Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-02-06
Ask Unionis+s
To Aid FBI
In Graft Probe
PegIer Urges Workers
TO Send Evidence
BY wESTBRooK PEGLER

TO ALL American workers
who have been robbed of any
portion of their pay by any
dirty union parasites as the
price Of admission 10 work on
any government project but
were not admitted to union
membership.
Greetings:
If you will collect your re-
ceipts for the money surrendered
under this evil shakedown, prac-
ticed mainly by construction
unions of the American Fedora
ton of Labor and send them 10
Tom c. Clark, chief of the war
frauds units, department Of JUS
tice, Washington, accompanied
in each case by an explanatory
letter, preferably brief, it may
be your satisfaction to see such
union vermin punished by large
fines or sent to prison or both.
WHEREVER you worked,
w whether on a cantonment in
Massachusetts, an air field in
Texas, a shipyard in California
or a pipeline across Illinois, If
you were forced to pay graft to
any such thieves under threats
of dismissal, and provided you
were not admitted to full men,
bership in the local union, you
have been robbed within the
present meaning of the law and
the penalty may be fine as
high as $4,000 and five years in
prison.
Already, four such crooks
have been caught in Albany,
N. Y, and fined $4,000 each.
They are the McGraws, Thomas
F. and John, father and son,
George J. Mannl and Jacob
Betar, officers of Local 106 of
the international Union Of Oper-
ating Engineers, and intimate
colleagues of Joe Fay, an inter-
national vice president of this
corrupt organization.
Their racket was to shake
down American workers on the
Voorheesville Regulation Station,
a war project, for 81 a day.
They extorted about $4,000 on
this Job alone between August,
1941, and February, 1912, were
indicted in the United States
district court last June and
pleaded guilty to conspiracy
under the anti-kickback law.
THEREUPON William E. Ma
l. loney of Chicago, the inter-
national president of the racket,
announced that they would be
suspended from office in their
local, II they were suspended,
il certainly is mighty curious
that the same Tom McGraW and
the same Mannl and James Nc
Donald and Augustus Martin
Shock were indicted last No
vesnber 25 for operating a SINH
lar shakedown in the name OF
the same local on another gov
eminent job in the same vicin-
ity. known as the Scotia Naval
Supply Depot, from June to No
vember last year.
In this time they are alleged
to have extorted about $1,000 at
the rate of $3.50 a week from
50 workers. This indictment has
not yet been tried. If McGraw
and Mannl were suspended from
office, they nevertheless con-
tinued to sell work permits in
the name of the local on this
other job and moreover, there
are reports now under invesd-
cation that the workers in their
Jurisdiction have been further
shaken down for money TO pay
the four $4,000 fines assessed
in the Yoorheesville case.
THE anti-kick-back law was
i busted off by Thurman
Arnold of the antitrust division
after he had lost two contests
in the Supreme Court under the
antitrust and anti-racketeering
laws.
Two years ago. Matthias Cor
rea. the United States district
attorney in the southern district
of New York, told me the anti
kickback law wouldn't apply TO
kickbacks extorted by union
GERS, but Mr.. Arnold got des-
perate and finally authorized
Mr.. Clark to see what he could
do with it.
Up TO now. we can't be posi-
tive that 1t will work because
YOU know how this Supreme
Court stands on union racket
eering. We can't be positive,
because the Graws and
Mannl and Betar in the Albany
case refused 10 carry the ques-
ton up to the Supreme Court.
DUT so far everything Is all
ID right and If you have been
robbed Of your pay under the
corrupt pernit-system practiced
bv so many AFL unions, send
YOUR receipts to Clark with a
letter explaining lust what hap
pened and he will turn the in
dividual cases over 10 the FBI
for notification.
or course, the Supreme Court
NAV decide that the anti-kick-
hack thing doesn't apply to
,.n.a..n -