Evening star., 1946-09-22
Lewis District So
Woos Rail Workers
Growing Union, 10 Years Old,
Plans Big Drive for Members
BIZ Harold w. Ward

By Harold w. Ward
That hodge-podge Of labor unions
which John l.. Lewis brought under the
United Mine Workers wing and labeled
District So is 10 years old this month.
And as II to make the anniversary
typical of its history, 10 is locked in
a major dispute far outside the coal
fields.
This time its opponent is the Long
Island Railroad, and District SOS show
of strength puts the entire railroad
industry on notice that:
l. 1t Is out to organize everything on
the railroads-as in any other industry
for that matter-that isn't nailed down.
2. 1t is not necessarily bound by any
commitment made by the old-line
brotherhoods.
In doing both these things. District
50 Is careful not to tread on the toes
OF those brotherhoods afiliated with
the AFL. Lewis took his miners union
back to the Federation last January, and
District so went with it.
On the railroads, District SOS fire Is
directed principally at A. F. whitney's
Brotherhood Of Railroad Trainmen. The
white-haired Whitney has been flirting
with the CIO.
On the Long Island commuters line,
300 members OF District sos railroad
division-principally ticket takers and
sellers and or-openers-threatened to
strike August %.
At the last moment, when President
truman agreed to name an emergency
fact-f1nding board, the strike was post
poned for 80 days. The new deadline
expires at 1901 am. Tuesday, Septem-
Der "a.
The union wants operating rules
changed. There are scores of rules at
issue. The older railroad brotherhoods
nave agreed to one-year postponement
OF their quarrel over rules. They settled
Tor an 181a-cent hourly pay increase in
the overall commitment which followed
President Truman's breakdown on
Whitney and Alvanley Johnston, presi-
dent OF the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers, in their two-day strike last
May 24-25.
The Long Island Railroad is onlv
OF l6 with which District so has con-
tracts for some workers. The employees
principally are those of connecting or
terminal lines.
; District so was formed September I,
1886, when IL New England utility work
ers' locals asked Lewis to bring them
under his banner.
In 10 years District so has spread
out TO take in workers in 48 different
occupations. These include clam dig
gers, white collar workers, billiard ball
workers, smelter workers. pulp and paper
WorRers, chemical, construction and even
supervisory and technical workers.
Inc construction workers, headed bv
Lewis brother, A. D. Denny Lewis and
tne United Clerical, Technical and
Supervisory Employees Union. led bv
John McAlpine, are more or less auton-
omous.
Most OF the credit for building up Dis
trlct 80 to its present strength is given
70 Kathryn Lewis daughter of the min
ers' chief, and handful of former mine
union leaders.
These include John OJeary, vice pres
: loent OF the miners; John Mate, the late
CHARLES Fell, Michael F. Widman ir :.
John Ghizzoni, o. E. Gassaway, former
, president, and John Kmetz, the current
president.
, Daughter Kathryn, in Ill health, Is on
leave at present as secretary treasurer
. OF District So but plans to attend the BIZ
y annual convention at Atlantic City
beginning September 27.
, For the past three years, District 80
, has been headed by big, handsome
kmetz. who came from the hard coal
mines in the vicinity of Wilkes-Barre
Pa.
: While membership figures are not
r disclosed for competitive reasons. here
} are some statistics and details Kmetz
: gives to the curious:
: District so has more than 1900 local,
In A States and Canada. Thirty region.
Y al offices handle the front-line organiza.
D ton work on which the union is con-
stantly engaged. 1t has more than 300
2 organizers.
AS "AaoAS toWIl-oucIld VISTA, va,
t population, 4,335)-has been organized,
2 every working man in the community
S is in District so If he belongs to a union
at all.
At the moment it is suing the Du Pont
Co. at Belle, w. Va, for more than
$l,OOo000 in portal-to-portal pay for
some 5000 workers. 1t claims that since
, 1888 the workers have had to walk
varying distances, up to a mile, to their
place of work inside the companys
4 ground.
District so already has won a suit for
$3.50, 900 in portal-to- portal pay at the
- = Diamond Alkali plant in Ohio.
Lewis union claims to dominate the
4 chemical workers field. Martin Wag-
{ ner, president Of the CIO- United Gas,
> Coke and Chemical Workers once was
president of District so, but he was q
. casualty of District so house cleaning
= in l941, after Lewis left the CLIO.
When Lewis returned to the AFL last
winter, 1t was after full discussion with
- federation leaders about the jurisdic-
tional problems which were certain to
arrive over District so.
= The big jurisdictional fights, II any.
are to be settled by the AFL's 15-member
> Executive Council on which Lewis sits.
So far things have proceeded harmoni-