Evening star., 1947-11-09
Detroit MoyoroIty Upset
Holds Lesson for O'Dwyer
New York Mayors Supporter Left. Wing
Unions May React Against Him
By Gerard d. Reilly

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By Gerard d. Reilly
1t has been apparent to informed observers
for many months that Mayor ODwyer has
permitted the municipal government Of New
York to become citadel of resistance by left
wing unionism against the reforms which Con.
gress undertook to accomplish in the Taft
Hartley Labor Management Relations Act.
There is lesson for, the ODwyer administra-
tion, however. in the election returns from
Detroit where Mayor Jeffries, running for q
fifth term, suffered an unexpected and stunning
defeat.
The downfall Of Jeffries, conceded to be an
ehdcient administrator, was due neither to any
revelations Of graft nor the stature Of his oppo-
nent. Until two or three weeks before the elec-
ton the Detroit papers which were behind JEFF
fries predicted an easy reelection for him. The
victorious candidate, Councillor Van Antwerp,
had little to offer the electorate other than an
undistinguished record in the city council
and his popularity with the Legion and other
veterans organizations in which he has been
active.
Moreover, the Mayor for the first time was
supported by the United Automobile Workers,
CIO, the largest labor organization in the
automobile manufacturing center Of the coun-
successfully, he was opposed by the UAW, not
because of any hostility on his part toward the
union but because the CIO had put candidate
Of it's own in the field.
During the closing weeks Of the campaign
the UAW called a strike of all the garage me-
chanics in Detroit. Inasmuch as there had
never been certihcation by the National Labor
Relations Board, and because many of the
mechanics continued to report for work, there
was a real question as to whether the union,
under the majority representation principle,
was the authorized bargaining agent for the
men. The strike was only partially successful.
The mayor appointed Labor Relations Com
mittee. This group ignoring the representation
question, sought to have the employers agree
to settle the strike by contract or arbitration.
The companies were cool to this offer OF inter-
vention.
The UAW retorted with widespread violence
against the workers and customers Of the
garages still open for business. As 1t became
apparent that police protection was unavailable,
or at best half-hearted, the mayors reputation
for impartial administration Of the laws he was
sworn to enforce, was shattered. He was
charged with having made deal with the
union-an issue which his rival was able to
exploit successfully.
In New York City, like Detroit, the CIO has
become entrenched as an important political
factor, but because Of the diversity of industry
in New York and the resulting number OF
unions, its major policy decisions are made by
the CIO Industrial Council for the city rather
than In the executive board Of single union.
This In turn controls the American Labor
Party, which since the withdrawal Of Dublin
sky's garment workers has become almost en-.
tirely q vehicle Of Communist direction Of the
CIO New York labor groups.
At the time he was running, ODwyer re-
ceived the Endorsement Of this party along
with that of other minor political groups. Few
voters believed that this Endorsement would
make their new Mayor feel obligated to be
partisan In industrial relations controversies.
He owed his election to the regular Democratic
organization of which he was the hand-picked
candidate Since he had made a good record
as a prosecutor Of Brooklyn gangsterisn, there
was little that the anti-Tammany factions
could say against him.
When his term began, however, the extreme
left of the CIO demonstrated its ability to pull
wires in his office. The police commissioner
was overruled, after he had denied permit
for sound trucks in an organization drive by
the United Professional and ONCE Workers,
CIO, in the downtown ofilces despite q long
standing rule against the use of these raucous
devices by private organizations. The author
ity Of the Board Of Transportation in dealing
with another CIo union, the Transport Work
ers, was undermined by his office after the
board had taken the position that because the
subways were owned by the people Of New
York, no union was entitled to a monopoly OF
the jobs or preferential treatment
Shortly thereafter ODwyer identified him
self with the most partisan of the groups en-
gagged in inveigling the President into vetoiag
the labor bill. Not only did he denounce the
legislation in the most hysterical terms, but he
used the prerogatives Of his official position to
proclaim veto day" throughout the city.
What has involved the Mayors ONCE, how
ever In actual conflict with the Federal law
has been the injection Of his labor relations
division into matters exclusively within the
domain Of the National Labor Relations Board
This division manned by ex-War Labor Board
EMPLOYEES, proceeds on the theory that II
union and employer can be brought to agree
ment, the protection given by Congress to the
rights of the individual worker can be ignored,
e. g-the secret ballot on union representation
in the original Wagner Act or the limitation
on the closed shop, the requirements for non
communist affidavits, and financial reports in
the new amendments. Consequently en-
ployers subject to the Federal act have been
pressured by these municipal officials into con-
tracts or arbitration proceedings with organi-
cations which have no legal right to obtain
union shop contracts or even to represent their
employes In one case this was done In the
face of petition pending before the NLRB
New York reporters scented first-class
scandal last week In the overtures made by
Local 65, Wholesale and Retail Workers, CIO,
for the diversion Of city relief funds into
union war chest to fight the Taft-Hartley Act.
This local, unable or unwilling to comply with
the Communist disclaimer section Of the act,
recently assessed all its membership weeks