Montana labor news., 1937-06-10
FORD 5LUGGER5 GO TO
WORK AS COMPANY
|DEFIES WAGNER ACT
By Federated Press

DETROIT (FP) - Showing the
same contempt for history as their
chief, Ford Service men, tried to
turn the clock back as they reverted
to the old-time methods of handling
labor relations and brutally beat
Richard T. Frankensteen and Walter
Reuther, union officials, when they
attempted to supervise the distribu-
ton of a leaflet entitled, "Unionism,
Not Fordism."
To old-fashioned methods of thug
gerry, they added, however, a mod
ern refinement, the union charged,
by hitting women, knocking them
down and kicking them in the stom-
ach while they lay on the ground"
The women were members of the
United Automobile Workers Emer-
gency Brigade, who had come to as
sist in passing out the union appeal
at the change of shift.
The Ford thugs capped their de-
fiance of industrial relations, 1887
style, by committing the assaults
while Ben Allen, investigator for the
LaFollette civil liberties committee,
and local clergymen were present as
witnesses. Charges of intimidation
and coercion in violation of the Wag-
ner act were Immediately filed
against the Ford Motor Co. by
Maurice Sugar, labor attorney.
The company yeggs, dressed to
resemble "workmen,' also struck
news cameramen and destroyed
Photographic plates they could lay
hands II. Some photographers
escaped with plates intact, however,
The pictorial record, showing appli-
cation Of the practiced technique OF
pulling up the coat over the victims
head and then smuggling him, leaves
no doubt as to the professional char
acter of the ~assailants.
Harry Bennett, personnel director
of course disavowed responsibility
for the attacks. In an attempt tC
confuse the issue, he suggested that
the attackers were craft unionist;
with a grievance against the Com
mittee for Industrial Organization
Officials of the Wayne County Fed
Grafton of Labor, local American
Federation of Labor body, promptly
scotched the attempt to play unior
man against union man.
The assaults took place at No.
gate Of the River Rouge plant il
Dearborn, as distribution of the leaf.
let's, previously authorized by The
|, city council, was about to begin
J Frankensteen and Reuther were
slugged and knocked down severa
times and thrown down a stairway
Eight ONE and eight other mer
were also injured. Some of the
women, arriving by ~streetcar as tht
: fighting began, were knocked owe
: and kicked. Dearborn police stooC
by and made no attempt to inter
: fere, but later arrested a uniol
: driver leaving the scene.
The leaflet which gave Ford sucl
a scare called for higher wages anC
better. working conditions; stol
f speedup by union supervision; 6
l hour day, So minimum pay; job Sc
curity through seniority rights; enc
the Ford service system; union rec
ognition.o AS the union organizer
received medical care, they made
! plain that they had just begun t.
? fight. Demonstrations before Fore
2 service stations were called for.
AS the Detroit organizational cam
} paign was pushed, the Ford plan
at Richmond, Cal, already was shu
: down by a strike of 1900 worker
4 demanding a national agreement
S They threatened to close every Yves
S coast Ford plant.
The assets of the Ford Motor Co
increased to SIT, 1855, 900 during 1886
an advance of $35, 100000 over tn,
1885 total.