Evening star., 1934-09-23
LABOR ASKS LESS
WORK, MORE PAY
A. F. of L. Convention Is
Expected to Indorse
"NeW Dealers"
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Better pay for less working time
will emblazon the workingman' po-
litical war banner at this weeks fifty
fourth annual convention of the
American Federation of Labor in San
Francisco.
Talked of, too, is an outright in
dorsement of Roosevelt congressional
candidates" who. regardless of party,
promise support to the New Deal"
Some Of the older heads question so
direct a ballot But William Green,
A. F. of L. president, already has
initiated poll to see which Congress
men will give advance pledges to aid
labor on such things as a 30-hOur
week and extension of the collective
bargaining clauses of the recovery act.
See Attack on johnson.
Smouldering in the textile ranks of
the federation is another personality
issue. A demand for Hugh S. john
sons withdrawal from N R. A. for his
blunt charge that labor broke faith
in calling a textile strike is promised
by Francis J. German. chairman of
the United Textile Workers Strike
Committee.
Other federation leaders who have
worked shoulder to shoulder with
johnson during code-making are
drafting plans to smother the John
son censure. preventing any belt if
possible. The decision was up to dele
gates representing more than two and
a half million ues-paying workers
organized in upward of 32500 local
unions out of the more than 27,000,000
industrial workers in the Nation.
Five Important Issues.
Leaders travelling Westward from
Washington consider convention ac-
ton certain on five important issues
with supplementary proposals getting
full share of discussion. The five:
/. More unemployment by shorten
Ing the work hours through N. R. A.
codes and additional public works.
2. More purchasing power by boost
ing wages through codes.
3. Support of Senate and House can
didateS pledging themselves to fed
Grafton legislative demands possibly
with a direct reference to New Deal
social policies.
4. Vertical or industrial unions as
opposed to craft unions.
5. Old-age pensions and unemploy-
ment insurance.
OF the group, leaders consider the
outcome of only one in doubt-the
.zl. i
organize workers by industries-hav-
ing one union for the steel industry.
another for textiles and so on-instead
of by trades. Hearty support of pol
icies favoring shorter hours, higher
wages, old-age pensions, unemploy-
ment insurance and political candi-
dates indorsing labor platforms is
considered a foregone conclusion.
Want Six-HOur Day.
The shorter work week to be de-
manded will consist of five six-hour
days.
Some quarters look for expressions
on the Nations monetary and finan-
oial policies. There NAV be openly
voiced opposition to initiation as an
economic cure-all.
But wherever deliberations roam.
the october l convention is expected
to rotate on an N. R. A. axis.
Labor wants more from N. R A.
and is prepared to fight for it. First,
federation leaders seek permanence
of the Blue Eagle organization, which
needs congressional action to prevent
its death next June. 1t wants this
permanence primarily because the
law guarantees the workman the right
of bargaining collectively with his
employer.
Next, labor demands better code
policing, which will see that wages
guaranteed are paid, that the work
week pledged is not overworked and
that collective bargaining doesn't
mean company union.
Ask Amendment Lever.
Also, labor wants the same right as
industry to propose and force conSid-
Grafton of code amendments, one of
the steps the federation believes will
strengthen labor's part in N. R. A.
There are inside organization
tangles to be discussed at the West
Coast meeting and officers to be
elected. The reelection of William
Green as president seems assured.
A strong but heretofore minority
element in the federation favors the
vertical method of binding all labor
of single industry into a set union
as opposed to craft organizations
which stretch horizontally through
many industries Johnson's recent
outright advocacy OF the industrial
union brought the issue to head.
Aligned on the vertical side are
such leaders as Sidney Hillman of
the powerful Analgamated Clothing
Workers; John L. Lewis of the United
Mine Workers: Maj George L. Berry,
president of the International Press
mems Union and one Of JohnSon'S
division administrators, and German
OF the United Textile Workers.
But on the other side are leaders
of most of the strong international
unions. John P. Frey of the Metal
Trades Department of the federation
viii lead their forces.
A compromise is viewed as a posi-
bility on this issue. 1t is to rally be-
hind the cry organize" whether by
vertical or craft unions to rebuild
a e