Evening star., 1937-08-21
WAGE-H0UR FIGHT
IN A. F. OF |. SEEN
Few OId-line Leaders Ex'
peCted to Make Stand
Against Green.
By the Associated Press.

ATLANTIC CITY, N. j.. August 81
A fight within the American Fedora
ton OF Labor's Executive Council over
wage and hour legislation was forecast
In usually well-informed quarters to-
day as members met to draft plans
for Fall campaign against John l..
Lewis C. T. O.
A few old-line federation leaders
were expected to make a last-ditch
fight at the meeting starting today
to keep the A. F. of L. from support
Ing revival of the Federal wage and
hour bill that the House Rules Com
mittee killed at this session of Con-
gress. Council members said the
meeting will last about 10 days.
William Green, federation presi-
dent, supported this bill over the pro-
test of these old-line leaders.
Last night in Washington he as
sailed the Rules Committee for refus-
Ing to allow the measure to go to the
House floor for vote
What right has the Rules Com
mittee to defeat the will of Congress?"
he said in statement. Surely the
members Of Congress ought to be ac-
corded the privilege of passing the
wages and hours bill or of defeat
Ing it.
That is democracy and democratic
procedure"
Plumbers Against Bill.
On the other hand, John Coefeld
president of the plumbers, said his
union was against any wage and hour
legislation, except for women and
children, ard that he would oppose
Its enactment whenever presented.
Several other building and metal
trades union leaders were in Coe-
fields camp, although they would
make no statement for publication.
Some leaders predicted that the
whole issue might be fought out at
the federation's Denver convention
next October.
Pre-meeting indications pointed to
continuance Of the strategy mapped
at the Cincinnati meeting last Nav.
when battle plans were outlined.
At that meeting the council de-
.cided;
Cd To consolidate A. F. of l..
ranks and to conduct a co-ordinated
organization campaign throughout
American industry.
4 90 To set aside, temporarilv the
federation's traditional policy of en-
rolling workers into craft unions when
industrial organization was more
feasible.
C3) To increase the federation's
war chest" by doubling dues All
A. F. of L. unions now are supposed
to pay cents instead of l cent for
each member each month.
(4 To disregard the claims of all
c, l. O. unions of the right to enroll
certain groups of workers; to invade
G. I. O. territory at every turn.
Report Strategy Successful.
Council members privately said this
strategy had proved extremely sue
cessful' and they expected 1t to work
even better as the membership cam
paign was intensified
The council met in a Boardwalk
hotel across the street from the con-
Ventlon hall where Lewis sienaled his
oreak with the federation nearly two
years ago by punching William
Hutcheson, hefty president of the Car
penters' Union, in the jaw.
q Throughout that 1885 convention
Lewis pleaded with the delegates to
adopt an unqualified industrial union
program for the mass production in
dustries-to try to bring all the work.
ers in each industry into one big union,
Only Third of Delegates Agreed.
His pleas moved only one-third CT
the delegates, however. Two-thirds
voted to stick to the craft union pol
Icy handed down by the late Samuel
Gompers, A. F. Of L. president for
10 years
A few weeks later, having punched
Hutcheson for trying to silence an
Akron. Ohio, rubber worker, Lewis
. organized the Committee for Indus
d. trial Organization to carry out the
program the A. F. Of L. turned down.
The Federation called this move
rebellion" and suspended 10 of the
c. I. o. unions. Open labor warfare
resulted
The C. I. o. now says it has up
ward of 100000 members. Frank
Morrison, A. F. of L. secretary, says
the Federation has 100000.
Says Revolt Is Faced.
Lewis Hines, in charge OF the Fed
eration's anti-Lewis campaign. said
he would report to the council that
the G. I. o. faced revolt by highly
skilled workers in its industrial unions
Hines said many of these workers
already had discovered they had
little in common with unskilled labor
and soon might break away"
Already. he said, groups of skilled
workmen from the automobile and
steel unions had talked with him
about the possibility of joining A. F. of
L. craft unions or forming new unions.
Council members said the meeting
probably would last about 10 days.