Evening star., 1948-01-21
mand that the company bargain
with them,
Hoffman Charges Favor for CIO.

HOFFMAN Charges Favor Tor ClO.
Labor Department spokesmen said
they knew of no plan by Secretary
Schwellenbach to ask that the Labor
Department cafeteria be opened
That eating place, as well as one in
the Supreme Court Building, has re-
manned closed. Forty others run by
GSI have been operating despite
the January walkout of members
of Local All of the UPWA-CIO
Cafeteria Workers Union.
Subcommittee Chairman Hoff-
man, Republican, of Michigan,
meanwhile, stood by his statement
that Secretary Schwellenbach IA
vors the CIO against the AFL in
keeping the department cafeteria
closed. Since the strike began, the
AFL has been attempting to organ
ize those persons now working in
the cafeterias.
Oliver T. Palmer, union business
agent, said he was encouraged by
Secretary Schwellenbach's state
ment at yesterdays hearing that
the Taft-Hartley law does not pre-
vent GSI and the union from bar
gaining despite the unions refusal
to sign non-C Communist af1davits.
GSI Changes Attitude.
GSI officials today took a differ
ent view and said they did not
see how they could deal with the
union now or discharge the ap-
proximately 1,100 workers employed
ION a permanent basis" since the
strike started. They also noted
that Secretary Schwellenbach tes-
tilted yesterday that he could not
intervene. H1f
Witnesses at the hearing called
suddenly late yesterday also in
c1uded Undersecretary Oscar Chap
man of the Interior Department,
several GSI officials and an AFL
spokesman. Mr.. Palmer had been
invited but said he was unable to
attend er"" atef7 "'t
The session included an assertion
by Secretary Scnwellenbach that
"the Labor Department is the one
place in town that can't he
.picketed." .I,4j5l64 .s7oua1af
: MIR. Chapman denied he ever
knowingly belonged to any Com
munist front organization. He said
he once belonged to the council for
American Soviet Friendship but
withdrew several years ago. ~.
Mr.. Chapman also disclosed that
Secretary Of the Interior Krug and
he had asked the Federal Works
Agency to close the Interior Depart
ment cafeteria during the strike but
that the request was not granted
Also brought out at the hearing
was the contention of Charles E.
Sands of the AFL Hotel and Res
taurant Workers Union that the
AFL is making great progress" in
organizing employees now working in
the GSI cafeterias. He denied the
AFL is "raiding" the CIO ranks. He
described the strike as a political
and not a bread and butter issue"
I'VE asked that the Labor Depart
ment cafeteria be opened" Mr..
Sands declared. 1--WE are consider
ing picketing the building to notify
the general public that the AFL
wants the cafeteria opened. Well
picket whether the Secretary Of La
bor says so or not"
The subcommittee, consisting Of
Chairman Hoffman and Represent
atives Smith, Republican, of Kan
sas and Fisher, Democrat, Of Texas,
said the hearing was called by
Chairman Hartley of the House La
Dor Committee to determine "by
what authority and for what rea-
son" the Labor Department and
Supreme Court cafeterias were
closed. The subcommittee also
wanted to know "by what authority
and what purpose does the Secre-
tary of Labor enter the contro-
versy."
After the two-hour hearing, Mr..
Hoffman said he was not sure the
Government did not violate the
Taft Hartley Act by closing the
cafeterias. The Government, he ex-
planned, is not a direct party to the
controversy between GSI and the