Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-06-08
~ the Associated Press.

a
INGLEWOOD, Calf, June T.
Ranks of the C. I. o. in the North
American Aircraft Corp. strike
split wide open tonight as Rich
ard T. Frankensteen, national
head of the United Automobile
Workers Aircraft Division
charged that the walkout was
without authorization or ap-
proval
Bitterly cenSuring the local
membership in a Nation-w wide
broadcast, Mr.. Frankensteen
said:
Il take this opportunity of serv-
ing notice on the Communists that
they must keep their hands off the
policies and the affairs of the Air
craft Division of the c. I. o. here
on the West Coast.
His rebuff. delivered first at a
conference with the locals strike
committee, a few hours after Pres
ident Roosevelt had ordered the
plant reopened voluntarily Monday
with the alternative of Army &C
ton. brought the following COM
ment from Elmer Freitag of the
committee:
1T is the unanimous opinion of
the committee that the workers
stay out until the 75-cent Cper hour
minimum wage and the 10 cents an
hour general raise are obtained"
Sell-Out Attempt Charged.
After the broadcast. Mr.. Freitag,
saying he spoke for the negotiating
committee, issued statement
charging Mr.. FrankenSteen was at
tempting to sell out the North
American workers by advocating
back-to-Work movement and
this committee repudiateS him"
we ask that the rank and file of
the C. I. o. workers throughout the
country take similar action" the
statement continued. "and call for
his removal as U. A. w. aircraft
director.
North American workers are solid
in their strike for rs and 10
This is the only issue ANY,
thing else-such as the Red-baiting
whimperings of the defeated A. F. L.
or the wild threats of strike-b
ing by NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. not
even be considered
The committee sent a telegram
to Stephen Early, secretary to
President Roosevelt, urging that the
Army not be used to help break
our strike" nor to guarantee the
fabulous profits of the company
The armed forces will not break
our strike" the telegram concluded.
"Bombers can't be built with bay
onetS"
Ironically, the workers involved
did not hear his broadcast, which
went east at 6:45 pm. (P. S. t.,
but could not be arranged on a
Western hookup until Oils pm.
The cleavage threw the strike
situation into mass meeting
called for 3 pm. tomorrow, when
Mr.. Frankensteen and Mr.. Freitag
and supporters of each, will speak.
The factory, which has a back
log of nearly $2O0,00O,OO0 in mill
tary aircraft orders, employs 5000
IN its production division. The C.
I. o. claims 1000 of them as men,
bers.
J. H. Kindelberger, North Ameri-
can president, issued an order,
meanwhile, for all employees to re-
port for their regular shifts Monday
Mr.. Frankensteen, who flew here
from Detroit, said in part, in an
address broadcast by c. B. S.:
THE strike was called by
the leaders of the local union COM
pletely without authorization of the
United Automobile Workers Union
or the c. l. o.
Violated Agreement.
"The strike was called by local
leaders while negotiations were still
in progress before the National De-
tense Mediation Board. 1t was called
in direct violation of the agree
ment made by local leaders to keep
the plant in operation until the
board had completed it's findings,
and despite the fact that the COM
pany had agreed to make all wage
adjustments retroactive to May l.
The irresponsible, inexperienced
and impulsive action of local leaders
in violating their own agreement
will find no support from myself or
our organization. We have vigor-
ously condemned such action before.
I condemn it now"
Mr.. Frankensteen said he had
been working for two days that
local leaders may rectify this seri-
Gus mistake" and the plant could