Evening star., 1947-10-09
AFL Council Studies
Proposal 10 Reduce
Elective Jobs 10 Two
By jones Y. Newton
Sfor Stoff CORRESPONDENT


SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 9Th,
AFL Executive Council met to-
day to consider a constitutions
change which would afford pro
lection of the labor law and tn
National Labor Relations Boart
to 100000 members of small
Federal" unions attached di
rectly to the federation.
Whether there will be bitter
convention battle over the propose
to abolish all but two elective posts
in the AFTL apparently is up to Johr
L. Lewis, who occupies one of the
13 vice presidential Offices which
the plan would eliminate, and he
has refused to talk.
This proposal to do away with the
titles of all officers except those OF
President Green and Secretary
Treasurer George Meany is made
necessary, officials feel, by the re-
fusal of Mr.. Lewis to file an affi-
davit disavowing communism as re-
quired by the Taft-Hartley Act.
Proposed by Hutcheson.
NLRB reversal of General Counsel
Robert N. Denham's earlier ruling
that all AFL officers must file affi-
davits if any individual union was
to be recognized under the Taft
Hartley Act freed the larger autono-
NOUS unions to make their own de-
cisions in the matter, but the $500
federals are still locked by Mr.
Lewis stand. The latter unions are
attached directly to the AFL whose
officers operate them.
1t is felt that abolishment of Mr.
Lewis and the II vice presidential
posts and leaving the men as men,
bers of the Executive Council to run
AFL affairs would be the only prac-
tlcal way out of the dilemma.
It was learned that the plan was
first formally proposed to the Execu-
tive Council in a closed meeting sew
eral days ago by William L. Hutche-
son, president of the carpenters and
Mr.. Lewis close ally. The miners
leader hotly opposed the idea at the
time. 1t is not known whether the
NLRB decision reversing Mr.. Den
ham has changed his thinking.
However, regardless of Mr.. Lewis
position in the council meeting. sew
eral council members said the con-
stitutional change will be taken to
the floor of the convention next week
and they expressed confidence it will
be adopted. If he is beaten in the
fight it is not known what Mr.. Lewis
next step would be.
Stage Hands Issue Raised.
In the other issue which has
caused bitterness and threats to bolt
the AFL, it was learned that Mr.
Hutcheson plans to introduce reso-
lutions before the Executive Coun-
Gil designed to drive the stage
hands union from the Federation
This action would be a result OF
the long and bitter craft unior
jurisdictional battle over the work
on Hollywood motion picture studio
sets. More than 1000 carpenters
painters and other crafts have beer
on strike in Hollywood for over
a year. They are protesting the
awarding of certain set erection
work to the stagehands.
Mr.. Hutcheson has threatened tc
take his 100000 carpenters out Of
the AFL unless the stage work is
given to his union. He has the
backing of Mr.. Lewis.
However, it was indicated the
council will not take up the Holly
wood question today since its sched-
ule was shortened because of the
death of AFL General Counse
Joseph A. PadWay.
Gen. Mark Clark, commander o1
the 9Th Army base here, addressed
the convention today.
Political Campaign Begins.
Yesterday apparently witnesses the
beginning of the AFL's 1948 political
campaign.
Hubert Humphrey, 36-year- -old
Democratic Mayor of Minneapolis
gave a long political talk to the
convention. When he had finished
President William Green told Mr.
Humphrey he wanted to see him in
Washington in the seat of Senator
Mall, Republican, whose term ex-
pires next year There have been
indications that Mr.. Humphrey will
oppose Senator Ball, bitter enemy
Of labor for his promotion of various
parts of the Taft Hartley Act.
Other speakers at the convention
session were Lee F. Johnson, ex-
ecutive vice president of the Ma
tional Public Housing Conference
and j. r. Klawans, chairman of the
Veterans of Foreign Wars Legisla-