Evening star., 1937-06-24

Would you make 4 contract with
c. I. o. If you considered them re.
sponsible?" Green asked.
"I'll cross that bridge when come
to it,
How long have you considered the
G. I. o. Irresponsible"
Ever since I've heard Of them"
Senator Guf1ey asked 0irdler II
rumors he had been asked to resign
as president OF Jones & Lauehlin
Steel Corp. because he had given
confidential information to the Re-
public Steel Corp. were true.
That's a lie. and whoever told
the Senator that Is a liar" Girdler
replied heatedly. The audience broke
into applause at this reply.
Will Abide by Law.
Returning to the question Of signing
a contract. Senator Ellender asked il
he would sign with c. I. O. should tina,
union be selected BY his employes
No" Girdler answered. THE law
doesn't require it."
Would you sign If the law did re-
quire it?'
Yes, I would sign then. don't
violate any law. But I will not sign
until the law says I have to-"
He said he would not consider 4 rul-
ing by the National Labor Relations
Board as the equivalent to 4 law to
that effect
He said he would make any reason
able agreement with his employees, but
IN the absence Of 4 mandatory law
would never sign a contract with an
irresponsible, racketeering, violent
communlstic organization like the
c. I. O."
c. l. o. Held "Irresponsible.""
Speaking as the representative of
his own company and the Bethlehem
Steel Corp, the Youngstown Sheet &
Tube Co. and the Inland Steel Corp,
the four independent steel producers
now locked in a violent and costly
strike, Girdler said:
The basic issue of this strike Is the
right OF American citizens to work
free from molestation, violence, CO.
ercion and intimidation by a labor
organization whose apparent policy Is
either to rule or ruin American indus
try"
Girdler asked and received per-
mission to state three "funda-
mental conclusions" he had reached
about the c. l. O. He said they are:
Il. The c. I. O. has denied to free
American citizens. who refuse to pay
tribute to 1t. the right to work.
q. The c. 1. o. encourages and
promotes violence and disregard Of
law.
"3. The c. I. O. is associated with
communism and many Of its leaders
and organizers are avowed Com
munists'
Rules for Industrial Peace.
Girdler added he believed 1t en-
tirely possible to secure industrial
peace by agreement between employers
and employs on the following prin-
ciples:
Il. Every worker should be free to
join or not to join a union as he
chooses without coercion from any
source
%. No employe should be forced to
pay dues to union against his will.
3. All employees should be per-
mitted to take a vote by secret ballot
on whether or not they want to strike
"4-There should be full publicity
and public accounting of the financial
affairs of every union.
"5-The responsibility Of union in
any contract or agreement should be
equal to the responsibility assumed by
corporation. Appropriate laws to
that end should be enacted.
On the basis Of these principles.
the need for which has been so dra-
matically demonstrated by the recent
history Of the C. I. O., we believe that
peace and harmony between manage
ment and employees would be preserv-
ed IN this country"
Workers Forced From Jobs.
Concluding his prepared statement,
Girdler said:
First Of all. let me make it clear
that the fundamental issue in this
strike is not involving wages, hours
or working conditions in Republic
plants. This is not a strike in the
sense that a large body of our en-
ployes quit work because Of grievances
against the company What has hap
pened Is that an invading army de-
scended upon our plants and forced
many of our employees from their jobs.
Fully $4,000 Of our employees have
remained at work throughout the
strike, despite threats and violence,
and many additional thousands have
been kept from work against their will.
The statement has been made that
the companies involved have declined
to put in writing an agreement which
they have made orally. That is not
true. There is no such statement, oral
or otherwise, now in existence.
THAT does not mean. however, that
the terms of employment now in effect
are indefinite or uncertain. They have
been reduced to writing in the form
of notices which are posted or other
wise announced in writing in all the
plants to which they apply, and are
thoroughly understood by our en-
ployes.
The irresponsibility of the c. I. O.
is well established by the fact that 200
strikes and walkouts have taken place
in the plants of the General Motors
Corp. since that corporation signed an
agreement with the c. I. O. which
called for an end of strikes during the
period Of the agreement.
Further evidence of the irresponsi-
bic character Of the c. l. O. is to be
seen in the lawless and terroristic
conduct Of its members since the
beginning OF the present strike. Re-
public plants have been surrounded
by armed crowds who call themselves
pickets and, who, by force and vio-
lence have imprisoned in the plants
thousands Of employees who refused to
heed the strike call and remained
at work. These men have been pre-
vented from returning to their fam
lilies when their work Is done, and