Evening star., 1937-03-21

BY tie Associated Press.
DETROIT. March 2o.-The United
Automobile Workers of America
threatened tonight to call a general
strike in Detroit automotive plants
unless the brutal eviction of Sit
down strikers and the ruthless club
bing Of workers by Detroit police is
stopped Immediately"
The threat was contained in state
ment issued by Homer Martin, presi-
dent of the U. A. w. A, after police
had elected strikers from the Newton
Packing Co. plant and the Bernard
Schwartz Cigar Co. factory. Six per-
sons were injured during rioting which
accompanied the election of rs women
from the cigar factory.
Subsequently, Wyndham Mortimer,
hrSt vice president of the U. A. w. A.,
said the strike threat did not applv
to plants of General Motors Corp,
with which the union signed an agree
ment last Sunday.
Martin declared that "every organ
lied automobile plant in the CITY will
be closed down Monday" unless the
raids cease, and that "the 175,OoO
organized automobile workers of De-
trolt will mass Tuesday night in Cad
llIac Square to protest these actions"
Martin said that the U. A. w A..
was determined that strikers in these
smaller plants shall not be the victims
OF police brutality"
No Reference TO 5000 Sit t-downers.
The statement contained no refer
ence to the eight Chrysler plants,
Which 5000 strikers are holding in
defiance of court injunction. Since
Friday, Sheriff Thomas C. Wilcox has
held court WritS for tl.e arrest of the
strikers.
The strikers told Gov Frank Murphy
in an open letter today that forcible
moves to arrest them would lead to
'bloodshed and violence" and appealed
to the Governor to "see that our
grievances are adjusted"
Martins threat Of a general auto
motive strike in Detroit said:
The United Automobile Workers OF
America are prepared to call a general
strike in the automobile industry in
the city of Detroit Monday unless the
brutal eviction of Sit-doWn strikers
and the ruthless clubbing of workers
by Detroit police is stopped immedi-
stely.
Every organized automobile plant
in the city will be closed down Monday
unless Police Commissioner Heinrich
Pickert is ordered to call off his un-
lawful raids on defenseless strikers.
The 175,O00 organized automobile
workers of Detroit will mass Tuesday
night in Cadillac Square to protest
these actions.
Commissioner Pickert is going to
have to learn that the legitimate labor
movement in this city is a force whose
right he cannot violate.
He is going to have to learn that
his men are not going to attack de-
fenseless women sitting peaceably on
their own front porcheS. This was
done Saturday evening during the
attack on the Bernard Schwartz cigar
factory.
Automobile workers are determined
that strikers in these smaller plants
shall not be the victims of police
brutality. Automobile workers are not
going to be blackjacked and slugged
out of their civil rights. Our recent
great victories have resulted in the
wiping out of conditions close to
peonage in the shops and factories of
Detroit. These workers don't intend
to lose those gains.
1--WE are going to show Mr.. Pickert
and his superiors that the automobile
workers of this city are prepared to
act if he and his department carry
their violence further"
Neither Frank Couzens nor Gov
Murphy could not be found for a
statement on the general automotive
strike threat.
He and Police Commissioner Pickert
we're present when rs women were pro-
PEELED, screaming and kicking, from
the Schwartz cigar factory. The
Mayors only comment then was that
he was there to 'see how things were
going"
Rode Across Lawn.
The noncombatant casualty referred
to in Martins statement was Mrs
Anna Rziemickowski, whose home is
across street from the Schwartz
factory. Witnesses said a mounted
policeman who rade across her lawn
struck her with his night stick Her
injury did not require hospital treat
ment.
Gov. Murphy, reached tonight, with
held comment on the general auto
motive strike threat.
Neither would Commissioner Pick