Evening star., 1937-10-26
BY JOHN c. HENRY.

The Committee for Industrial Or
ganization today offered to return to
the American Federation of Labor
at terms which would leave the former
not only independent but probably the
dominant wing of the American labor
movement
Submitting their proposal with
startling suddenness as conferees of
the two factions met shortly after
10 am, the c. I. O. demanded that
its industrial unionization principles
be the sole basis for organization in
the Nations greatest industries, that
the entire faction headed by John L.
Lewis become completely autonomous
department within the A. F. of L.,
that such department should have
exclusive jurisdiction in the great
classifications of industries mentioned,
and that joint national convention
be called to ratify the agreement.
Remaining in the conference room
some time after proposal was made
and the session had broken up, the
Federation delegation emerged finally
to say that members felt the c. I. o.
proposal to be worded lin such broad
terms that We are unable to give any
statement in respect to it at this time.
We sought an explanation of the
proposal but were unable to get any
helpful information from the COM
mittee Of the c. I. o. this morning."
> Text of Proposal.
The complete proposal, as read to
the conferees by Philip Murray, chair
man of the c. I. o. delegation, fol-
lows:
81. The American Federation of
Labor shall declare as one Of its basic
policies that the organization of the
workers in the mass production, ma
rine, public utilities, service and basic
fabricating industries be effectuated
only on an industrial basis.
r'2. There shall be created within
department to be known as the c. 1. o.
All the national and international
unions and local industrial unions now
affiliated with the c. I. o. shall be
affiliated with such new department.
This department shall be completely
autonomous, operating under its own
departmental constitution and shall be
directed by its own properly desig-
mated officers. This department shall
have the complete and sole jurisdic-
ton In regard to (a) the organization
of the workers in the industries de-
scribed in point l above; and also (b)
any matters affecting its affiliated
organizations and their members.
"3. There shall be called at such
time and at such place as may be
agreed upon between the American
Federation of Labor and the Commit
tee for Industrial Organization a ma
tional convention which shall be at
tended by all of the national and
international unions and local indus
trial unions affiliated with the A. F.
of L. and the c. I. o. This conven-
ton shall be called for the purpose of
approving the foregoing agreement
and for working out the necessary
rules and regulations to effectuate the
same and to guarantee the fulfillment
Of the program"
Fertile Fields for C. I. o.
While the proposal basically would
merely perpetuate existing lines of
demarcation in organization, the in
sistence upon recognition solely of in
dustrial unionization principles in
certain industries and the demand for
exclusive jurisdiction in those indus
tries would assure the proposed C. I.
o. department not only of the most
fertile fields for expansion, but might
even require surrender of certain A.
F. of L. unions already established.
Emerging first from the conference,