the manu-
facturers through the local N. r. A..
is nothing else but conspiracy on
the part of these elements to break
the strike and to force the workers
back to work through fear of star