Montana labor news., 1937-01-21
|(.I 0. FORCES GATHER
TO BACK UNION BID
ITO GENERAL MOTORS
Lewis Holds Conference With
Auto and Flat Glass Union
Leaders As Increased Drive Is
Planned to Complete Organi-
cation of Industry.
BY LEN DE CAUX

By LEN DE CAUX
WASHINGTON (UNS) - Organ
lied labor prepared to demand of the
giant General Motors Corp. the right
of collective bargaining for its 211,-
900 employees, following a conference
between John L. Lewis, chairman of
the Committee for Industrial Organ
i~zation, and leaders of the United
Automobile Workers and the FEEDER
alton of Flat Glass Workers.
Collective bargaining is now the
law of the land, and we think that
General Motors should do a little
collective bargaining" Lewis de-
clared, announcing that the auto
workers union would have the I'M
| qualified support of all the C. l. O.
organizations in its demand that the
corporation recognize and deal with
it.
"This is part of the great organ
izing drive of the c. |. o. on a num-
Der of major fronts" he declared.
Union Gaining Rapidly
The C. l. o. chairman called at
tention to the rapid rate of union
organization in the auto industry, as
reported by Pres. Homer Martin of
the U. A. w. at the conference.
In Flint, Mich, a General Motors
stronghold, some 1900 have joined
the union in the last few weeks, and
members r still coming in at the
rate of 100 to $50 a day there. In
Detroit, the rate of recruiting has
been 5000 a week, and in a single
recent week some 5000 new mem
bers joined the union in that city
alone. Similar progress is reported
in other auto centers.
Chrysler plants are now highly
organized, and the same is rapidly
becoming true of General Motors.
But whereas conditions at Chrysler
plants are fairly satisfactory as be-
tween the union and the company"
Lewis said, the reverse is true of
General Motors"
Anti Union Discrimination
He declared that the attitude of
General Motors is definitely hostile
to the union and that it practices
widespread discrimination against
members of the union"
AS a result of such determinations
and other grievances relating to
speed Of the line, wages and work
ing conditions, sit-downs and strikes
are now spreading through the in
5 dustry, Lewis noted. He called at
tention to the Fisher Body and Chew
rolet strikes at Atlanta and Kansas
City, as well as to the strike of IA, 00O
flat glass workers which ties up
nearly all of the glass for the auto
industry.
Announcing that the auto union
would shortly issue a formal invi-
tation to General Motors for a col
! lective bargaining conference, list
ing the workers grievances, the c.
I. o. chairman declared:
THE purpose of the United Auto
mobile Workers will be to immedi-
ately redouble its organizing efforts
in all General Motors plants with the
expectation that in a very short time
an Overwhelming majority of the
workers will be members of the
union.
Peaceful Agreement Hoped For
! we hope that General Motors will
meet peacefully with the union and
I work out an agreement, and that
: there will be. no necessity for a
. strike. We want to work out these
e questions in a reasonable manner
7 7 Lewis also announced that the c
+ |. o. was throwing all its support
{ behind the flat glass workers in theil
!. struggle. He said that the c. l. o
would seek federal relief and Labor
< Dept. intervention for these strikers
After the conference Director Johr
Brophy of the C. l.. o. accompanied
: Pres. Glen w. McCabe of the flat
glass union in a call on Secretary o.
: Labor Perkins and the relief author,
! tiles.
I Pointing out that the Mellon anc
+ Pitcairn families are the financia,
interests behind the resistance of the
K Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. to the
I union, Lewis declared:
1--WE see no reason WHY Andrew
Mellon and the Pitcairn family
3 should not also deal with labor OF
e a modern basis"
Philip Murray, chairman of thu
I Steel Workers Organizing Commit
tee, attended the conference, with
view to coordinating c. l. 0. effort
in the steel and auto fields. The aut,
workers were represented by Vic
Presidents Wyndham Mortimer ant
20 Ed Hall as we'll as by Martin.
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