Evening star., 1948-11-28
Atom Commission, GE
Ask Court 10 Dismiss
UEW Damage Suit
Nv the Associofad Rrsss

Both the Atomic Energy Commis.
sion and General Electric Co. askec
the District Federal Court yesterday
to throw out a 100000 damage
suit against them by the CIC.
United Electrical workers.
The union had asked the court te
overrule an order of the commission
directing General Electric not tc
recognize the union. because of al
legged Communist leanings of some
of its officers. The company obeyed
the directive on November 3.
The Justice Department, acting
for the Atomic Energy Commission
said the Acc had offered the union
every opportunity Ito participate in
a fuller exploration of this loyalty
question" but the union had refused
Work Curtailment Feared.
In its brief filed yesterday asking
that the unions case de dismissed
and a decision be handed down in
favor of the Acc and the company
the Government said slow down OF
curtailment of atomic energy work
had been feared.
1T must be recognized that union
officers exercising administrative
negotiating and disciplinary author
ity over members working on atomic
energy projects could, If they were 30
disposed, affect the labor relations
on an atomic energy project -"
the brief said.
Thus, a union officer or one who
was not loyal to the interests OF
the United States could precipitate
strike actually in the interests of
foreign power, but avowedly for
legitimate trade union purposes and
accepted as such by the union men,
bers.
Similarly, negotiating authority
to deal with questions arising under
the contract might be used land
for similar purposes) to slow down
operations by magnifying petty dis
agreements and creating i'll will be-
tween employers and employees.
1tASh AVV O&h&C1vuD
"At the present juncture of world
affairs, such a risk is too dangerous
to be run in our atomic energy pro-
gram. Accordingly, it Is matter Of
the deepest concern to the commits
sion-and to the whole country-to
be assured that there is no serious
unresolved question concerning the
loyalty of such union officers and
their adherence to the interests of
the United States"
The order affected only General
Electric operations at its Peek street
plant and the Knolls II project, in
Schenectady.
In the brief, the Justice Depart
ment named officers of the union
against whom there had been testi-
mony OF Communist Party mem
bership at congressional committee
hearings.
Union Officers Named.
Those named were Leo Il. jan
dreau, general vice president Of the
union, chairman Of its District
Council No. 3 and business agent OF
Local 3ol, Schenectady; Julius En-
spak, general secretary treasurer Of
UEW; James j. Matles, director Of
organization, and william Mas
triani, chief shop steward Of Local
30l.
ION the basis Of the information
available to 1t, the commission de-
termined that 1t could not permit
the United Electrical Workers union
to represent the employees who were
to be hired to work at the new
Knolls atomic power laboratory, at
least until these problems OF secur-
ity were solved" the brief stated.
when the union through its
president rejected the opportunity
to clear up those questiens, the
commission decided, in the interests
of national defense and security,
that it could no longer permit the
UEW to exercise administrative,
negotiating and disciplinary au-
tharity over the General Electric
employees ut Schenectady. working
on atomic energy projects"