Evening star., 1937-04-08
Lewis Answers
DeclaratiOnOf
Magnate.
C.. |. o. HEADS
EDICT CHEERED
Manufacturer Saws.
will Never Recoe-
nize Any Union.'
BACKGROUND

workers OF America, an affiliate of
John L. Le1ois' Committee for In
dustrial Organization, to be the
sole bargaining representative for
,oorkers has had automotiue in
duStry in turmoil since last Fall
Sit-doDn strikes in General Motors
and Chrysler plants are no1u under
negotiations for permanent peace.
Factories OF Henry Ford haze been
least affected, only one strike OF
short duration being called at
Kansas City
By the Associated Press.
DETROIT. April 8.-The Unitet
Automobile Workers of America under.
took today one of the most formid
able Of its enterprises-the unioniza
ton of the 10000 employees of th'
vast Ford Motor Co.
John L. Lewis, head of the Com
mittee for Industrial Organization
enunciated this objective last nigh
just after Henry Ford had proclaimed
that his industrial empire Woulc
never recognize" the U. A. w. A. o.
any other union.
Lewis was a speaker at a mass
meeting Of union members in the
State Fair Grounds Coliseum. The
huge throng, overf1owing the building
shouted its approval of the agree
ment between the U. A. w. A. anc
the Chrysler Corp, ending strike
in its eight Detroit plants.
Ford expressed his stand toward
unions at Ways, Ga, IN revealing
g brief cessation of activities in
his company's factory at st. Louis.
A union leader at the plant said 1t
was due to "a misunderstanding
Advises Workers.
The independent motor manufac-
turer-one of the Nations three larg-
est producers-advised workers re-
Gently Ito stay out of labor unions for
their own good. He always has been
a stanch advocate of the open shop
In the motor car industry.
We'll never recognize the United
Automobile Workers Union or any
other union" Hord emphasized in re-
vealing the second cessation" in one
of his plants within week. The first
was brief sit-down at Kansas City.
'I have no doubt that Mr.. Ford will
do that as long as his employees permit
him to pull that policy and no other, u
asserted the bushy-haired Lewis. Il
l,o hot
will change his mind
Lewis mentioned the agreements be-
tween the U. A. w. A. and General
Motors and the Chrysler Corps. and
said their respective heads, Alfred P.
Sloan, jr., and Walter P Chrysler each
changed his mind"
you are the reason" the labor
leader told the auto workers. You
decided you weren't satisfied with con-
ditions in your industry"
Must Recognize Union.
Two other speakers at the meeting
referred to Ford.
Il want to say in answer that if
Ford wants to build automobiles, he'll
ACSOSill1C GAlS ". "a w. n,
Richard T. Frankensteen, union Or
ganizational director.
THE time is coming when every
automobile worker will be carrying a
U. A. w. A. membership card" as
serted its international president.
Homer Martin. And we imagine
that the most willing members will
be Ford workers.
Lewis said that the section of labor
under the c. l. o. banner" is "on the
march" and predicted that his organi-
cation would exceed the membership
of the rival American Federation of
Labor within so days.
Ford's industrial empire is world
wide. It extends to % foreign coun-
tries as we'll as some 80 cities in the
United States, where it has approxi-
mately 100000 workers. More than
(See FORD, Page A-2.)