Evening star., 1946-05-22
UPWASeeksAid
0fC|0 in Fight !.
ToSaveUniion
Civil Service Head
Hits Organizations
Pro-Russion Policy
By Joseph YOUNG

odCkeu luCO a corner Dy ur1s
favorable reaction from official
Government quarters over its
pro-Russian foreign resolution
and it's strike policy, the United
Public Workers of America, CIO.
today turned to the national CIO
organization for help in an effort
to save the life of the union.
UPWA officials are conferring to.
day with CIO leaders on the most
immediate objective, strategy to de-
feat riders on Senate appropriation
bills which are aimed specifically
at the union.
Last week the Senate Appropria.
tions Committee tackled on rider
to the Agriculture Department appro-
prlations bill which would prohibit
Agriculture from employing mem-
bers OF unions which assert" the
right to strike against the Govern
ment. Senator Ball, Republican, of
Minnesota, who was instrumental in
mounting the rider on the bill, has
declared he will seek to have the
Senate Appropriations Committee
tack on a similar rider to other
agency bills.
UPWA officials admit it would
cripple the union If these riders
were passed by the Senate. The
union has adopted a no-strike pol.
icy, but it does not bar the possi-
bility of a strike.
The new unions troubles were ag.
gravated today by sharply critical
blast from Harry B. Mitchell, presi-
dent of the Civil Service Commits
sion, over the groups foreign policy
declaration adopted at its Atlantic
City convention.
Referring to the pro-Russian pol.
icy, Mr.. Mitchell declared in a let-
ter to UPWA, Its (UPWA's) pur.
pose in throwing an utterly un-
called-for proverbial red rag in the
face of the American public, the en-
ployer of its members, is rather diff
cult to understand"
Answers Query on Probe.
Mr.. Mitchell's letter was in
answer to- the unions query whether
the commission was planning to in
vestigate the union. The query was
prompted by story in The Star,
which reported the commission was
considering an investigation.
| (Alfred Klein, chief of the COM
missions legal division, had told The
Star that he was thinking" about
investigating UPWA, but that no de-
cision had been reached)
Mr.. Mitchell said the commission
does not plan to investigate the
union and went on to say how diff
cult it is to prove that a person un-
der suspicion is member of the
Communist party.
While implying that the commits
sion's hands were tied in the matter
of investigation, Mr.. Mitchell lashed
out at the unions policy.
Sees Suspicion Aroused.
"The mere fact that a person at
tended convention which declared
that the communistic Russian gov
ernment was perfect in all that it
did, while the Government of the
United States was imperialistic in
its design on humanity, would not,
standing alone, justify a decision
that the person was a Communist,
and consequently believed that force
to overthrow the government to
which he normally owed allegiance
was justified" Mr.. Mitchell said.
| However" he added, such action
is bound to arouse suspicion against
the members, as it unquestionably
did IN the case of your organization"
Further lashing the union, Mr..
Mitchell said, there is no question
but that evidence indicating that in
dlVlduals participating in the draft
ing OF such resolutions would be
considered as relevant evidence in
determining whether or not a per-
son was following the Communist
party line
No Immediate Comment.
! UPWA officials declined immedi-
ate comment on Mr.. Mitchells let.
ter, declaring they wanted to study
1t further before making a state
ment.
The fight over the rider on ths
agriculture appropriations bill is ex-
pected to come up shortly in the
Senate. Union officials are urging
the CIO to make an all-out fight
against it.
UPWA points to its no strike-
clause in its constitution, "It shall
not be the policy of this union to
engage in strikes" as proof that it
does not condone strikes. Senator
Ball, however, pointed out that at
another point it lays down the pro-
cedure to be followed by a union
local when it is considering strike.
This provision states that such a
union must Immediately advise the
international president of It's inten-
tions and that lit shall be guided
by the advice and decisions of the
international president"