The Washington times., 1936-11-26
LABOR MOVES
FOR FIVE-DAY,
3O-HR. WEEK
Awaits High Courts
Ruling for Major
Step in 1887
BY EDWARD B. LOCKETT

BY EDWAhD D. LOOhEA
TAMPA, Fla, Nov. 26 0.N.S0.
Organized labor in 1887 will cen
ter its legislative demands upon
a five-day week and siX-hour
day.
1t will wait for impending vital
Supreme Court decisions on ex-
listing labor legislation of the
Roosevelt Administration, and if
the court continues to knock
down New Deal laws, will then
throw itself into a vigorous move
to limit Supreme Court power to
invalidate acts of Congress.
These two facts stood out here
today as the smoke cleared away
from the furore of the American
Federation of Labor's big family
quarrel over John L. Lewis COM
mittee for industrial organiza-
tion.
While the federation rested
after a week Of hard work in it's
annual convention. conservative
leaders turned away from the
c. I. o. dispute momentarily,
and took stock of other pro-
nouncements their 492 A. F. of L.
delegates have made.
Farm-LabOr Rejected
They found, to their satisfaction,
that the federation had rejected
proposals to aid in the formation
Of farmer-labor political party.
Moreover, the labor congress
voted to support and sponsor legis-
lation at the incoming Congress
designed to improve standards Of
employment and working condi-
tions Of the civil service Federal
worker, the PWA and the WPA.
Along the same line, the fedora
ton voted too, for it's leaders in
Washington headquarters to do
all they possibly can to see that the
Senate'S special labor spy inveSti.
cation is continued. This inquiry,
headed by Senator La Toilette (PO
Of Wisconsin, is running short of
funds now, and the labor chief
tains voted to support demands
that Congress provide another
100000 to carry this probe
through.
Back Of all this program lies an
overwhelmingly adopted policy
statement declaring that union
labor will demand a voice in Gov
ernment administration of social
laws of all kinds. The time has
come, the statement declared in
effect, for the working man to
have a specific representative in
the councils of his government.
Election Tomorrow
These announcements made by
the federation brought to a vir-
tual close the work Of the 1896
convention. There was no session
today, and tomorrow the conven-
tion will elect officers for the COM
ing year and adjourn.
Meanwhile, rumorS Of new plans
designed to bring peace between
the old guard leaders of the craft
union A. F. Of L. and John Lewis
ONDSNAAACN AAAAoOA 1d4 UI11OIIS 14SW
thick and fast, but amounted to
little more than chaff in view of
the veteran leaders.
One leader whose voice is
power in labor councils, told In
ternational News Service that
little will be done within the next
few days, and that both sides
must think things over before any
peace moves can crystalize.
Lewis has advised friends here
he will not consider anything but
reinstatement of the ten unions
affiliated with him as a basis for
peace, and the die-hards here,
seemingly in the majority, have
declared that nothing like that is
possible.
Wednesdays session of the con-
vention brought four arrests in
Tampa, which in turn brought a
protest from President Green and
subsequent freedom for those
picked up.