The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-01-30
Facing The Facts
With PHILIP PEARL

The CIO is now trying to capitalize
on it's nuisance value in the defense
program In dozen different ways it
is cooking up disturbances and back
fires in industry and putting the heat
on the Government to force large cor
porations to sign contracts with the
CIO.
Now these methods might be con-
sidered legitimate if the CIO had any
substantial membership among the
employees of these corporations. But
they haven't and never did have
They've never seriously attempted the
long, difficult and expensive task of
organizing these employees. Instead
they've discovered what seems to be
a much simpler technique. All they've
got to do, they think, is to hold a
figurative gun at the head Of the Gov
ernment and say: make these cor
porations sign up with us or We'll
strike and tie up the whole defense
program"
If such tactics are not Communist
inspired, We'll eat our hat. It's just
the way the Comrades love to work.
If the Government knuckles down and
takes orders from the CIO, that's
fine for the Communists because it
extends their sphere of influence. If
the Government refuses to blow down
to dictation, that makes the Com
munists even happier because then
they have an excuse to pull lot of
phony strikes and further their dear
est objective-which is to sabotage
the defense program.
It's hard to believe that any or
ganization-even the CIO-should be
so untrue to its constituents as to
engage in such reprehensible and un-
American undertakings. But the rec
ord speaks for itself.
Not content with seeking to chisel
in on unorganized plants, the ClO
apparently has resumed it's completely
indefensible raiding tactics against
the members and organizations of the
American Federation of Labor.
When the Labor Policy Board of
the National Defense Advisory Com
mission was named several months
ago, it's Notwithstanding both A.
F. of l.. and CIO union leaders-an-
nounced that so far as they were con-
cerned there would be truce to raid
ing activities in defense industries.
This statement was widely hailed in
the press.
Now one of the signers Of that
statement was r. j. Thomas, Presi-
dent of the CIO Auto Workers Union.
And the other day something hap
pened which indicates very clearly
that Mr.. Thomas has changed his
mind about the whole thing. For he
was responsible for the most brazen
and bare faced raid yet attempted by
a CIO union against an A. +. of L..
union. sae o.
This case involved the employees Of
the Eaton Manufacturing Company
which manufactures automobile parts
and airplane valves which are most
urgently needed in the Government S
rush program for mass production of
warplanes.
The CIO has contracts with the
company covering employees in four
cities, but the American Federation
of Labor United Automobiles Work
ers Union has a similar contract COW
ering the Eaton plants at Saginaw
Mich.
Apparently the CIO couldn't stand
this setup, so they organized sys-
tematic raid on the Saginaw plant
Unable to win over the employees
through their own efforts, they sought
aid from the National Labor Rela.
tions Board, but the Board threw out
their complaints last October.
Still unwilling to give up, the ClC
union, led by Mr.. Thomas, precipi
tated a strike at Saginaw. 1t was q
flop. Only about 200 out of 1900 EN-
ployes responded and the plant con
tinued to operate with loyal A. F. OF
l.. workers who were observing theil
contract with the employer
Growing desperate, the ClO unior
served notice on the Defense Com
mission that they would strike al
other plants of the company unless
it surrendered to them in Saginaw
This pressure resulted in an agree
ment by the Labor Board to recon
slider the case.
While the case was still pending
before the Board, the CIO union made
good the threats and called com
pany-wide strike. 1t scared the Gov
ernment officials. All sorts Of threats
and counter threats were made. Blu
the A. +. of l.. union and it's mem
bers held their ground and the ClC
union finally was forced to call of
the strike. Then the Labor Boart
again threw out the fake complaint!
against the A. r. Of l.. contract a
Saginaw and the situation remain!
where it was before all the fuss start
ed.
The circumstances of this case wer,
so astrocious that President Green o.
the American Federation Of Labor
publicly denounced the actions of th'
CiO union as deliberate attemp
to sabotage the national defense pro
gram" And, taking notice of Mr.
Thomas responsibility in the case