Evening star., 1939-12-31
Green Asks Congress
To Quiz Miss Perkins
For Truth on Labor
Takes Sharp Issue
With Report, Charging
Suppression Of Facts
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
Split in American labor ap-
peared in 1885 ,chen group OF A.
F. L. leaders formed committee
to organize mass production in
dustries. In 1886 Federation
council suspended unions and
outright expulsion has tollo1Oed
in most cases Peace EFFORTS
launched in 1897 and rene1Ued
since haze failed Original Com
mittee for Industrial Organ1zd-
ton has changed name to Con-
gress of Industrial Organizations.
p. the Associated Press.
The American Federation of Labor
accused Secretary Perkins last night
of misrepresenting the facts of the
C. I. GA. F. L. dispute in her an
nual report to Congress and sug-
gested that a congressional COM
mittee summon the Labor Depart
ment head land wiring from her the
truth she has suppressed"
In a sharply critical statement.
President William Green of the A,
F. l.. also took exception to Miss
Perkins references in her report to
the numerical strength of the two
labor organizations.
The statement of the Secretary
Of Labor that the A. F.. L. claims
four million members is misleading" +"
he said. I'VE do not claim we re-
port four million paid-up members
The figures are included in our an
nual financial report and are subject
to verification by expert accountants.
Our financial report is in the
possession of Secretary Perkins. She
had no such report from the c. I. o.
because they issued none. Yet in
the same breath that she states we
claim four million members, she
says the c. I. o. also claims four
million members. Thus she at
tempts to place both organizations
in a position of parity when as a
matter of fact. the paidup member
ship of the A. F.. of L. is probably
four times that of the c. I. O."
Calls Schism Hazardous"
In the course OF her report, Miss
Perkins reviewed the split in the
labor movement and described it as
hazardous to trade unionism" as
we'll as troublesome" to some en-
ployers and to Government agen-
cies dealing with labor problems.
She mentioned also President Roose-
velts and her own efforts to effect a
union of the two warning groups.
Mr.. Green asserted that this por-
ton of the report was thoroughly
uninformed, misleading and un-
true"
Her statement that the split in
the labor movement was crystal
lized' when 10 unions were expelled
from the A. F. L. on September
6. 1896, is contrary to the facts and
faulty in judgment" he continued.
"The split occurred with the forma-
ton of the c. I. o. in November.
1885, and was crystallized when that
organization undertook to wage an
undeclared war on the American
Federation of Labor Immediately
thereafter. No unions were 'ex-
PEELED by the A. F. L. on September
S, 1896. Ten unions were suspended
on that date. There is vast differ
ence. -"
Says G. I. O. Ended Overtures.
I'm reporting on peace negoti-
ations, the Secretary stops
short at a vital point when she is
under moral obligation to tell the
whole story. She refrained from re-
porting that the c. I. o. broke off
negotiations last April and has re-
fused to renew them since.
Furthermore, she failed to report
that in response to her urgent re-
quest, as well as that of the Presi-
dent, to resume negotiations, repre-
sentatives of the A. F. L. agreed to
meet anywhere at any time with
representatives of the c. I. O. She
failed to report that Mr.. Lewis
John L. Lewis, c. I. o. president)
answer was no. that he spurned
the invitation of both the President
and herself and for that reason
peace negotiations have not been
resumed.
why has she withheld this vital
information from Congress and the
public? We hope an appropriate
congressional committee will sum-
mon the Secretary of Labor to ap-
pear before 1t and wiring from her