Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-09-09
AFL Chemical Worker
Committees Map '48
Political Action Plans

~hsss~R Hh~Hs"
Resolution Committees of the AFL
Chemical Workers Union, in annual
convention here, today were con-
sidering various political action
plans designed to defeat our en-
emies and elect our friends"
With the Taft-Hartley Act as the
focal point, the plans range all the
way from a condemnation of the
new law as slave labor" measure
to call for a doorbell ringing pro-
gram to get out the vote in 1948.
One resolution offered for con-
sideration went so far as to propose
that applicants for membership in
the union be required to take oaths
to become qualified voters as soon
as possible to assist labor to exercise
its power at the polls"
Convention action on these and
many other union plans is expected
to be taken tomorrow or Thurs
day.
Lawyer Gives Lecture.
The union devoted its business
session today to a lecture by Dan
CARMEL, Chicago labor attorney, as
to how unions can live within the
Taft Hartley Act.
Answering many legal points, Mr..
CARMEL warned that unions now are
liable to the full extent of their
treasures for suits for illegal work
stoppages, whether or not they are
authorized or supported by the
Uniof1sS 81
The answer, he said, is to tell the
employer to take out the no-strike
pledge in contracts before the union
is willing to sign proposed working
agreement.
Political action moves by the I'M
ion were stimulated late yesterday
by a telegram from AFL President
William Green calling for an or
ganized labor fight to repeal the
Taft Hartley law and to defeat
members of Congress who voted for
it.
Mr.. Green wired H. A. Bradley,
president OF the chemical workers:
THE fight which labor made to pre-
vent the passage of the notorious
Taft-H Hartley bill must now be con-
tinued until we secure its repeal and
defeat of members of Congress who
voted for 1t.
Il sincerely hope your conven-
ton will pledge itself to carry out
this purpose and policy. Please rely
upon continued support and cooper
alton of the AFL in all your work. p"
No Party Exempt.
A plea that union members pre-
pare to 60 to the polls in 194S to
defeat our enemies and elect our
friends" was voiced yesterday by I.
M. Ornburn, secretary treasurer of
the Union Label Trades Department
of the AFL. He said. this must be
done without regard to party af-
fliation" since there are "a lot of re-
dictionaries in both parties"
Telling a story of farmer who
bought a mule he later discovered
was blind, Mr.. Ornburn said Sen
ators Ball, Taft and a few others
are not blind; they just don't care
a damn where they are going"
"Out of the Taft-Hartley Act, "
Mr.. Ornburn declared, will come
stronger ALL than ever existed
before. We built the AFL under
worse laws than this We have
grown soft and want the Govern
ment to do our job for us"
Representative Price, Democrat,
of Illinois earlier had urged a
doorbell -ringing campaign to get
out the vote in 1948 to defeat ire
dictionaries in Congress" who, he
said, want to 60 back to the Labor
batting, union-busting days that
preceded President Roosevelt"
so Resolutions Up.
More than SO resolutions are be-
fore the convention committees.
Some of these call for repeal Of the
Taft Hartley Act, unity or closer
cooperation between the AFL and
the CLIO to the same end, and sur
veys of the voting records of mem
bers of Congress preliminary to the
1948 elections.
Two resolutions under study call
for creation by local unions Of leg
islative representatives. Another
would authorize special assessments
to fight the Taft-Hartley Act.
Other resolutions awaiting action
propose national or local govern
ment subsidies for housing fam
lilies of the working class, adoption
of price adjustment program, adop-
ton of legislation for higher mini
mum wages, the Wagner-Murray-
Dingell health bill and extension of
social security and public power pro-
grams,