Evening star., 1946-01-27

career that almost surely will have
profound effect on the American labor
movement-more important than the
mere addition of a half-million coal
miners to AFL rolls.
While Mr.. Lewis has had his political
upsets in recent years, he still is re-
garded by most observers as the coun-
try's outstanding labor leader He is
second to none as an organizer, his name
is synonymous with labor leadership
among rank -and-file unionists the Ma
tion over. He built the CIO from a
scattering of unions into a powerful
rival of the older AFL and the fedora
tion is now counting upon him to lead
it to dominant position in the labor
field once more.
That Mr.. Lewis has lost none of his
old-time power and fire in rough and
tumble debate was amply attested when
he wrapped several congressional heck
lers around his verbal rapier in an
appearance on President Trumans fact
finding bill before the House Labor
Committee last month. On that occa-
sion he termed the Presidents labor
legislation as an 'evil, vile smelling
mess" referred to General Motors Corp.
as dishonest" and to the striking CIO
United Auto Workers as stupid"
Bellies His 66 Years.
Belying the fact that he will be 66
in few days, Mr.. Lewis roars along in
much the same old way he did in battling
the coal interests in the 1920s and the
steel and automobile tycoons decade
later. His booming phrases carry just
as much of Shakespeare as ever, al
though his blasts may be somewhat less
frequent. At the recent Labor Manage
ment Conference he tangled with his
one-time friend Philip Murray, the CIO
president several times and left little
doubt as to the outcome.
AFL craft union heads hold the mine
leader responsible for labors divided
house and they make no bones about
the fact that they are relying heavily
on him to get most OF the family to-
gether again.
This, under their plans, will be done
directly at the expense of the CIO. 1t
is said that Mr.. Lewis would like moth
ing better than to make the AFL's
roseate dreams come true. While he
fathered the CIO, the days of love are
long gone. He would not destroy the
CIO unions. Just move them over to
the AFL piece by piece.
The remarriage of Mr.. Lewis and the
federation was timed carefully to take
place when the CIO is in a struggle for
its very existence with strikes on in
four major industries and others i'm
pending.
AFL's Strikes Few.
Advance publicity endeavored to con-
trast this situation with the AFL's
peaceful" position. The organization
boasts that it has secured wage increases
ranging from 10 to over 20 per cent
for 2,500,000 workers since VI day and
that only about 100000 members have
been involved in strikes.
1t is no secret that many CIO rank
and-file members as we'll as lesser leaders
are wondering why they should have to
pay so high a price to gain reasonable
wage settlements. 1t is upon this un-
rest that Mr.. Lewis and his new found
old friends plan to capitalize.
Whether any unions that might fol-
low the United Mine Workers into
the AFL will find their future paths
strewn with roses remains to be seen.
Mr.. Lewis past has contained few
peaceful interludes
President William Green was looking
far beyond the mine workers when,
upon announcing the Lewis reafilia-
ton, he referred to the move as "signifi-
can't because of the need for unity
and solidarity" in labor ranks.
1T might be interpreted as a move
to place the house of labor in order"
said Mr.. Green. ut will have a pro-
found effect upon the expansion and
development of a united labor move
ment."
Will Open Up on CIO.
Details of the Lewis Green strategy
should be more apparent after the mine
leader settles down tomorrow for sew
eral days of meetings with his fellow
Executive Council members in Miami.
They are expected to let 60 at the CIO
with all barrels.
Among the CIO unions they will be
trying to bag, and, it is said there has
been courting on both sides, are the
United Rubber Workers, the Mine, Mill
and Smelter Workers and the United
Auto Workers. All three were among
the 10 unions expelled from the AFL
when they insisted on helping Mr. Lewis
set up the CIO. They have expanded
greatly since that time and this is
especially true of the UAW, now one of
the biggest unions in the country.
just how much, if any, of the UAW
Mr.. Lewis will be able to WOO away from
the CIO will be interesting to see. 1t
would seem highly doubtful that any
of the top leaders will follow him, al
though number of the unions locals
have passed resolutions asking him to
take them over.
The Lewis-Green plans for labor
solidarity ultimately go far beyond the
capture" of handful of unions and
scattered locals of the CIO, and could
easily lead to the bitterest labor war
the Nation has seen.
Perhaps. eventually the lines of de-
marcation between the two big labor
organizations will be according to po-
litical and economic view of the workers,
with the more conservative all in the
AFL and those leaning toward the left
in the CIO.
In any event, the dynamic Mr.. Lewis
will give the Federation badly needed