Evening star., 1937-05-26
Union Workers in Richmond
Plant Walk Out After
Vote.
SPREAD TO OTHER UNITS
SEEN BY HEAD OF LOCAL
Mass Picket Line Surrounding
Factory Bars Officials and
Unorganized Employees.
BULLETIN.

of Workmen beat two high officials
of the United Automobile Work.
ers and chased them away this
afternoon as union members be-
gan the distribution of literature
at the gates of the Ford Motor Co.'S
River Rouge plant.
Richard T. Frenkensteen, direct
ing the unions campaign to or
ganize Ford workers, was knocked
down a dozen times, his coat torn
off and his face bruised.
b. the Associated Press.
RICHMOND, Calf, May 26.-Union
workers at the Ford assembly plant
here went on strike today, and an
Off ;cial of the United Automobile
Workers Of America declared it was
1.-The first gun in the war against
Henry Ford"
Production ceased Immediately. and
mass picket line around the plant
stopped admlttance OF company Off.
calls and non-union workers.
This is the first gun in the war
against Henry Ford" said Frank
Slaby, president of the local unit OF
the Automobile Workers Union, af.
filiated with the Committee for In.
dustrial Organization.
Slaby declared the strike would
spread to other Ford units, while at
Detroit the Automobile Workers
Union prepared to distribute its
'Unionism, not Fordism" leaflets at
the plant gate.
Ford Advised Against Unions.
| Ford recently advised his thousands
OF workers not to Join unions.
| Homer Martin, president Of the
United Automobile Workers OF Amer.
lea, replied that Ford would be in.
vited to join the fold" as other leading
automobile manufacturers had.
Martin visited here recently and
authorized the strike vote among the
1900 workers in the assembly plant.
! Slaby said only two votes were cast
against the strike proposal after all
night balloting. The day crew voted
628 in favor of the strike and the
night shift 268, he said. Many work.
ers did not ballot, he explained. be.
cause they lived some distance from
the plant.
One hundred and fifty pickets went
on duty at m. and two hours later
mass line of hundreds of men was
around the plant.
telephone girl inside the big plant
stated there is no production to.
day."
Favors Closing Plant.
At Detroit, Harry Bennett. person.
mel director of the Ford Motor Co.,
said the Richmond plant was closed
and would be closed permanently u
had my way about it."
He claimed the dispute arose when
two workers asked to be transferred to
other jobs, and then demanded their
old positions back.
About $50 non-union workers re.
ported for duty and were met at the
gate by picket lines.
The two groups glared at each other
for about an hour, and then the nom
union workers left. The plants office
force of about 200 persons did not
enter.
Manager Is Barred.
Admittance was refused to Clar-
ence Bullwinkel. plant manager. Only
one superintendent was admitted TO
supervise maintenance.
The Ford Co. Disseminated against
our members for union activity, and
attempted to form company union"
Slaby said
| The union official stated that efforts
to settle the dispute with r. c. Harri.
son, superintendent of the plant, had
failed
The dispute arose, he said, after
recent sit-down strike was ended BY
verbal agreement.
He claimed the company also had
failed to observe seniority rights.
Slaby said the strike vote had been
authorized by Martin, and possibly
would spread to all other Ford units
throughout the country.
Ford Opened Counter Attack.
Ford recently launched counter
attack against union organization and
told his workers they would not benefit
by joining such groups.
The walkout in the plant here was
described by union officials as an odd
fashioned strike" in contrast to the
"sit-down" strikes which swept the
country.
The day shift was scheduled to re-
port at 8 In, but at that time several
(See FORD, Page A-3)
|