Evening star., 1940-04-11
Wo|l Urges Labor
To Refuse 10 Make
Goods for Germany
Advocates Policy Of Aid
To Allies. Short Of Wor,'
Before Engineers Union

national Union Of Operating En-
gineers today included the advice Of
an American Federation of Labor
official that unless American ex-
porters cease to ship products to
countries friendly to Germany labor
should refuse to produce and trans
port such materials.
Matthew Woll. executive vice pres
ident of the A. F. of L., told the con-
vention delegates at the Raleigh
Hotel late yesterday that the democ-
racies of the Old World must not be
wiped out" and that American
labor must do all in its power" to
see that war materials it produces
do not reach Germany or her allies.
Overnight we have seen two more
democracies destroyed" Mr.. Woll
declared. God knows how long the
remaining democracies will con-
tinue."
Advocates Aid to Allies.
The labor leader advocated q
United States policy of aiding the
allies through any measures short
of war" If I'VE are sincere in our
efforts to protect our democratic
institutions"
Mr.. Woll decried the Justice De-
partment'S persecution of labor
under the Sherman Antitrust Act
as an attempt to restrain us from
carrying on activities granted us
under the rights of collective bar
gaining"
He warned that If the prosecution
is successful agriculture and horti-
culture will be Threatened" by SIM
liar Government action. Mr.. Wou
condemned the "invalidity, unfair
ness and insincerity" of the methods
of Thurman Arnold, Assistant At
torney General in charge of the
Antitrust Division of the Justice
Department.
Says Litigation Costs $1,000, 900.
Litigation costs occasioned by in
dictments already returned against
labor under the Sherman and Clay
ton Acts may exceed $1,000, 900, Mr..
Woll said, adding that number of
unions have filed consent DEGREES in
order to avoid the financial strain"
of contesting the suits.
The speaker declared that the
principal group seeking to cripple
the building construction industry is
the Congress of Industrial Organi-
cations.
"Why then," he asked, doesn't
Arnold prosecute the c. I. O. instead
of encouraging, aiding and comfort
ing lt?"
George Meany, secretary treasurer
Of the A. F. of L., told the conven-
ton that the head of the c. I. O. is
opposing an amendment to the Ma
tional Labor Relations Act to permit
collective bargaining of craft unions
organized within an industry "for
his own personal ambition and not
by any desire to better working
conditions for labor generally
Fears Government Control.
Mr.. Meany warned against Gov
ernment control of labor unions.
Unleess the union movement gets
back to the principle of looking to
labor organizations to better working
conditions instead of Government,
he declared, I'VE may see the day
when we reach a labor situation now
existing in Italy, Germany and
Russia"
The official said that the N. L. r. A.
was not meant to give the right of
collective bargaining to the A. F. of
l.. We've had that right for so
years." he stated.
"The Government felt that it was
duty bound to see that unorganized
workers had a similar right of col
lective bargaining" Mr.. Woll said,
"and in order to see that these
workers receive full benefits from
legislation enacted for them the law
must be administered properly"
The convention delegates jour-
neyed to the Gettysburg battlefields
today and will resume their regular
program tomorrow. DR.. John r.
Steelman, chief of the Labor De-
partment Cancellation Service, and
John P. Coyne, president of the A. F.
or LIS building trades department,
will be among the speakers.