Evening star., 1940-12-03
Letters on Union
Activity on US. Jobs
To Be Read in House
Hoffman Also Plans Bill
To'Put q Little Democracy
Into Labor Groups


little democracy into labor unions"
Representative Hoffman, Republi-
can. of Michigan said yesterday he
would read to the House every day
the texts of some of many" letters
ne has received about labor union
activity on defense projects.
What he meant by democracy"
he said, was plan to give members
of labor unions a more effective
voice than they now have In fixing
the amount of initiation fees, as
sessments and fines for violation of
union rules.
Mr.. Hoffman last week intro
duced a resolution calling on the
Secretary of War to furnish the
House with information showing
whether civilian employees on Army
projects are forced to join labor
unions.
Two Letters Made Public.
Two of the letters he has re-
ceived were made public late yes
terday, and one of them was read
to the House from a man who said
he was a labor foreman at Fort
Belvoir, Va, where cantonment is
being erected.
The letter follows:
II am a labor foreman at Fort
Belvoir and work for Potts & Gala
han Co. The Building Laborers'
Local, No. IA, located here in Wash
ington, has given me until tonight
(Friday, November 29) as a dead
line to Join their union or be dis
missed. The organizer told me
Tuesday that Friday (today) would
be my last day unless I joined. The
cost Of joining Is $58.
-I get $50 a week straight time
now. The unions scale is 9212 cents
per hour, or S37 for a 40-hour week
BY joining I leave myself open for
a cut. So I am not joining even
though am dismissed.
They are after all the labor fore
men. None of them I have talked
to intend joining, or so they tell me.
So they may all get let out If the
union has the power to do it.
Hope you will look into this Sit
uation.''
Name Withheld.
The name of the foreman who
wrote the letter was not disclosed
by Mr.. Hoffman.
Both the contractor and the union
denied that such foreman woulo
have had his pay reduced by joining
the union. They explained that the
cantonment construction was op-
Grated as a union job. or CLOSED
shop" under which only union labor
is employed. The union scale of
pay. however, is only minimum
scale, it was explained, which left
the contractor free to pay as high
wages to his foremen as he felt was
warranted by the mans ability. The
union scale already provides that
foremen shall receive 81 day more
than laborers, but this is a mini
mum, and the pay could be much
higher, they explained, under the
agreement between the union and
the contractor.
On such defense contracts, it was
explained, men are allowed to go
to work under a work permit and
pay their union dues In installments
later.
Later Representative Hoffman
said he had turned over another
letter to Representative Crawford.
Michigan Republican. who planned
to read it also to the House. The
name of the writer of this second
letter was not disclosed.
The Second Letter.
Text Of this letter follows:
II know that Fort George c.
Meade, Md, is strictly a union job
because try to get on as a steam
filter. You positively have to have
a union card. Fort Belvoir, Va, is
also a closed shop because I was
down to Fort Belvoir.
"I saw Mr.. Lucas, superintendent
OF construction for Thompson & Co.
He told me you have to be union
man to work here as a steamfitter
or a plumber. There are no OPEN
1ngs for steamfitter, but they can
use some plumbers.
why can a Government Job call
for closed shop? I am a steam
filter. I dropped my union card
due to circumstances. Today 1t is
impossible to get a job without
union card. I have to pay 1920.
don't mind paying a fine Of 500,
$40 assessment and $100 initiation
fee if I can go to work and pay
out of income.
II am walking the streets looking
for work when there are Govern
ment jobs going begging at s14. 1t
seems a shame that a man cannot
get chance to earn an honest hy-
ing for his family. What right has
a body of men to keep a man from
making a living on Government
projects. It's crime"
Governments Position.
Department of Labor experts,
charged with administration of the
Davis-Bacon law which charges this
department with fixing of prevail
ing wage scales for construction Of
such cantonments. explained that
the Government does not specify
whether a contractor shall run
closed shop, where only union men
can work. or whether he shall
operate an open shop without re-
quirement of union membership.
1t is left to the contractor to de-
eide, Government officials said,
whether he shall use union labor.
If he does use union labor, he enters
into a contract with the union to
employ only men who belong to or
ganized labor, and this contract Is
considered binding on both con-
tractor and labor organizations,
according to the terms of the agree
ment.