Evening star., 1947-10-14
Strike al Button Plant
In fredericksburg Fails
10 Disturb Community
By George Kennedy
Sfor Staff Correspondent

FEDERALSBURG, Md, Oct. IA
This Eastern Shore community
seems not at all disturbed by strike
which has about half the workers
out in its biggest industry, the
Excelsior Pearl Works, Inc, button
plant.
Mayor c. s. Poole, proprietor of
the mems clothing store here, has
deputized only two extra officers to
enforce law and order. This brings
the personnel of the fredericksburg
police force to three.
His calm is contrast to that of
the Mayor of Ridgely, 81 miles north
OF here, where a much smaller but
ton plant owned by the same COM
pany is located. Mayor M. L. Sut-
ton, Ridgely feed merchant, last
Thursday deputized IS citizens of his
little community to carry guns in
enforcing peace-an action which
brought reporters across the bay
from Washington to see what the
shooting was all about. Fortunately
there was no shooting.
Strikers Hear Organizer.
Three or four grandmotherly
strikers and number of younger
women, also on strike, sat across
from the button plant in Chambers
Park yesterday. Irwin Jaffe, Or
ganizer Of the International Ladies
Garment Workers, which called the
strike, conducted a meeting in the
park without having to get permit.
1t was attended by about 100 strikers,
three-fourths OF them women. The
plant employs about 300 persons.
MIR. Jaffe read them a COPY of a
letter from Joseph F. Didomenico
Maryland labor commissioner, 10
both the union and to Bernard Riff
kin OF New York, owner of the plant,
and Sam Davis, his local manager
saying he would conduct a media
ton meeting at the plant on Thurs
day. Mr.. Jaffe also announced the
unions strike benefits of SIS a week
to each Of them would be paid Fri.
day and continue as long as the
strike lasted.
Attributed to NLRB Delay. D..
After the meeting Mr.. Jaffe sale
the strike was the first organizine
strike in his experience since the
Wagner Act went into operation
He said 1t was the result of delay ir
National Labor Relations Boarc
elections. The delay was caused BY
the refusal of John, L. Lewis, a.
vice president of the, AFL, to sign
the Communist disclaimer. Roberi
Denham, general counsel of the
NLRB, had ruled that an affidavit
denying Communist Affiliations must
be signed by the officers of the
AFL and the CIO, as well as by
the officers of their member unions
The ruling as to the top officers was
later reversed by the board.
ALI this was taking time, Mr.. Jaffe
said, and holding up an application
made four months ago for an NLRH
election to determine union repre-
sentation at the button plant. Mean
while, he said, Mr.. Rifkin, the
owner, forced the union to act by
starting campaign to keep his
employees from joining the union
Mr.. Rifkin's local managers limited
their statements to the press to two
words-"No comment"
Response Varied.
Community response to the strike
seems to have varied directly with
community investment. In Ridgely,
where eight deputies, including a
high school boy with gun strapped
to his belt are guarding the Excelsior
plant, the citizens have become
mortgages In a new plant for the
company to the extent Of $4,000.
In fredericksburg, 4 much larger