Evening star., 1941-03-28
A Fraudulent Strike

The threat by Harold CnrlSIollel,
Ieft-wing leader of the Milwaukee
local of the CLIO. United Automobile
workers. to blacklist any worker VINO
returns to his job at the strike-pouno
nlant of the Allis-C Chalmers Company
coming after the disclosure that
the strike was fraudulently called by
casting 1900 forged ballots-is most
significant development.
Under Wisconsin law strike can
not be called unless a majority OF
employees vote for it. The conduct
of the balloting, however, Is left IN
union hands.
In the Allis-Chalmers case ma
,ority of the employees obviously were
opposed to the strike. But that did
not stop the officials of the union, Tor
the Wisconsin Labor Board has
charged, and the union officials have
admitted. that the ballot boxes were
stuffed with the forged votes 10
make up a majority which did not
exist in fact.
- Despite this background OF gross
fraud, however, the president of the
local, defying an urgent Government
request that operations at the plant
be resumed Immediately, has served
notice that any man who returns to
work before a vote is taken on that
question will lose his job when we,
the union members, go back to work"
Here is an example of union intimi-
dation at it's worst. The union Is
demanding a closed shop. To enforce
this demand a fraudulent strike is
called in a vital defense plant. And,
In an effort to prevent any one from
going back to work after the fraud
has been disclosed, the union presi-
dent threatens to use the closed shop,
II and when it is obtained, to deny
work to any man who refuses to go
along" with this particular bit Of
union dishonesty. Under the circum-
stances, it Is not surprising, to say
the least, that the employer in this
case has baked at any proposal for
a closed shop in his plant.
On other fronts, one big strike Is
reported to have been settled and
another begun. A c. I. O. spokesman
for strikers at the Bethlehem plant
of the Bethlehem Steel Company has
announced the settlement Of that
dispute, evidently on the basis of
substantial concessions from the
management and few, if any, from
the union.
The issue there was the calling Of
an election by the Employees Repre-
sentation Plan, an alleged company
union which has an appeal of this
question pending in the courts. Un-
willing to wait for adjudication Of
the appeal, which the E. R. P clearly
was entitled to take, the c. I. o.
Steel Workers went on strike. This
Issue has been disposed of, however,
by acceptance of an agreement
which seemingly binds the company
not to recognize any one from E. r. P.
as the representative of all its en-
ployes until the appeal is decided.
This was a wise and patriotic
concession on the part of the man
agement. But it has not prevented
the steel workers from staging an
other strike at the huge Cambria
works of the Bethlehem concern,
where the E. R. P. is again an issue.
! A spokesman for the c. I. o. was
quoted as saying that there was no
evidence that an E. R. P. election had
been started in the mills, but that
the strikers told him they wanted Ito
prove to the company that they
would not tolerate any intimidation
and prove that we are organized"
Under all the circumstances, it
would seem that c. I. o. President
Philip Murray, instead of challenging
the right of Government officials to
insist that defense strikers return
to work, should be making some
explanation of his reasons for con-
doning irresponsible and fraudulent
conduct on the part of c. I. o. men,
Der unions which amounts to a reck-
less endangering of the security of