Montana labor news., 1937-06-24

Murder Of Steel Pickles
Brings Mine Shutdown
By Federated Press

SdIu union cOal miners employed 10
dig coal for Bethlehem, Republic
Steel, Inland Steel and Youngstown
Sheet & Tube, quit work June IA
because of the murder of eight steel
union pickets by Tom Girdler and
his Chicago police" as Van A.. Bit
ner, regional director of the Steel
Workers Organizing Committee Is.
w. 0. c. put it at his Chicago press
conference.
The mines are owned by the indie
pendent steel companies that have
refused to sign agreements with the
S. w. o. c., though they are willing
to negotiate with them. The mines
are known as captive mines because
their output does not 60 on the mar
ket but is used entirely by the steel
companies that own them.
Bittner explained that Girdler,
who is chairman of Republic Steel
and the most vicious of the anti
union steel barons, had created an
emergency by his determination to
shoot it out. Therefore his mines,
and those of his partners in murder
and lawbreaking, were shut down,
Bittner said. He added that any
commercial mines that sold coal to
the Girdler gang would also be shut
down by strike.
Asked if Girdler could not get coal
from the Progressive Miners of
America, an Illinois independent I'M
ion recently given an American Fed
Grafton of Labor charter, Bittner,
who is himself a United Mine Work
er official, said the rank and file of
the P. M. A. would not scab on their
union brothers in the U. M. W. A..
The attitude of A. F. l.. officials
toward the steel strike was exempli-
fled at the Chicago Federation Of
Labor meeting June 6, the day the
c. l. o. locals were read out of that
central body. On a motion to have
the federation furnish a speaker for
a meeting of the neutral Chicago
Citizens Rights Committee to inves-
tigate the massacre of the steel pick
cts before the Republic plant on
Memorial Day, Pres. John Fitzpat-
rick of the federation replied, ac-
cording to the federation's official
organ:
"The chairman (Fitzpatrick) ex-
pressed the opinion that his is not
a matter for consideration of the
federation. The entire proceeding,
he said, is a c. l. o. matter and in
asmuch as the c. I. o. folks tell US
they don't want us to have any hand,
act or part in their affairs, they
would not want the federation to
inject itself into the situation"
A number of delegates from A. F..
L. local unions reported, however,
that their organizations had protest
ed the shootings to the mayor, states
attorney and city council and had
voted support of the strike.
Breaking a custom of many years,
the federation sessions will be Sc
cret hereafter, Fitzpatrick an
nounced.
Conferences by S. W. o. c. lead
ers with governors of Illinois, Indi-
ana and Ohio have brought no i'm
mediate results, Bittner said. 1t is
believed, according to reliable in
formation, that Pres. Roosevelt is
much disturbed by the active forma-
ton of vigilante gangs under steel
corporation auspices in Michigan, In
diana and Ohio, and also by the open
partnership of Chicago police gun
men with the companies.
In reply to the charge by Chair
man John L. Lewis of the C. !. o.
that they were guilty of planned
murder" the Chicago police have re-
newed their plea of s~elf-defense,
though not a single cop was shot and
not a gun was found on the pickets
whom they massacred or injured.
"The Paramount newsreel which
was suppressed is the evidence Of
murder by the police on which we
rest our case" Bittner replied. "The
film is now in the hands of the
United States"
The Inland Steel, which has not
attempted to operate after a brush
with pickets in the Chicago area, will
have to appear before the national
labor relations board June 81 in Chi
cago to explain its alleged violation
of the Wagner act by refusing to
sign an agreement.
1xxvn IN nxxyrNx Tn ~ Cu-rrED