Evening star., 1933-10-01
A.E.L. TO TAKE. Up
TWO BIG ISSUES.
N. R. A. and Unionizing Head
! Program for Session
Opening Tomorrow.

The American Federation Of Labor
Tomorrow will open its flfty-third an
nual convention here, prepared to
enunciate the principles that VII! set
the course for the hundreds OF thou
sands in its growing ranks. In the un-
familiar seas upon which industry mas
embarked.
vention will be the N. r. A.. to which
labor looks to transfer its legions from
relief rolls to pay rolls. and. flowing
also from this epochal venture the
greatest unionizing effort ever under
taken. Some emphatic expression also
Is Anticipated on the subject OF Gov
ernment pay cuts.
The session is the first the fedora
ton has held here in 48 years, and
already a recordbreaking attendance
is assured. More than 500 delegates
number is expected to be increased to
800 when the gavel falls at 10 am.
tomorrow at the Willard Hotel.
Roosevelt to Speak.
Sharing attention with the regular
convention proceedings will be the
dedication next Saturday afternoon OF
the Samuel Gompers Memorial, at
which President Roosevelt will speak.
1neT6 Will Dc lNO PAhltipoi Piio,So
of the discussion surrounding the
N. R. A. One will have to do with
complaints against its administration.
and the other with plans for more
unified action by labor under its pro-
visions.
Advance advices indicate the allega-
tions will be multitudinouS: discharge
of workers for union activity. despite
the right to organize granted by the
N. R. A.; coercive company union oper-
ations, and unwarranted price raising
are some of the matters certain to be
brought up.
A study of the N. r. A. machinery as
q whole, and labors position under 1t,
will come up for serious consideration.
This will raise the question OF repre-
sentation. Up to now. labor representa-
ton in the N. r. A. itself, or In the falr
practice codes authorities. has been oy
appointment The aim of labor Is that
this representation shall be OF its own
choosing.
Shorter Hours Sought.
Further. labor is concerned, as Will
liam Green, president Of the fedora
tion, has said. with a reduction of work
hours to a lower level than thus far
fixed in codes, and to higher wage
levels than the average thus far estao-
lished
Like views have been reiterated here
in the past week in pre-conventlon
meetings of the building trades. metal
and union label departments OF the
federation.
It is along these lines that labor
proposes that the N. r. A. be strength
ened.
The unionizing effort. already under
way, is designed Green has said, simply
ito organize the unorganized."
Thousands of recruits to organized
labor have been reported in the past
few weeks, the membership now ap-
proximating a million and half.
The memorial to Gompers, so many
years head of the A. F. of L.. is Of
marble and bronze and cost 100000,
which was raised by popular subscrip-
ton. 1t is at Tenth street and Mas
sachusetts avenue a block from the
headquarters of the A. F. of l.. building.
President Roosevelts speech there is
being looked forward to with unusual
interest," inasmuch as it will be de-
livered at time when his program is
getting into full swing.
Faced With Argument.
AS usual, the convention is faced
with argument. but in view of the gen.
eral opinion of leaders there had never
been time when labor had more need
for unity, controversy Is expected to be
held to minimum. ParadoXically the
recent growth of the federation has
produced one sore spot The metal
trades department, which represents
about 100000 men, has prepared one
resolution which criticized the feder-
alton for chartering directly new unions
instead of bringing them in through
one of the subordinate international
unions.
Informed quarters do not look for
any changes in official personnel. 1t is
expected. however. that John L. Lewis,
president of the United Mine Workers.
will renew his proposal for enlarging
the executive council
Central Labor Union of Washington,
of which r. A. Dickson is president. is
host to the convention. which will be
launched with the annual address of
President Green.