Evening star., 1948-12-23
Reds in Unions
CaI|edBig Threat
In Event Of War
House Group Warns
Obstructive Tactics
Could Cause Havoc

The House Committee on
Un-American Activities today
warned that Communist-con-
trolled labor unions could garble
communications, paralyze ship
ping and wreck the country's
production and fighting power
in time of war.
Making public the fourth in its
series on the Communist conspir-
acy." the committee focused on the
Red threat to American labor.
In pamphlet entitled 100 Things
You Should Know About Commu-
nism and Labor" the committee de-
clared they know control of unions
will provide a main key to take
control of a country"
The report called the roll of 81
unions which the committee previ-
ously had described as Communist
led and went on to describe how
control of these unions in wartime
could disrupt the country's war
effort.
Cited among the 81 were the
State. County and Municipal Work.
ers of America and United Federal
Workers of America, merged to
form United Public Workers of
America (CIOD.
The committee also tagged 13
CIO union officers as examples of
Communist officers"
Included were four union presi-
dents-Harry Bridges, International
Longshoremen's and Warehouse
mems Union; Abram Flaxer, UPWA:
Ben Gold, International Fur and
Leather Workers Union, and Donald
Henderson, Food, Tobacco, Agricul-
tural and Allied Workers Union of
America.
Other officers were Samuel Burt,
Julius Fleiss and Irving Potash of
the fur workers: Philip M. Con-
nelly, secretary of the Los Angeles
CIO Council; Julius Emspak, James
Lustig, James Matles and William
Sentner of the United Electrical.
Radio and Machine Workers of
America, and Maurice Travis, Sec
retary-treasurer of the International
Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter
Workers.
The committee acknowledged that
some of these unions-notably the
Transport Workers Union-have
"belatedly tried to clean out the
Communists" but it added that. in
a number of others. the Com
munists are still in the saddle" In
cluded among the latter are the
United Electrical Workers and the
Longshoremen's Unions. both CIO.
Before addressing itself to the
techniques of Communist infiltra-
ton into unions, the committee
emphasized it was not investigating
unions as such, nor was its work a
disguised attack" on organized
labor.
Russia's Labor Pictured.
The pamphlet pictured Russias
enslaved labor under communism
and quoted literally from American
labor leaders in support of the COM
mittee's position that communism
disrupts organized labor.
Following are excerpts from the
committees question and answer
pamphlet:
Why worry about Communists in
the unions, especially?
Because Communists know control
Of unions will provide a main key
to take control of a country.
If they should get control, what
would happen to my union?
1t would be wiped out as union
contract. treasury, constitution and
all. Instead of the union being your
agent to bargaina contract for your
wages and working conditions. 1t
would become part of the Commu-
mist power over you.
Couldn't we just strike, as we do
now, for better conditions or higher
pay?
Not a chance.
Why not?
bcCduSc Lllc 1ONciI iIlIIlcllJ, HlSVCdu
of stepping in to protect your right
to strike, would send soldiers around
with guns, to kill you.
What do Communists 60 after in
an American union?
Key jobs, such as president, busi-
ness agent, secretary. treasurer or
counsel at law. They almost never
stay down in the rank and file ex-
cept on orders to hide out there for
the particular purpose of sniping at
the union officers If these are all
anti Communist
Why don't they all try for union
president?
The president of union is usually
Continued on Page A-2, Col. 1)