Evening star., 1937-05-30
UNION Will SPEED
FORD UNIT DRIVE
Campaigns Progress Yelled
In Series of Contradict
tory Claims.
BACKEROyND-

WI
BACKGROUND
United Automobile Workers OF
America, affiliate OF c. I. O.. face
bitterest campaign in auto industry
IN attempt to unionize Ford plant.
Having ,pon contracts NTH Gen
eral Motors and Chrysler, howeper,
Union leaders say drive at Ford
iCill be carried through to success
Jul completion
By the Associated Press.
DETROIT. May 29-The United
Automobile Workers Of America, seek
ing to unionize the 10000 Ford Motor
Co. employees, pushed plans today for
another drive against the gates of the
company's River Rouge plant. largest
industrial unit in the world. The
plant was closed today for the Me-
mortal day week end, resumption OF
operations being scheduled for
Tuesday
A welter of contradictory claims
surrounded progress so far in the at
tempt to organize the $4,000 persons
employed in the plant in suburban
Dearborn
Homer Martin, U. A. w. A. presi-
dent, who led the union in its strikes
at General Motors and Chrysler Corp.
plans, contended "hundreds' of Ford
workers are thronging membership
omces recently opened just outside the
Dearborn city limits.
Reports pledges Of Loyalty"
Harry H. Bennett director of per-
sonnel for the Ford Co.. said unso-
hcited pledges of loyalty" to the in
dependent manufacturer who opposes
labor unions have been received from
approximately 10000 of the River
Rouge plant employees. Some, he said
bore the notation, stand pat against
the union"
Sometime next week-presumablv
Wednesday or Thursday-the union
plans another foray into Dearborn to
distribute handbills and a special edi-
ton OF its official publication to Ford
workers arriving or departing from
the plant.
U. A. W. A. leaders who were beaten,
kicked and chased from plant gates
last Wednesday. disrupting the first
move to distribute union literature.
sent 10 the office of Duncan c. McCrea,
wayne County prosecutor today, per-
sons they said had identified their
aSsallants as Ford service men who
police the huge plant under 8ennett's s
direction
No Warrants Signed.
When the Office closed for the week
end, however, attaches said none of
the visitors had been willing to sign
warrants charging assault.
Bennett has said no service men
were involved in Wednesdays fighting
He added, "if McCrea wants to con-
duct his office seriously and in full
accord with the law, he will direct his
efforts to determining the extent the
U. A. W. A. violated the law in tres
passing on private property and in
stirring up trouble among Ford
workers"
McCrea had asked Bennett to pro-
duce any Ford employees who appeared
IN newspaper photographs OF the
alteration in which the union men
were beaten.
Apparently unconnected with the
O. A. w. A. organizing efforts or with
the recent statement of Henry Ford
that really high wages" would come
when the strike mess is over" was an
announcement by Bennett that pro-
ductlon schedules at the Ford plants
would be cut from 40 to 80 hours a
week during June. Recent speculation
has centered on reports that Ford
contemplated 81 daily minimum
wage and five six-hour working
days week.
Union Aims in Campaign.
The union has named one of its
Aims, in the campaign against Ford,
as the six-hour day and an So mini
mum daily wage.
At Richmond. Calf, where the
c. I. O.-affiliated United Automobile
Workers walked out, closing a Ford
assembly plant, the federation of
labor sought to gain leadership by
promising to put the men back to
work" at So for an eight-hour day.
Bennett said the reduced working
hours this month. which will trim
four working days off the usual
schedule. anticipated the usual June
slump in automobile sales.
To the same seasonal influences
Bennett attributed lay-off of
employees at the Somerville, Mass.
plant, an action which led the union
to make formal protest to the National
Labor Relations Board, charging that
100 Of its members were Disseminated
against.
Whether the next attempt to place
handbllls urging "unionism, not Ford
ISM In the hands of the company's
workers would precede or follow the
protest mass meeting planned by
the Y. A. w. A. had not been 6eter-
mined. The meeting, originally
scheduled for next Tuesday, was post
poned until later in the week.