Evening star., 1938-06-14

0sGUS Oy tuOuSOWuS VI ULeWOcTS, uOL
prepiovsly trades union conscious,
in te,p months. Result has been
perpetual dipision as parious fac
tions, inexperienced and impetu-
Gus, pulled against each other.
Only te,o iDeeks ago harmony ioas
declared, but lasted only short
time.
BY the Associated Press.
Homer Martin, who left the min
istry to become . powerful figure in
the Committee for Industrial Organi-
nation, staked his leadership of the
United Auto Workers Union on q
purge of internal opposition.
Mr.. Martin invoked his emergency
powers As International U. A. W.
president yesterday in suspending five
Of the unions officers for leading 4
disgruntled minority faction. He
termed them an irresponsible group.
Six others out of q board member
ship Of "a promptly threw their sup
port to the suspended men.
The next step will be q trial In
Detroit before the remaining members
of the board.
Vice Presidents Included.
The suspension order included -four
Of the unions five vice presidents
Richard T. Frankensteen, Walter N
Wells, Wyndham Mortimer and Ed
Hall. The fifth man was George
Adde's. secretary-treasurer. whom Mr.
Martin replaced by the temporary ap-
pointment Of Delmond Garst.
The u. A. W. head warned the six
members who walked out when he
read the suspensions that they were
laying themselves open to the same
disciplinary action. The boilers were
Walter Reuther, Tracy M. Doll, Paul
Miley, Richard Reisinger, Ellsworth
Cramer and Leo Lamotte
Mr.. Martin said at a press confer
ence he did not intend to see the
union used as a tool to assist or
comfort any alien dictatorship" He
added that an insignificant Com
munist element" had influenced some
unthinking people" in the union.
A member Of the suspended faction
termed the Martin move q "declara-
ton Of war" which threatened to
split the union wide open"
Far-Reaehing Effect.
Members Of both sides OF the issue
expressed belief the struggle for con-
troll OF the U. A. w. might have . far
reaching effect on the whole c. I. O.
movement.
Chairman John L. Lewis Of the C.
I. o. was asked to intervene and
listened to the disputants for six hours
Sunday. He left without commenting
publicly.
Factionalism first appeared after
the U. A. w. came out Of the General
Motors sit-down strike. in which the
union won . signed contract and rec
ognition As . bargaining agency.
1t became more intense at the
unions national convention in Mil
waukee last year Mr.. Lewis inter-
vened then to effect a compromise
that gave both factions a share of the
top Offices and toard places.
In Issuing his suspension order Mr.
Martin charged that the suspended
officers had 'repudiated" q 2O-point
program for harmony which the
board approved unanimously less thar
= month ago. He told reporters no
body was being kicked out because OF
any political afiliation."
At one point in his talk with re-
porters the U. A. w. head declared
there would be no more wildcat
sit-down strikes in the automobile
industry.
Asked to explain some of the &C
tivities Of the so-called "Communis,
element" he said its members tried
to prevent ratification of the peace
pact after the Chrysler strike in 1887
and that some of the auto unionists
had conferred with Communist party
leaders.