The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-09-22

The answer may come next spring, when the CIO plans its ''big push" for membership in the afflli- ated Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin workers.
 The CIO now has membership of about 100000 workers in 10 mass production industries. They, are all enlisted in the steel cam paign now in its third month.
 Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Vir- ginia will be the principal bat tleground in the battle of the cen- tury" between labor and capital. It is there that most steel workers are employed.
 Workers Stand Disputed
 The unknown quantity in the problem of organizing steel workers is whether the workers themselves want to join the union. Mill owners say they do not. CIO leaders be- lieve they do.
 Financed by an initial "war chest" of $500 ,000, Chairman John L. Lewis has sent more than 300 veteran organizers into steel towns. These are directed by Philip Mur- ray, chairman of the steel workers organization committee.
 To avoid premature showdown, these organizers have been ordered to stay out of the mills, to meet workers in their homes, at public places and at mass meetings. Mur- ray describes the present phase of the campaign as educational"
 Steel workers in many cases are not being asked to join a local union. They are asked to sign a card authorizing the union to act for the signer in collective bar gaining activities. This requires no dues payment.
 Murray Is Optimistic
 Murray says the campaign is progressing splendidly and that thousands of workers have signed these cards. When the time comes for the showdown they will be as- signed to local unions. Only then will the full strength of the Amal- gamated become known.
 Murray, middle-aged and from grey haired. is laying his campaign plans along three lines. The first stage is the educational campaign, the selling" of the union to workers.
 Next the committee will seek to raid" company unions, to win over workers to the outside union. Then, about next May, the CIO plans an open show of strength in an effort to effect . closed shop in the in- dustry.
 Whether this will mean . strike will depend, union leaders say, on whether mill owners accept the Amalgamated as the collective bar gaining representative of all work CTS.
 CIO Sees Advantages
 The CIO hopes to count the na- tional administration as its moral ally in its drive. Aid is expected too, from the senate civil liberties committee Investigating alleged vio- lations of civil liberties of indus- trial workers and from the national labor reluations board inquiries into collective bargaining disputes.
 Lewis hopes the senate committee headed by Senator Robert M. La- Toilette. progressive, Wisconsin, will aid in turning sentiment against employers accused of using spies, strikebreakers and armed guards against workers.
 The committee is conducting wide spread inquiries after initial dis closures of alleged spying activities by national detective agency on behalf of certain industries. A re- port is expected to be ready for con- gress early in 1897.
 To Stress Disclosures
 Lewis and his associates plan to make the most of disclosures of al- legged spying, thugging and other anti-labor activities which the companies carry on as an offset to unionization," an official labor pub- lication revealed.
 The labor relations board, created by the Wagner labor act guaran- teeing labor the right of collective bargaining, is counted upon for aid when and if the union obtains mem- bership of a majority of the steel workers.
 The steel workers organization committee is seeking to expand the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin workers from 5000 workers to a majority of the 500,- 900 employed in steel mills.
 If that goal is reached the Amal- gamated will ask the labor board to designate it as the collective bar gaining agency for all steel u,o1.leare