The union times., 1947-10-25
State And Local Chapters Will
 Be Established
Political Action To Be Fii- nanced By Voluntary Gifts
 Of Unions And Members

San Francisco (LPA) = Conclusion of the AFL's stormy Goth convention here last week saw the Federation embarked as never before i'm its history on a swelling tide of political activity and edu. cation.
 For the daily press the history of the hectic two week gathering was primarily a battle between John L. Lewis and other AFL leaders, Lewis provided the drama, which was finally cli- maxed by his replacement on the executive council, but the con crete achievements of the con vention were measured in terms of the AFL's specific plans for repeal of the Taft-Hartley law and defeat of its Congressional supporters.
 POLITICAL ACTION
 The convention voted to cre- ate a ''Labor's Educational & POli- tical League'' with a network of state and local chapters to further the economic and political policies of the AFL." This could be admit tedlN a political action group, financed by voluntary cOntribu- tiOns of unions and individuals, organized to defeat Taft-HartIey COngressmen.
 2+The convention confirmed the recommendation of its execu- tive council to raise about $l, l,OOO,- 900 yearly to. finance public rela- tiOns and educational program thru an increase in per capita tax from 2 to 3 cents.
 3-The convention gave the ex- ecutive council power to impose an "emergency assessment" on the AFL's 7,6OO, ,OOO members of l cent a week for not more than 26 weeks.
 Estimates on the total amount that could be raised ranged up to $3,000,- 900. Said President Dan Tobin, of the Teamsters, "We are levying this as- SesSment as strictly an educational and organizational fund. But in educating the membership, of course, we will have to explain the political situation to them"
 A RADICAL DEPARTURE
 These actions were a radical de parture from many of the Federation's policies, AFL leaders ad- mitted here. But they were necesSi- tated by the gravest threat to Ameri- can tnionism in its history, they con tended.
 The $l, ,OOO, ,OOO additional yearly income will be devoted chiefly eo large scale newspaper advertising and radio brOadcasts. One thing was clear: the AFL, in the plans of all its top leaders, would enter the local, state and national political arena in 1948 to, an extent never known before.
 However, it was made clear that the AFNL's political activity would not be joined with the similar work of the CIO Political Action Committee.
 On the same score, AFL-CIO unity became more remote than ever as the convention decided against any united front for pOli- tical purposes without full ''organic unity" Said the convention, "The two organizations cannot work to- gether in the political field while they are fighting over control of uniOns."
 The final day of the convention saw President William Green, now "A years old, elected by accIama- tiOn for his 24th term, and George Meany reelected Secretary-Treas- urer. The only change in the ex- ecutive council told the story of President John l.. Lewis, of the United Mine Workers, whose union had been back in the AFL for only Ia months. Lewis was replaced by President Dan Tracy, of the Int'l Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
 The shaggy-browed UNIV chief gave the convention two turbulent days of name-calling and mutual de- when it was certain that he faced defeat on the issue of com pliance with the Taft-Hartley require ment of anti Communist afidavits.
 Lewis alone had prevented the AFL executive council from signing the affidavits and thus giving NLRB pro- lection to 1,500 federal unions those directly responsible to the coun- Gil. When the issue came to the con vention foor-in the form of an amendment to the AFL constitution to abolish the positions of 13 vice presidents and leave only two officers, Green and Meany-Lewis was over whelmed.
 THRUST OF FASCISM'
 For nearly an hour Lewis assailed
 (Continued on Page Four)