Evening star., 1935-03-01
AUTO STRIKE VOTE
ORDERED IN A. FL.
ELECTION PROTEST
Time Come for Union Test,
Organizer Says, Citing
Poor Conditions.
4o.oog MEMBERSHIP
J Is CLAIMED BY GREEN
|1Three.Quarters Approval Needed
in Each Local for Work
Suspension.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
DETROIT, March 1-Francis j.
Dillon, American Federation of Labor
organizer, announced today a strike
vote has been called for among men,
berS of l76 locals in the motor car
industry. The vote, he said, would be
in protest against the procedure of
the National Automobile Labor Board,
which has been holding collective
bargaining elections in the industry.
Dillon declined to estimate the
number of mer who might become
involved in a strike, but said men,
bership was growing steadily.
10000 Membership Claimed.
The Automobile Labor Board in
elections held in various plants SO far
has shown an American Federation
of Labor affiliation of only per cent
of the workers. William Green, presi-
dent of the federation. on recent
visit here said the federation men,
bership was approximately 10000 paid
up, with about the same number in
arrears.
Dillon, announcing the action voted
by the National Council of Automobile
Workers Unions, an A. F. of L. af-
flliate. said today: The time has
come to find out whether We have a
union or not, We've tried every avail
able means to improve conditions in
the plants for the men. and they have
not been improved. The time has
come for action"
Dillon said the locals asked to take
&x,.I-
mostly Eastern and MidWestern. He
said a majority of the membership
vote would not be needed to authorize
q strike, but that members of any one
local could suspend work if three
quarters of its membership favored
such action.
Action Unexpected.
The action of the council, which
has been in session here for nearly a
week, was unexpected, because Presi-
dent Green last week said the fedora
ton was thinking in terms of peace, -
in the automobile industry, and that
no strike was planned. At the same
time he severely criticised the Auto
mobile Labor Board, headed by Dr.
Leo T. Wolman, which he said fol-
lowed a procedure in selecting collec-
tive bargaining committees under
which mo free, independent election
could be held"
Dillon said today that only members
whose dues are paid up to date will
be eligible to vote on the strike pro-
posal The results of the balloting,
he said, would be reported back to the
federation Offices here, which would
authorize final action.
A statement signed by the council
members said in part:
Until real collective bargaining is
achieved all other issues should be
subordinated to it. because only
through collective bargaining can we
hope to gain our just and reasonable
demands"
Charging that DR.. Wolman had
"cleverly hamstrung" the labor mem
ber of the board Orchard Byrd. Dill
Ion declared that ito Dr. Wolman can
60 the credit for having made impos-
sible the Presidents hope to establish
proper relations in this great industry
through his board"
Board utterly Failed"
"To him also" he declared, must
60 the credit for directing the affairs
of a Government board which pro-
duced collective confusion rather than
collective bargaining"
The board, he said, has utterly
failed to meet its obligations. as
evidenced by the widespread and deep
seated feeling of resentment existing
in the hearts and minds of thousands
of automobile workers.
These people have complained for
years of the speed-up system, the
bonus system, discrimination, intimi-
dation, low wages and long hours, and
everybody knows that these condi-
tions continue to exist and that the
board has failed utterly to accom-
plish one single reform"
A. F. L. Authority Necessary.