Evening star., 1946-04-04
War Emergency Led to Signing
OF Red Cross Pact With Labor

! try, business and labor have termee
sound in theory and practice"
Red Cross learned the AFL ant
CIO represented a large group de.
serving of special treatment, in that
the true Red Cross story, well known
in other fields, had not been general.
ly told there.
! When it became known the union:
were planning their own fund col.
lections for all agencies, from which
the Red Cross was to share, the news
was regarded as a blow to the Rec
Cross ambitious fund-raising plans
Mr.. Emerson wrote:
I While we were studying appro-
pirate action, representatives of the
two national labor war fund groups
which were by this time working il
close cooperation, called on us ir
Washington Five or six lengthy con-
ferences followed.
las a direct result of these con.
ferences and, as we learned later
of similar talks with the Commu-
llity Chests and Councils, the plans
for national labor war pools were
completely abandoned and they
agreed to work on a local level and
in harmony with Red Cross chapters
and local war chests.
Form of Agreement.
I'm order to give effect to this
result, which obviously was of great
value to us, we proceeded to draft
form of agreement stating that
labor would, in the case of Red
Cross. respect our policy of holding
separate campaigns and would di-
vert its war fund staff to fund COL
lections in cooperation with our
chapters.
Mr.. Emerson said it was not un-
til labor leaders came in to sign the
agreement that we learned for the
first time that the representatives
of the Community Chests and
Councils had already suggested that
they reimburse the labor repre-
sentatives for the expenses of thei,
welfare work"
This gave the Red Cross and its
Central Committee a decision tt
make. Wrote Mr.. Emerson
I'VE had the choice of taking part
in a labor agreement with a groul
which represented the most sub.
stantial business leaders in America
or of refusing to take part. If we
joined, we could not have a free
ride but must pay our share.
Faced Realistic Problem.
IF we did not join We surrendered
the field of union and plant organi-
zation to a combined effort on the
part of labor and the chests, with
the Red Cross working at a great
disadvantage. After consultation
with you tMr. Davis and the staff
we decided to go along
I'VE did not initiate this plan. But
We were facing realistic problem in
an emergency period. We used the
best Judgment we had, and looking
back on it, under the same circum-
stances l should take the same
action
Why did labor abandon its plans
for separate appeals?. Primarily
agree Leo Perlis, head of the CIO
Committee, and Abraham Bluestein
of the AFL group, it was a matter
Of doing what appeared to be best
for a unified war effort. Then, too
it was labors opportunity to gain
recognition in national welfare work
WOll's Statement Recalls.
In this connection Matthew Woll
president of the Labor League for
Human Rights. pointed out that
since the war the number of trade
unionists sitting on the governing
boards of various welfare agencies
has increased from a handful to
to more than 10000
Said a statement by E. A. Roberts
president of the Community Chests
and Councils, with the approval OF
Winthrop w. Aldrich, president OF
the National War Fund:
The choice (early in l942) was
between united effort and sepa-
ratism, between order and complete
chaos in local communities. Com
munity Chests and Councils. Inc
and organized labor placed their in
fiuence behind a unified appeal"
Community Chests. later absorbed
by National War Fund during the
war emergency. signed its agreement
with labor August II, 1942. and the
Red Cross joined the four-way COM
pact a month later.