The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-06-09
Takes the Lead of
Steel Strike Negotiations;
Committee of Ten Quits
Together With Johnson,
Agrees To New, Small
Committee
SELL-OUT LOOMS
District Leaders Break
Decisions of A. A.
BY MARGUERITE YOUNG
Daily Worker Washington Bureau)

'DNh9 foihti bdSAAils tuu buEcduI
WASHINGTON, June 8.
Local leaders of the Amalga.
mated Association of Iron
Steel and Tin Workers CA. F.
of L. today officially adj
mitted having junked the
Committee Of Ten elected by
their convention to protect the in
terests Of the rank and file. They
elected a new small committee to
Join International President Mike
Tighe and government officials in
greasing the skids for a national
steel strike sell out.
The formula now under con-
sideration is the same old Steel
Labor Board so raucously rejected,
verbally. day or so ago. Members
Of the Committee Of Twenty-Five
who named the new negotiating
committee, told your correspondent
they will not agree to the Steel
Labor Board as now proposed. But,
completely confused in the tolls Of
Tighe and N. r. A. Administrator
johnson, they added, you know.
there's no telling how you might
have to change your mind"
Weirton Worker Beaten
Word arrived that at least one
A. A. member at Weirton, where 1l6
we're fired Wednesday for union ac-
tivities, was driven out some miles
from the West Virginia plant yes
terday and severely beaten.
District leaders Forbeck, Long
and Irwin we're named to nego-
tate with President Tighe, and an
other International officer, Vice.
President Miller, and NRA. Admin
istrstor Johnson. Long was never
q member Of the convention COM
mittee Of ten. The secretary of the
convention committee. Cecil Allen
Of Indianapolis, has never been in
Washington. Five members are abb
sent now. No one could explain
how it happened that instead Of
them, five other members of the
Committee of Ten and about 20
other delegates" including many
district presidents, are now nego-
tiating here.
Iron and Steel Institute officials,
headed by Eugene Grace, president
Of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation,
arrived early and held secret con-
ference with NR.A Administrator
johnson. A. A. leaders said they
propose not to accept" a Steel La
Dor Board of five, including two
company union representatives, two
industry representatives and one
impartial chairman-a four to one
lineup, technically, instead of the
two to one lineup on the widely de-
nounced Auto Labor Board.
The steel masters are holding out
one great concession leaders said.
to accept" one A. A. member on
the board. In this manner the board
would arbitrate to extinction all the
demands Of the union members for
which the convention voted to strike
il necessary.
One leader said the COMMITTEES
OF twenty-five" we're argued into
agreeing to elect q committee of
three" to do the negotiating on the
assertions of Assistant Secretary
Of Labor Edward F. McGrady
and Labor Department Conciliator
Dewey that this committee of thres
would meet the steel masters per-
sonally. No such meeting occurred,
Of course. The committee of three
we're corraled instead by General
johnson, and Secretary Perkins an
nounced they were only promised
the opportunity to negotiate with
her. Johnson, McGrady and pos
sibly Chairman Wagner. Wagner,
however, stayed out, evidently hav-
ing been warned that his "libersl'
reputation wouldn't stand up under
participation in such raw deal,
The A. A. representatives who
Yesterday haughtily walked out on
Secretary Perkins and McGrady,
saying they were being stalled"
were back in conferences. lamblike,
today. 1t was obvious that. in adj
dition to complete confusion, there
existed close co-ordinators working
with Tighe and President Green of
the A. F. of L. among the local
leaders.
The steel labor board sell-out pro-
posal comes ironically enough at a
time when 2 responsible govern
ment official has Just been passing
the word around privately that it
was Leo Wolman Chairman of the
Auto Labor Board and of the La
bor Advisory Board, who was the
leader in and promoter for the
sharpest attacks labor has received
from the N. r. A.
William Long, Weirton, of the
new committee of three, telephoned
Tighe today and asked him to ac-
company local leaders to the White
House today. Tighe refused. He
has been leading the members Of
the Committee of Ten around by
tbs nose despite all their continual
private protests against him. He
challenged their authority to act
for the convention. leaders told
your correspondent today. and they
accepted it. Thus the convention
Committee Of Ten was strapped