The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-01-16
AUTO WORKERS
Lash INDUSTRY
and 0PM
BY CARL HAESSLER

DETROIT. - (FP) THE OPM is
dead but doesn't know it," declared
Pres. R. ]. Thomas of the UAW-CIO
in savage attack on the failure of
the government labor management
conference in Washington to over
come the opposition of auto industry
executives to speedy conversion of
plants to war production. "The OPM
certainly has seen its last days, in
my opinion"
Thomas launched his deadly blows
against the Knudsen-Hillman govern
ment agency in an address to dele
gates of Chrysler locals where unem-
ployment has been worse than in
many ohter plants because of reluct-
ance of Chrysler executives to retool
for war output Formerly regarded
as sympathetic to Sidney Hillman,
Thomas surprised his hearers by the
violence of his position.
At the same time Sec.-Treas. George
f. Adde's of the union lashed both
OPM and management for failing to
give the joint ACKNOWLEDGEMENT con-
version body any power to act. Man
agement remains free to ignore all
recommendations, as heretofore. The
committee, Adde's bitterly remarked,
sis just another of the innumerable
advisory bodies the government sets
gram, Adde's charged.
"The failure of management is the
greater" he said. "Pres. c. E. Will
son of General Motors told his press
conference in Washington that the
union proposals for speeding plant
conversion constitute specialization of
industry. Mr. Wilson ought to be fair
enough to admit that our proposals
for a minority voice in conversion
especially after management had
failed for over year to do it I'M
aided-is in no sense specialization.
Labor has the skill and experience,
and above all the patriotic will to get
this thing done. Labor's proposal is
merely a practical application in the
auto industry of what the nation and
its allies are fighting for - freedom
and democracy"
General Motors, the chief culprit in
the sabotage Of victory, now feels it.
self on the spot and is making fever
ish efforts to woo public opinion. In
addition to full-page ads for which 1t
paid the largest single share, GIN has
trotted out its president for press con
ferences. The latest was January 10
in Detroit where Wilson went out of
his way to be nice to the newspaper
boys" and referred pleasantly to the
promoter of the Reuther plan as
"Walter."
The most significant thing Wilson
said, however, was a direct refuta-
ton of the Roosevelt estimate that
complete changeover could
be accomplished in 60 days.
Gin 10 to IS months" Wilson said,
"there will be more people employed
by General Motors than ever before"
The all-time peak of GIN employment,
he added, was 303, 4S3 in June 1941,
Employment will be only 179,96S in
February, he said.
Asked pointblank about the per-
Torrance of OPM, headed by his
former boss, VIM. S. Knudsen (who
may again displace him in GM), Will
son handsomely said:
PERSONALLY I have no great crit
icism of the setup, but | wouldn't say
it couldn't be improved"
The key to this compliment was
supplied day earlier by Thomas of
the JAW
I'm not so sure" Thomas said,
whether Mr.. Knudsen is representing
the people of this country or the
Geenral Motors Corp. Knudsen agreed
with Mr. Wilson 5000 of the time in
the Washington conference, and at
no time did l see him disagreeing
with Wilson"