The Wilmington morning star., 1946-04-25
Fair Enough
By WESTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, 1916, BY King Features Syndicate

tilery Workers Union of the A. F. of L., is
one of the most redoubtable crooks in the ro-
CUES gallery of the A. F. of L. He has spe-
cialized in bankruptcy frauds in his criminal
career having served two terms under three
charges, one OF go days in New York. the
other of three years and four months in At
lanta for such sWindles With other members
of his family he has had great experience in
bankruptcy. He also paid a fine of $500 in
New York under the Sherman act for threat
ening to picket liquor dealers who were not
patronizing bottlerG and rectifers with whom
ne and certain of his friends had business re-
lations. Recently he beat black market Ii
quor indictment in Newark, N. J.
Pross' Wine, Liquor and Dlstillery Work.
ers local is only one of many unions which
he controls. He has appeared in the records
Of the New York district attorneys office as
business manager of the United Window Trim
mers and Displaymen's Local Number $40 and
has claimed to represent federal local number
20734. Altogether from time to time. the pub
locations of the A. F. of L. rackets in New
York have identified him with II unions in
executive positions. He was associated with
Mike Lomars, stick-up man, in union of
tybacco workers in New York until Loqnars
got from IL to 20 years for the holdup of
Mrs. James V. Forrestal the wife of the Secre-
tary of the Navy. Lonars tried to shake down
the rank and file of his union for money to
pay for his defense and appeals. An under
cover agent attended the union meeting pos
ing as sympathizer with Lomars who was
depicted as a martyr to a frame-up by the
greedy bosses. He came away with beauti-
full report Of the proceedings. This daring
young man was killed in the war.
Recently, Pross has been running a union
of workers in plants manufacturing and ship
ping cosmetics.
| One woman member alleged that in one of
the factories a shop steward actually was
working for the interests of the employer and
selling out the workers. She charged further
that business agent gave no account of
the dues OF So month paid by the workers
! and was not affixing the regular 35-cent I'M
ion dues stamps in the members books, as
required by the constitution but was acknow-
Lodging payment with a rubber stamp. She
complained to the A. F. Of L. in Washington
and was fired by New York union official
for refusing to apologize.
Notwithstanding his long criminal record
and the fact that he has never worked as
union member or engaged in any honest work,
so far as careful search Of his career re-
veals, Ben Pross is constantly prominent in
A. F. OF L. affairs in New York. He is a power
full man. He issues patriotic statements on ap-
propriate occasions which echo the resounding
bombast OF William Green, himself, and are
printed IN the union papers as the utterances of
distinguished labor leader. Rank and file
workers are afraid even to ask for glimpse Of
their union constitutions to say nothing of the
financial accounts and union contracts with
employers.
How ProSs ever acquired control of his I'M
ions do not profess to know. This is one of
those mysteries of the American Federation of
Labor which seethe and stink year after year
and the revelation of which Is instantly de-
nounced as labor-ba1ting and union-busting by
the very racketeers themselves I once in
quired at the national headquarters of the
A. F. of l.. in Washington for complete
roster of its unions, including it's little social
ed federal unions, and was turned down. then
asked for copies of the constitutions of these
unions and was told that I might see any
constitution that I asked for specifically and
read it and make notes from it then and
there. But I could not have a copy for my
own. Obviously. without roster it was i'm
possible to ask for the constitutions of the I'M
known unions, but that was the stand taken
that day by Phillip Pearl, the publicity agent
for the A. F. Of L. Some of the unions in New
York are not even listed in the telephone book
and many of those that are listed have identi-
cal phone numbers because groups of them
are controlled by small gangs of racketeers
such as Ben Pross.
Ben Pross first appears in the bankruptcy
records in New York on Aug 20, 1925, as a
witness before Il special commissioner in the
bankruptcy of his father, Max Pross Since
that time numerous members of the family
have been involved in bankruptcy, some of
them twice, often amid allegations of fraud
The latest of these bankruptcies was filed
| In May 1874, when Reuben Pross brother
Of Ben and Lee Pross, Reuben's wife also
known as Lee Adler, scheduled liabilities of
$16,477 and $3,O19, respectively, and assets Of
$1,000 each. Reuben gave his occupation as
union delegate for the Upholsterers Inter-
national Union TO 661 and the Retail Bakery
Clerks Local No. ILL., The address of the I'D
i holsterers union is given as 1860 Broadway.
which is the address of Ben Pross' Wine, Lii
quor and Distillery Workers Union
Reuben Pross said in his petition that he
was Known also as Robert and Richard Pross
inns was his second bankruptcy although he
i ala not say so. In the first one, creditor
1lieo petition against the Star Stationary Co..
Oh winch Reuben (also spelled Rubin) was
president The treasurer of the company was
Rose Adler, the mother of Lee Adler Pross.
Reuben's wife. Assets were $1,700 and ibaiE.
ties $4,000. During the proceedings creditors
L charged that the company had allowed de-
J fault judgment in favor of a relative in con
temptation of bankruptcy. The person descrih-
, ed as relative denied any relationship hut
in the end the default judgement was vac.+eS
following open charges of fraudulent nurnosa
, and ST ,01O realized from the sale of tho +ras
5 erty to satisfy the default judgment was order
| ed to be turned over to the eSt5te ~ s.4:e ~