The Washington times., 1934-09-15
GORMAN CALLS
HIS ACTIONS
'D|SP|CABLE'
Lays Blame for Conditions
Causing Strike Directly
Upon His Shoulders
BY International News Service

By International News Service
Resignation of Gen. Hugh S
johnson as NRA Administrator
was demanded today by the strike
committee of the textile workers
as a result of his speech in New
York last night, attacking the tex
tile union.
Francis j. German, chairman
Of the strike committee, said Gen
eral johnson took advantage Of 9
meeting called to discuss NRA re
organization to attack organized
labor. He declared:
"It was despicable piece Of
business"
General johnson is about the
last one who should charge
breach of faith. After attack
ing labor in San Francisco,
again in a speech to the Inter-
national Ladies' Garment Work
ers Union, and again in . New
York newspaper on June 2, he
now stabs us while we are fight
ing to correct abuses for which
he is as much responsible as
anyone.
STRIKE WAS PERMITTED
"On June 2, an agreement
was reached with General John
son and George A. Sloan. The
first clause of that agreement
was, This agreement does not
not prejudice the right to
strike
"The agreement covered
hours, wages and differentials.
It provided that a study should
be made by NRA research and
planning division. The report
on hours was to be delivered in
10 days, that on wages in Is
days, that on differentialS in 30
days. Study Of the stretch-Out
was left to the Bruere Board,
which is the creature Of the
code authority.
BASIS WAS AMAZING
"The report on hours was
made. 1t provided for 9O-hOur
week for machines, As for work
ers. It was based on the wholly
fanciful and ridiculous aSsump-
ton of normal consumption,
and on the further amazing as
sumption that a worker earns
S1,8OO a year. 1t takes a textile
worker. il he has a Job, three
years to earn that.
"The report on wages was
two weeks late. 1t held there
could be no increase in wages
except for possible individual
adjustments upward. The re-
port on differentials, which
means differentials between
minimum rates and the rates
for skilled workers, has not yet
been made. AS for the stretch
out, the Bruere boards utter
failure on that is one Of the
most glaring Of all NRA fall
ures."
General Johnson charged that
Thomas Mcmahon, president OF
the United Textile Workers OF
America, called the strike in viola
ton of an agreement made with
him last June, saying:
GENERAL BITTER
without any notice to me Of
o change of heart, he appeared
ON the platform in our first
great goldfish-bOwl proceeding
and repudiated the agreement
that he had made with me in
the preliminary discussions. 1t
was my first experience with
organized labor in the textile in
dustry and it was not encourag.
ing.
LAST June a strike was
threatened in the textile indus
try. We reached an agreement
on that controversy, and, on
that agreement, the strike was
called off. The present strike
is in absolute violation Of that
understanding.
"And / must say here, with
all the sOlemnity which should
characterize such an announce
ment, that if such agreements
Of organized labor are worth no
more than this one, then that
institution is not a responsible
fundamentally to make con-
tracts on which this country
can rely"