The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1937-01-01
Auto Industry Has
Bad Ne1v Year Start
Continued from Page u

was indicated In each new Develop
ment.
In the background moved the ever
more powerful forces of John L..
Lewis and his Committee for Indus
trial Organization, relentlessly push
ing related campaigns In steel, glass
and other mass production indus
tries vitality affecting automobile as
sembly lines.
Ex-Prcacher In Lead
Martin, young ex-preacher whose
appearance bellies the hard listed
part he plays, was the spearhead Of
the CLIO offensive which directed its
big guns against General Motors
and brought q determined counter
fire from William 8. Knudsen, the
company's executive vice-president.
Knudsen, In a calm but decisive
letter to Martin last night. saddled
the U. A. w. A. with responsibility
for strikes which have thrown $1,000
General Motors employees out Of
work in Flint, Mich, Kansas City,
Mo-, Atlanta, Ga, Cleveland, o. and
Anderson, Ind.
In the face Of Martins implied
threat to "tie up" the entire Cen
eral Motors organization, Knudsen
repeated his determination that col
lective bargaining could be con-
Quoted only through managers Of
individual plants, and then only af-
ter the plants had been evacuated
by sit-down strikers.
Impatient Letter Sent
Martin previously had directed an
impatient letter to Knudsen asking
for general conference on union
grievances and charging General
Motors with discrimination against
union workers and use Of "spies"
hired from private detective agen-
cies. He characterized attempts to
bargain with plant managers as
absolutely unsuccessful" and in
sisted that general, national agree
ment was the only satisfactory meth
cd of settling differences.
Knudsen reiterated his contention
that General Motors accepts the
principle of collective bargaining,
and charged the union with refus-
ing to bargain and with calling
strikes without attempting to con-
fer with the management.
Knudsen Makes Answer
Referring to current strikes, he
said:
General Motors Corporation rec
ognizes collective bargaining, and
has provided appropriate machin-
cry for 1t, but each one Of these
plants was shut down by the union
against the wishes Of a great ma
jority Of the employees, without any
attempt on the part Of the union to
bargain collectively before the sit
downs occurred the union it.
self has refused to bargain collec-
lively and has made real collective
bargaining impossible by exercising
coercion before the bargaining be-
gins"
He cited the strike Of Fisher Body
plant workers in Kansas City as an
example.
Discharge of Employe
A" union employee in the Chevro-
cit assembly plant there was risk
ing his own life and endangering
his fellow workers by Jumping over
q moving conveyor. He was warned
twice he did 1t again and was
discharged. Within a few hours L.
$40 men in the Fisher plant next
door adopted his alleged grievance,
sat down and stopped the supply OF
bodies for Chevrolet"
Strikes In Fisher plants at Cleve-
land and Flint, Knudsen said, were
called while negotiations were be-
ing contemplated between union
representatives and the manage
ment, and before bargaining had
begun.
As for sit downers Knudson
classed them as "trespassers and
yiolators Of the law Of the land,
and said mo one can afford to bar