Montana labor news., 1936-10-29
A. F. Of |. 5Iuffs Million
Members
By Federated Press


in the American Federation of Labor
automatically dropped by approx
mately LOO, 900 members as sus-
pension Of 10 of the II unions affil-
lated with the Committee for In
dustrial Organization automatically
went into effect on September 5.
Suspension was ordered by the
executive council of the A. F. of l..
at its last meeting on August 5 I'M
less unions affiliated with the c. /.
o. renowned such utilization. AS the
final hour drew near none of the
affiliated unions showed signs of
weakening and suspension auto
matically took place.
We're going to continue doing
just what we have been doing"
John L. Lewis, chairman of the c..
l. o., commented as suspension went
into effect. We're going to continue
organizing the unorganized. The
C. 1. o. will carry on just as be-
fore"
No official decision has been made
by the c. L. o. as to whether affil-
lated unions will send delegates to
the Tampa convention of the A. F.
of L. which opens formally Novem-
Der l6. 1t was indicated, however,
that delegates of the unions would
not attend nor appeal the executive
councils action to the convention.
MY own thought is that such an
appeal would be futile, a waste of
time and money" Lewis said. He
charged that the suspension action
was taken by the council to forestall
such an appeal explaining the c. 1.
o. union delegates would be denied
the opportunity to vote on their own
cases.
Lewis said he had no statement
to make on the possibility of the
formation of a rival federation by
the c. /. o. in advance of a c. |. o.
meeting. No such meeting is sched-
uled and will not be held until after
the convention of the International
Typographical Union September IL.
He offered a hint, however, say
ing, II suppose that when a group
of people are pushed out of the gates
of a village and have the gates
locked behind them they must
huddle together to protect them
selves from the beasts and other
nocturnal horrors"
Future steps on the part of the
federation, Lewis hazarded, will be
the "purging" of central labor
unions and state declarations. He
pointed out that in some instances
local bodies will refuse to carry
out the order of the executive coun-
Gil in which Ease the A. F. of l..
will have to organize new local
bodies.
eff you don't think that's a giant
task just ask Mr.. Green" Lewis
remarked. bill Green?" someone
asked. "Oui," Lewis replied.
VIM. Green, president of the
American Federation of Labor,
withheld comment on the suspen-
sion action but promised a state
ment soon.
His status as president of the fed
Grafton is somewhat in doubt as he
is a member of the now suspended
United Mine Workers. He is still in
good standing as a member of the
miners, according to their president,
Lewis, but the constitution of the
federation requires elective officers
to be members of a local organiza-
ton connected" with the A. F. OF
l.. 1t was not clear whether sus-
pension of the United Mine Work
ers severed such connections"
1t was learned that the United
Mine Workers, contrary to previous
reports, has not paid its per capita
dues of $4,000 a month for the past
three months. 1t was assumed that
other unions affiliated with the C.
l. o. were also withholding per
capita payments.