Evening star., 1947-01-19

would eliminate retroactive claims
on employers.
Earlier, the CIO official said the
refusal of industry to discuss the
problem of portal pay and AFL at
tempts to use the suits to raid his
unions forced the CIO to court &C
ton.
He declared the CIO had pom
dered what to about the Mount
Clemens decision, announced last
June, until some time in October.
At that time announcement OF a
back pay settlement between the
Dow Chemical Co. and the AFL
United Mine Workers was made
and, he said, the CIO was deluged
with inquiries from members as to
their rights in the matter.
Amused by AFL Criticism.
AFL representatives afterward
approached CIO unions on wide
scale, Mr.. Pressman continued, and
said "if you will only leave the CIO
and join the AFL, we will file law
suits for you. The CIo is not fight
ing for your rights He said he
was greatly amused" by recent AFL
criticism of CIO court action.
"At that time we approached
counsel for many large corpora
tions," he said, land asked If we
couldn't sit down with them and
discuss the problem in bargaining
way. Corporation after corporation
said we have no need to sit down
with you because we are quite cer-
tain that Congress will take action
to deny you these calims.'
Under questioning by Senator
Donnell, Mr.. Pressman said he per-
sonally had talked with only one
such corporation official. The COM
mittee head demanded his name,
but Mr.. Pressman refused to COM
ply on the grounds that 1t would
prejudice future union-management
relations.
Chairman Donnell ordered Mr..
Pressman to supply the committee
tomorrow the citation of "one line,
syllable or phrase of any basis of
law" by which he could justify re-
fusal to name the industry official.
JAW Representative Testifies.
There are no retainer fees to me
as an individual under these law
SUITS" Mr.. Pressman said at one
point. Absolutely not single one" :"
Irving Richter, legislative repre-
sentative of the CIO United Auto
Workers, declared that sponsors Of
the legislation against portal pay
claims generally are opposed to the
wage hour law. He filed statement
from Richard T. Leonard, UAW vice
president, which said:
when the workers of industry
merely file suit to recover back pay
under the Fair Labor Standards
CWage-HouD Act, they are vio-
lently attacked as 'racketeers' and
'hijackers' and Congress is asked
to leap and rescue industry from
the courts"
Worker Witness Heard.
Mr.. Pickeral was one of several
worker witnesses the CIO presented
to illustrate the justification of the
portal pay claims. He described the
great distances" he walked every
day about his employers property
and time spent in preparing for
work. Another textile worker who
suggested some workers exaggerated
their claims, explained:
1--WE don't put down the time it
takes to run to the job, but the time
to walk slowly-not the minimum
time it takes to change clothes, the
maximum"
Russ Nixon, Washington repre-
sentative of the CIO United Elec-
trical Workers, said that although
his union had filed Million dollar
backe-pay claims against five manu-
facturers it was attempting to reach
settlement by bargaining. He added
that they had reached agreement on
one aspect of the problem with the
Radio Corp. of America and that
it would be taken into consideration
in any action against RCA.