Evening star., 1937-10-31
PEACE OUTLOOK HELD DIM
In CLIO. AND A.F.L. DISPUTE
Conditions for Proposed Reconciliation
Seen Imposing Almost Impossible
Demands on Each Other.


betrayal and abject surrender.
Again the Federation group was
angered by the tactics Of the rival
negotiators. Asking that the confer
ence be recessed until next Thurs
day, Harrison's committee spent an
other afternoon in seclusion and is
sued a statement that night in which
it expressed the opinion that "the
c. /. o. has little, if any, dues-paying
membership other than the members
of the organizations that originally
belonged to the American Federation
of Labor"
For answer the C. I. o. officials
pointed to 10000 working contracts
in operation between c. I. o. unions
and big and little parts Of industry.
Covered by these agreements, they
continued, are 100000 workers. In
the cases of 100000 workers the
c. I. o. union is recognized by en-
ployers as the sole bargaining agency.
c. /. o. Has Money, Is Claim.
mo organizing campaign ever is
self-supporting, one c. 1. o. official
admitted yesterday in discussing the
finances of the Lewis group. But we
have had sufficient money to run this
movement into one of 100000 peo-
pie. and the older unions are not only
willing to spend more if they have
to. but younger ones, like the auto
mobile workers. are reaching a point
where they can help others as well
as themselves" The auto union re-
ported payments of $4,000 to the
c. /. 0. between June and October
on a per capita basis.
Obviously both sides are emphasiz-
ing their strong points rather than
their weak ones, but the apparent
unwillingness of the A. F. of l.. to
admit the strength of a movement
which already has been recognized
by employers in 10000 instances
seems to weaken their own cause
rather than that of the c. /. o.
Possibly too much emphasis is be-
ing placed on the frame of mind of
the rival conferees. Assuming that
both sides have been sincere in their
desire for reconciliation. the extent
of their willingness to conciliate
might be measured as follows:
The c. I o.. impatient at failure
OF the Federation to apply industrial
unionism principles and angry at the
suspension action of the Executive
Council, refused for two years to deal
with a three-man peace committee.
Two weeks ago they offered to ne
gotiate. through large committees.
then through committees of 10 and
finally with the original Federation
trio.
As basis for unity they offered to
let the labor movement continue un-
der the name of American Federation
of Labor. but they demanded that
their theory exclusively be applied to
the organization of workers in the
Nations great industries, and that
control of such organizing be re-
tanned in the present C. I. o. lead
ership. They demanded an autono-
my, also, which would extend to
political policies in which the c. /. o.
IS committed to direct participation,
,:ilile the A. F. of l.. traditionally is
committed to non-partisan and in
direct participation.
Policies Repugnant to A. F. L.
Presumably such autonomy would
allow them to perpetuate certain other
policies repugnant to the A. F. of L..
such as application of the sit-down
strike and enrolment of Communists.
They then proposed a joint con-
vention, at which they presumably
would have control on the basis of
their claims to membership majority,
3,700,000 as compared to 100000.
1t is not difficult to understand
the unwillingness of the Federation
negotiators to agree to such terms.
Boiled down. the A. F. of l.. coun-
ter proposal would mean either an
immediate surrender to dozens of
craft unions of thousands of mem
bers, swept into both the old and
the new industrial unions, or protract-
ed jurisdictional disputes which would
be settled at convention in which
the present A. F. of l.. would be as
sured of majority.
Against their expressed willingness
to conduct an aggressive organizing
campaign on both craft and indus
trial lines during the coming IL
months must be measured their fail
ure to penetrate the basic industries
in the years while Lewis and his in
dustrial-union-minded associates fret
ted and stormed.
In short. they made an offer as
plainly unacceptable as that of the
c. /. o.
Since conferences adjourned last
Wednesday intimations have come
from both sides that they had made
final offers, that they are not hope
full of success. Both. however, have
pledged that their committees will be
on hand next Thursday morning, and
many of the civilians" who have
found themselves endangered by the
rival barrages are hoping that a per-
manent cease firing" order will re-
suit eventually.