The Washington times., 1937-06-24
C.L. 0. IS RED,
GIRDLER TELLS
SENATORS
Continued from Page II

of loyal workers" who would have
nothing to do with the C. l. o.
Says C. 1. o. LawleSS
Girdler complained frequently
to the committee about the law
lessness" of c. I. o. picketS and
strikers. He charged the C. 1. o.
had broken down all law enforce
ment in some communities.
Questioned as to why he re
fused to sign a contract with his
workers, Girdler said:
eff our own employees, proper
ly organized, properly response
BILE, under proper leadership,
want to enter into an under
standing with us on wages,
hours and conditions of en-
pioyment, we would meet with
them and make an arrange
ment satisfactory to them"
Under a croSS-fire of questions,
Girdler insisted he would have to
personally determine whether the
employees organization was prop
erly" organized and had proper"
leaders.
Girdler denied the C. I. o. had
a majority of his workers. He
said he could not prove this but
knew 1t was true.
Denies Charge
After questioning Girdler about
his background, Guffel asked:
'Ts it true that in 1929 you
resigned from the Jones and
Laughlin Steel Corporation be-
cause you turned over cOnfiden-
tiaI information to another steel
company that was whispered
around the Pittsburgh clubs,
you know"
Girdler shouted:
That's a lie, and you know it.
/ have never violated conf
dence in my life.
81 don't think that kind of
questioning is decent, and 1 sup
pose that l won't be allowed to
here like I'd like to-"
At the outset Girdler presented
q lengthy prepared statement in
which he denounced the c. I. o. in
strong language, and then offered
what he termed a program which
might point the way toward in
dustrial peace"
SUGGESTS PROGRAM
"Among the principles 1 would
suggest" he said, "are the fol
lowing:
"D Every worker should be
free to join or not to join a union
as he chooses without coercion
from any source.
"(2) No employee should be
forced to pay dues to a union
against his will.
"(3) All employees should be
permitted to take a vote by Sc
cret ballot on whether or not
they want to strike.
go There should be full pub
licity and public accounting of
the financial affairs of every
union.
"(5) The responsibility of a
union in any contract or agree
ment should be equal to the re-
spOnSibility assumed by a cor
poratiOn. Appropriate laws to
that end should be enacted"
Girdler denied any question of
hours, wages or working condi-
tions was involved in the current
strike. Nor, he said, is there any
real strike on the part of a ma
jority of Republics employees. He
said:
what has happened is that
an invading army descended on
our plants and forced many of
our employees from their jobs.
Fully $4,000 of our employees
have remained at work despite
threats and violence and many
additional thousands have been
kept from work against their
Will
RIGHT TO WORK
1.-THE basic issue of this strike
iS5the right of American citizens
to work free from moleStatiOn,
violence, coercion and intimida-
ton by a labor organization
whose apparent policy is either
to rule or to ruin American in
duStry.
THE statement has been made
that the companies involved
have declined to put in writing
an agreement which they have
made orally. That is not true.
There is no such agreement,
oral or otherwise, now in ex-
iStence.
THAT does not mean, how
ever, that the terms of employ.
ment now in effect are indefi-
mite or uncertain. They have
been reduced to writing in the
form of notices which are posted
or otherwise announced in writ.
ing in all the plants.
"The difficulties in the pres
ent dispute arise from the fact
that the company will not en-
ter into contract, oral or writ
ten, with an irresponsible party
and the c. 1. o., as presently
constituted, is wholly irrespon-
Sible.
'The responsibility Of the
C.. 1. o. is well established by
the fact that 200 strikes and
walk-OutS have taken place in
the plants of the General Motors
Corporation since that corpora
ton signed an agreement.
what is the real purpose of
the c. /. o. in demanding a con-
tract? 1t wants a document
,-a;oL - 49,. .I.: - .I