Evening star., 1937-01-10
GENERAL MOTORS
BACKSA.F.L.UN|TS
Craft Leader Tells Members
to Go Back to Strike
Closed Plant. &;
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press
The giant General Motors Corp,
which Is beset by strikes, took sides
yesterday with American Federation
Of Labor craft unions in their cam
paign to crush John L. Lewis in
dustrial organization drive.
John P. Frey, craft union spokes-
man, announced General Motors posi-
ton at the same time he told news
paper men he had advised craft union
members to 20 back to their jobs at
the strike-closed Fisher Body plant
in Cleveland. Fisher Bodies Is Gen.
eral Motors subsidiary.
The General Motors attitude was
disclosed in an exchange of kilograms
between Frey, president of the A. F.
of L. Metal Trades Department. and
H. w. Anderson of the corporations
Labor Relations Department in De-
troit.
Frey asked Anderson Thursday to
make no agreement with any organi-
zation that would freeze the craft
unions out of General Motors plants.
Yesterday he received the following
reply: :,
In line with the established
policy. you may rest assured that
General Motors has no intention OF
entering into any agreement with any
other organization interfering with
legitimate jurisdiction OF interna-
tional unions affiliated with the
Metal Trades Department of Ameri-
can Federation of Labor"
Lewis, president Of the United
Mine Workers. is trying to bring all
the workers in each large industry,
including automobiles, into one big
union. The federation last Septem-
ber suspended 10 of its unions Tor
Joining Lewis in his Committee for
Industrial Organization.
.The craft leaders think highly
skilled workers should belong to the
union of their craft, whether they
work in a large industry or a small
town shop.
Other developments in the labor
field:
Secretary Perkins, in her annual
report to Congress, said wage ana
hour legislation was practical only
for fixing minimum standards. She
proposed cooperation and collec-
tive bargaining for setting standards
above the minimum
Miss Perkins and Edward F. NC
Grady, Assistant Secretary, kept lr
touch with the General Motors strlke
situation by reports from Detroit con-
ciliators. Miss Perkins, in turn. re.
ported developments to President
Roosevelt
Workers Seek ReOpening.
A non-strikers' committee at the
Fisher body plant in Cleveland
claiming to represent 3,425 Of 1000
idle employees, petitioned the company
to reopen the plant. In North Tarry'
town. N. Y, LAT of 1000 worker:
pledged their loyalty" to the COM
pany and asked that the two Genera
Motors plants there remain open.
The Carnegie Illinois Steel Corp
told the Labor Relations Board, in
brief, that its employees were free t.
toin any union they chose, but tina
they had accepted an employe repre-
sentation plan. Lewis lieutenant'
charged the plan was company
union"
Lewis would not comment on Frey!
exchange with General Motors. Hk
attitude. as expressed by associates
was that the craft unions were EN-.
ploying strike breaking tactics in the
ory, but were powerless to break the
strike In practice because they had
only a scattering of members in the
automobile industry
Frey decried talk Of breaking any
strike. That. he said, was not tha
craft unions intention. They would
not send members back to work with
strike breakers, he added.
He said. however, in a telegram to
the Cleveland craftsmen, that they
should resume "the work legitimately
theirs"