Evening star., 1936-12-08
HEARINGS SOUGHT
ON DISTRICT VOTE
Green and Labor Her
archy" Also Denounced
at C.L. w. Meeting.

Open congressional hearings on the
question of representation for Dis
trict residents was proposed at the
Central Labor Union meeting last
night, at which President William
Green of the American Federation OF
Labor and the labor hierarchy" were
openly defied on the issue Of local
autonomy in placing firms on the
unfair list.
Frank ]. Coleman, secretary of the
c. L. U. and delegate to the A. F. Of L.
Convention at Tampa, Fla, last
month, announced he would confer
with William flushing, legislative
representative of the federation, to
seek support for open hearings on the
District representation question at
the coming session Of Congress.
Coleman declared he would lead
the fight for the hearings, by which
he hoped to demonstrate to Congress
that District residents want represen-
alton in Congress and to bring the
issue before the entire nation. The
vote for District residents has been
approved by the c. L. U. and was in
dorsed at the recent Tampa canven-
ton.
Stormy Debate Provoked.
The open defiance of Green and
the action of the Tampa convention
In enacting law restricting the right
of a central labor body to place a
firm on the unfair list provoked a
stormy debate and resulted in unani-
nous passage of resolution Of pro-
test.
After accepting the report Of Cole
man on the convention and commend
ing him for his opposition to the new
law. the delegates proceeded to a
vigorous. untrammeled debate on a
motion by Charles E. Sands, delegate
from the Bartenders' Union No. rs,
to protest the adoption of the law,
which, he declared would take all
autonomy away from local unions and
central labor bodies and "tie up pro-
eressive unionism."
The law prohibits placing on the
unfair list any firm which has a con-
tract with any federation affiliated
union whether local, national or in
ternational, without the consent of
such union. In the event consent
Is not secured, the matter must be
referred to the A. F. of L. Executive
Council for action.
Law Is Termed Rotten"
Enactment of the new law was de-
scribed as 1.-The rottenest thing ever
done by an A. F. of L. convention" by
Delegate Charles B. McClosky of
Bakers Local 118. He said:
II defy Bill Green to come down
and try to keep my union from put
ting pickets around plant that needs
them and from trying to have that
firm put on the unfair list. Some day
the labor hierarchy is going to learn
that we don't pay them to warm
chairs"
Clyde NJ Mills. vice president of
the c. L. u, while supporting the
resolution, pointed out another new
Law which empowers the Federation
Executive Council to suspend or ex-
pei a member union, power which
heretofore had been reserved for con-
ventions only.
Contracts With Local Unions.
The resolution, which protested the
new law concerning placing of firms
on the unfair list, was directed only
at the provision relating to contracts
with local unions and not to firms
having contracts with national or
international unions. Sands explained.
Most contracts with firms in Wash
ington and other cities are with local
unions and not with national or in
ternational organizations.