Evening star., 1948-02-09
UPWAFaction
Insists Officers
File Affidayits
AFL Speeds Up Drive
To Organize Worker:
In Federal Cufeterius

A "rank-and-f1le" group in the
United Public Workers of Amer
lea, CIO, today demanded that
national officers of that union
sign non-Communist affidavits
or resign. The signerS declared
filing of such affidavits was nee
essary for settlement of the
United Cafeteria Workers strike
against Government Services,
Inc, cafeterias.
AS the strike entered its sixth
week, an American Federation of
Labor unit speeded up its drive to
organize present employees at cafe
terias operated by GSI in AZ Gov
eminent buildings. The AFL Hotel
and Restaurant Workers Union,
according to a spokesman, hopes to
ask the National Labor Relations
Board for an election to designate
a bargaining agent to represent
present employees.
Pickets Strengthened.
Local All of the Cafeteria Work
ers' Union, UPWA-CIO, meanwhile
strengthened its picket lines in front
of several Government building
cafeterias. Business Agent Oliver
T. Palmer also announced that
Paul Robson, the singer, would
give a concert Thursday at $3.50
pm. at Turner's Arena for the
benefit of the strikers.
Many of the approximately 1900
employees hired by GSI since the
strike started January S received
pamphlets today from the Hotel
and Restaurant Workers Union,
AFL, urging that they join so the
union can be certified as their bar
gaining agent with the company.
Mr.. Palmer described this activity,
directed by Charles E. Sands, busi-
ness agent for the AFL unit, as "a
lot of work and words that don't
have the real backing of the AFL.' y
1000 Strikers at Session.
Approximately 1000 of the strikers
met yesterday at the Shiloh Church,
Ninth and P streets NV, and
adopted a resolution asserting that
some GSI officials have used their
high Government positions to
fight the cafeteria workers union
and try to break the strike.
The resolution complained that
strike breakers" were protected by
Federal building guards and other
Government employees. It also de-
clared some of the attacks on the
union have been made because we
are Negroes"
Mr.. Palmer announced the Citi-
zens Committee in Support of Cafe
terra Workers will sponsor the Robe
son concert. Charles H. Houston.
Washington attorney and chief
counsel for the National Association
for Advancement of Colored People,
will preside.
J. c. Niehuss, GSI personnel man
ager, said he understood the AFL
restaurant workers union had
stepped up its organization drive
and was circulating printed material
to workers in the cafeterias. He
added he did not know what prog
ress was being made.
Repeat Company Charge.
The GSI Official, however, repeated
the company's statement that 1t does
not consider the position Of Local
471 changed by the action of eight
officers in filing non-Communist
affidavits last week. Officers of the
parent union, UPWA, have not filed
such affdavits, he said. Moreover
the company has promised that it
would not replace any employe hired
since the strike began, Mr.. Niehuss
declared.
The demand that national officers
of UPWA sign nom Communist affi-
davits was contained in letter to-
day to the unions National Execu-
tive Board and signed by Miss Rose
Fox, secretary, on behalf OF a Build
the Union Committee.
The executive board was to meet
today in New York.
although we condemn these and
other antilabor provisions of the
Hartley law, the interests OF
the union as a whole and Local All
in particular require that the non
Communist af1davits be signed i'm
mediately," the letter stated.
I'm the present situation, any
theoretical considerations with re-
spect to not signing the aff1davits
are overridden, not only by the
UNIQUE status of our public workers
union but by the strengthened bar
gaining position which the signing
of the affidavits will afford the cafe
terra workers in their struggle with
tLo ,,,,;oy, h,Ictipo GCT'