Evening star., 1947-07-03
Ford Ends Recognition
OF Foremen's S Union
As Hopeless Failure
BY the Asseeiotsd Press

DETROIT, July 3.-The Ford
Motor Co., which signed the Nations
first contract with the Foremen's
Association of America three years
ago, today withdrew recognition of
the independent union, whose $500
Ford supervisory employees have been
on strike more than six weeks.
The company said its three-year
experiment" with the independent
union had failed hopelessly"
Strikers were urged to return to
work Immediately without fear of
discrimination of any kind"
The FAA Immediately replied that
Ford was "reiterating in public what
they told us when the strike began"
Union to Meet Sunday.
President Robert II. Keys of the
FAA said Ford's attitude toward the
experiment" with the foremen 'is
the same as the company has taken
toward all unions-however, ours is
a small one and they can get away
with It,"
He said the union would meet
Sunday to discuss the company's
action.
In a letter to Mr.. Keys, John s.
Burgas. vice president and director
Of Ford public relations, said:
"Our experience with the Fore
mans Association Of America has
forced us to the conclusion that
management unions in this company
are unsound in principle and un-
workable in practice"
Under terms of the Taft-Hartley
labor law, Ford would not be re-
quired to recognize the foreman's S
union after August "a when the new
act becomes effective.
No Contract Since May 9.
Although the company has had no
contract with the foremen since
May 8, 1t repeatedly expressed viii
lingness in the past to deal with
those foremen who belonged to the
union.
The strike began May II after
Ford declined an FAA request that
it represent all supervisory employees
in Ford's plants.
Mr.. Keys announced at the time
the Taft-Hartley law was passed
over a presidential veto that the
foremen's union would test in court
the provision which removes any
compulsion on employers to bargain
with supervisory employees.
Meanwhile, the company asserted
today that at least 700 striking fore
men have returned to their jobs in
three plants in Detroit and predicted
that the figure might top 1000 be-
fore the end of the day.
The FAA denied that any back
to-work movement was underway,
but admitted that as many as $50
strikers might have returned to
work since the walkout began.
CIO Request Rejected.
Mr.. Bugas' letter to Mr.. Keys was
In conjunction with his rejection
of CIO United Auto Workers re-
quest that he re-enter negotiations
with the FAA in an attempt to
settle the strike.
I'VE are now convinced that no
outside organization can do as much
for our foremen as the management
Of this company ITSELF" Mr.. Bugas
wrote the UAW-CIO. I'VE are
writing Mr. Keys today that our
experiment with management unions
is thing of the past, and that we
no longer recognize the Foreman's
Association of American as bargain
ing agent for our foremen."
In a lengthy memorandum the
company pointed out that it signed
its first agreement with the FAA
on May 9, 1944-the first major
company to recognize the new in
dependent union.
1t charged that the FAA ''devel-
oped into a militant faction, and
the net effect of the experiment was
ito drive a wedge between our fore
men and other members of our
management team"
Last April the company can