Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1947-01-24
Behind the
Scenes In
Politics
by
Clayton
Rusch
Chairman

were quoted III lIlS PuDllS
press last week have indulged
in some asinine attacks upon
the CIO. They were William
Green, President of the Amer
ican Federation of Labor and
Otto Brach, General Secretary
of the Central Labor Union.
Before discussing their absurd
utterances, let us review the
situations whic h occasioned
their preiudicial outbursts.
William Green was referring
to the portal.to-portal pay suits
which were being filed by en-
ployes against their employers
on the advice of the CIO.
The development which led to
the filing of these suits was a
supreme court decision which
held that all time spent on the
employers property at the re-
quest of the employer was
compensate. Thus If an en-
ploye is required to enter the
companys premises an hour
before he is permitted to ring
in his card, he is entitled to
pay for that hour.
Here of course is one op-
portunity for some employees
to recover a share of their
rightful wages, which they
have been cheated out of over
a period of years. On advice
of the CIO many affected
workers Immediately filed
suits.
Evidently worried because
the press gave recognition to
the alertness of CIO and ap-
parntly with a feeling of sour
grapes because it was the CIO
which gave guidance to the
workers in this issue, Mr..
Green saw fit to advise his
unions to the effect that
"such claims could be settled
by collective bargaining be-
tween employees and employ
ers rather than take them to
court"
he said, in a letter to AFL
unions, "Untimely and unwar-
ranted resort to administra-
tive or judicial intervention
is inconsistant with the mu-
tual rights and responsibilities
established by employers and
unions through private con-
tract in a free society"
Or in other words courts
must not be used by workers
for a redress of grievances.
Actually courts are supposed
to interpret the law impair
TALLY and the CIO would be
derelect in its duty If it failed
to admonish the workers to
obtain justice through court
action. 1t is evident that Will
liam Green's bias against the
CIO precludes any possibility
of his approaching any issue
connected with CIO on a ra-
tional basis.
, The other attack upon the
CIO was made by Otto Brach
in referring to the plan for
city government the CIO-PAC
had submitted to the civic
committee for good city gov
ernment of which Gideon
Spieker, local business man
and a member of Toledo's La
Dor Management Committee
is chairman.
Our plan calls for reten-
ton of the nine man council,
but elected at large by Ks. A
mayor and vice mayor would
be elected by the people,
Council would elect its own
President and Vice President.
The mayor would appoint his
own cabinet. We stated we
were not concerned with
whether or not the mayors
administrative a sSistant t is
called city manager.
The CLU submitted a plan
calling for seven councilmen
elected by district plus
mayor and vice mayor who
are to be chairman and vice
chairman of council elected at
large. Council would appoint
the city manager. The plan
provides for popular election
of the city law director.
In discussing the CIO and
AFL plans at recent CLU
meeting Mr.. Brach remarked
in one instance that he was
sold on the city manager. On
this point he seems to be con-
fused. 1t is the Blade and not
the CIO which has been Sc.
verely critical of the admin
istrative ability of city man.
ager George Schoonmaker.
In referring to our plan to
eliminate PR the CLU Secre-
tary said, "The plan appears
to be an attempt by that
group (CIO) to control the
elections"
Actually II we wanted to be
sure of representation on city
council we would ardently
support PR. While the AFL
plan to districtize the city
would result in utter confu-
sion because of the many diff
ferent conceptions of bound
rieS for these districts, a nine