Evening star., 1937-02-09
GREEN |ND0RSES
MOTORS STRIKE
A. F. L. Head Insists His
Unions Must Be Protected
in Settlement.
ny the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
William Green, president of the
American Federation of Labor, IL
dorsed the General Motors strike last
night, but insisted that Federation
unions must not be frozen out Of the
automobile industry in any settlement.
The strike is led by John L. Lewis,
who Is under suspension from the
federation for alleged "insurrection. ~
Green's statement was made at a
press conference. 1t followed the cir
culation of reports, In usually we'll
informed quarters, that some of Presi-
dent Roosevelts principal labor ad-
visers had urged him to keep hands
of the strike as much as possible be-
cause Of the fight between the fedora
ton and Lewis.
Lewis insists that General Motors
recognize the United Automobile
workers Of America as the sole COL
lective bargaining agency for all en-
ployes in 20 plants. These employees
include small percentage eligible to
membership in A. F. of l. craft unions
Federation leaders contend some Of
them belong to craft unions.
Avoids Election Opinion.
Green, questioned extensively about
the General Motors situation. avoided
saying there should be an election IN
the General Motors plants to determine
what collective bargaining agency en-
ployes desired. He discussed at length
however, what type election should be
held if one were ordered or decided
upon.
He recalled that the federation had
decided all auto workers employed on
assembly lines should belong to the
United Automobile Workers, before
that union was suspended from the
A. F. Of L. for afflliating with Lewis
Committee for Industrial Organization
The assembly lines, he said, would
cover over 80 per cent of all General
Motors workers.
II there were an election. he said
the assembly line workers should de-
eide whether they wished to be rep
resented by the United Automobile
Workers, while the skilled craftsmen
employed elsewhere should decide
whether they wanted to be represented
by A. F. Of L. craft unions, by outside
organizations or by themselves.
Green emphasized that the feder-
alton wanted the United Automobile
v orkers to win their strike-with A
+. OF L. craft rights protected.
Reference to Bargaining.
He smilingly asked reporters whether
they would not wish to capitalize on
special genius or skill in their deal
ings with employers, rather than to
group themselves with "the mass" In
collective bargaining.
Green declined to make public a
telegram he sent Gov. Frank Murphy
of Michigan demanding that A. F. OF
l.. craft unions be protected in any
strike settlement. The Governor, he
said, had not replied.
The General Motors strike was the
subject of an editorial yesterday signed
by Daniel j. Tobin, president Of the
Truck Drivers Union and published
in the unions official journal. Tobin
was among those who voted to sus-
pend Lewis and his associates last
Fall, but the editorial said, in part:
mo labor man should, because of
his disagreement personally with some
one representing the c. I. O., do other
wise than pray and hope that the
(auto workers. union will be sue
cessful, because if you let that per-
sonal feeling enter into you, you are
not honest with the rank and file
whom you represent"