Evening star., 1948-01-26
AFL Heads Meet Today
ToRepudiate Wallace,
Pick Political Leader
By james Y. Newton
Sfor Stoff Correspondent

MIAMI, Jan. 70. - American
Federation of Labor policy
makers met here today to draft
a program of legislation for this
election year, 'repudiate Henry
Wallace's third-party candidacy
and select a director for the po-
litical league with which the
Federation hopes to play a pow
erful role in the national elec-
tionS.
Meanwhile, 1t was learned that
Robert N. Denham, general counsel
of the National Labor Relations
Board, met with building trades
leaders over the week end in ad-
vance of the AFL Executive Council
meeting to advise them on ways of
cooperating in the administration
of the Taft Hartley Act.
The sessions with Mr.. Denham
mean that the powerful unions in
the building and construction indus
try will not battle the labor rela-
tions act, but are seeking way
to live peacefully under the law.
Seek to End Disputes.
Specifically, the AFL building
trades department and the big
union contractors are seeking a new
way to end jurisdictional disputes,
that is arguments between unions,
which frequently lead to strikes over
who will perform work.
A year ago President Truman an
nounced, with considerable fanfare,
a plan which the industry hoped
would end jurisdictional disputes,
most prevalent in the building field.
However, the Taft-Hartley Act and
other things knocked out the plan.
Taking part in the sessions with
Mr.. Dennam were members Of the
Labor Committee of the Associated
General Contractors of America.
The NLRB counsel served as ad-
wiser to the groups in working out
a plan in conformity with Federal
labor law. His presence was con-
sidered significant, since organized
labor generally has been bitterly
critical of Mr.. Denham's operations.
Wants to Avoid Litigation.
Richard Gray, head of the Build
ing Trades Department., said that
the large branch of the AFL is
trying to find way of avoiding
expensive litigation" or court battles
against the Taft-Hartley Act
Both Mr. Gray and Daniel W..
Tracy, head of the Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers, said the build
ing unions would go along with
the new ban on closed shop agree
ments. However, Mr.. Tracy said
that about 300 elections for union
shops already were pending in the
industry and those polls alone
would cost the NLRB more than
81 100000
The agreement to end jurisdic-
tional disputes was described as in
the formative stage" There can
be no final approval until the meet
ing of the Associated General Con-
tractors in Dallas February 10.
The meeting of the AFL Execu-
tive Council will be followed on
February by meeting of Labor's
League for Political Education, the
new political arm of the Federation.
Director to Be Named.
A league director will be named.
George M. Harrison, president of
the Brotherhood of Railway Mail
Clerks and chairman of a commit
tee to select the director, had not
arrived here Mr.. Harrison has been
searching for "a big name in ma
tional politics" for the job, two
former Senators, Robert M. La Fol-
lette of Wisconsin and James NJ
Mead of New York, repeatedly were
found unavailable for the post.
There were indications the re-
pudiation of Mr.. Wallace would be
made by the Executive Council be-
fore the meeting of the political
league. AFL leaders are solidly in
agreement against Mr.. Wallace
There Is no division as was the case
in the CIO Executive Board last
week, when left-wing elements re-
fused to support Philip Murray, CIO
president, in rejecting the third
party idea.
The meeting here was the first
Of the council since John L. Lewis
refused to seek reelection to the
group and then took his 100000 mine
workers out of the AFL entirely.