, 1934-12-28
WASHINGTON
BY George Durn0

BY George Durno
Eviction-A nasty fight Is raging
within the RANKS OF organized labor.
For obvious reaSonS all concerned
are r~etraining from advertising
the fact 70 the general public out
II Is just as otter q family row AZ
the American Federation OF Labor
ever experiences.
As predicted n this eciLmn Nov
ember 20, 1t dsvelopec In tire Build
ing Trades Department. Now 1t has
spread 10 the Metal Trades Dep
artment. Differences have passed
the stage Of mere prlnLipie. The
numerous leaderc involved are In
dulging in vicious personalities that
must leave lasting cars.
Unless all signs fail President
William Green and the faction he
Is supporting will soon be chal-
lenged in court.
Green has cast his lot with the
carpenters. bricklayers and cleo
trical workers VINO returned TO the
A. +. OF L. fold after an absence OF
some years and took owe the Build
ing Trades Department. A dozen
numerically smaller unions. headed
BY the plumbers. sheet metal work
ers and eleyalor constructors. are
standing solidly back of Michael j..
McDonough. who has long been
president Of the Building Trades
Department.
Matters came 10 a head the other
day when an attorney served for
NAL notice on McDon0ugh and
Secretary William c. O'Neil to sur
render all books afIu .ecords OF the
department.
At the same time. Frank Nor
rison. veteran secretary or the A.
r. OF l.. demanded that McDon-
ough and O'Neil vacate their offices
IN the "A. r. OF T. building here.
Morrison signed the eviction notice
as a building trustee. OF which
there are several. rather than as
Federation Secretary.
Movement Our transportation
facilities-land. air and water-eX-
pect 70 be consolidated under a
single directing agenc. OF the fed
eTal Cover 1n-tnt al the coming ses-
sion OF congress
All they are waiting for Is Pres
Ident Roosevelt's annual message to
learn whether g new cabinet dep
artment i5 10 be set up or whether
II will be an independent. quasi-ju-
dicial agency similar 10 the Inter-
state Commerce Commission but
broader In scope. Chances are II
will be the latter In view Of the
cries against bureaucracy.
Secretary OF Commerce Dan Roper
Is very much teEinG the idea OF
4 placing control OF all forms OF
transportation in the hands Of a
= single body. IN fact It's his one
special baby so fa- a. action at the
coming session w concerned. Rail-
rod Coordinator Eastman has sim
liar ideas.
War-Both demands have been
ignored. II Is understood lieutenantS
OF McDonouRh are sleeping IN the
| offices. As for ne Icoks ana rec
ords. word has been sent back that
"Houdini couldn't produce them"
Green and Morrison have cast the
die. ff they follow through court
/ orders will be- necessary TO toss tho
McDonough faction out.
And II they do 'ig. the A. r. OF
L. will be split wide cren.
took the floor az the "A. ". OF l.. a.
nual convention In San Francisco
last october and u~nsuccessfully de-
Tended the earlier action OF the
Building Trades Department In
refusing 10 take the carpenters.
bricklayers ana electrical workers.
The Plumbers president charged
then. and nov. that these three
unions padded the membership
rolls In order 70 gain the necessary
voting strength 10 wreSt control OF
the Department from McDonough
and the smaller unions.
He pointed out that The biicklay-
crs claimed an increase Of 80 ZOO
members AZ a time employment In
the building trades was off 80 per
cent.
The building t'ades row first
started when the MIRA construction
code Was being formulated. Al
though not members OF the Depart
ment. the carpenters, bricklayerS
and electrical voices sat In at the
invitation OF McDorough.
II was decided ~ set up a Plan-
ming and Adjustment Board TO
settle all juriSdictional disputes. the
men 10 remain al WORK pending ar
bitratiOn efforts.
What caused Ire BIZ Three TO de-
eide they had better rcjoin the
department. however. was a fur
Their provision tina. all preliminary
negotiations would be handled by
the Code Authority, who Is Sulli-
van W. Jones. former New York
State architect. and The President
Of the Building Trades Department
who Is. or was. McDonouEh
Can YOU hear the employers