Evening star., 1948-02-06
|Unionists Join
Demand FIaxer
File as Non-Red
Detroit Local Acts
After SchweIlenboch
Serves UItimutum

Officials of the United Cafeteria
Workers Local All CCIO) today
faced a demand that their union
leaders directing the Federal caf-
eteria strike file non- Communist
afiidavits, and at the same time
Detroit local called on the unions
international president to file sim
liar Taft-Hartley law affidavit or
resign.
Oficials of the Washington local
were expected to give an answer to-
day to Labor Secretary Schwellen-
bach's ultimatum that he will not
try to settle the cafeteria strike un-
less the union leaders file non-Com-
munist af1davits.
The move in Detroit, according to
Associated Press dispatches, came
from officers of a local of the United
Public Workers of America who
called on Abram Flaxer, interna-
tional president of the union, to
file an affidavit or resign. UPWA
is the parent union of Local All.
Wallace Reputation Demanded.
The executive board of Local l91
in Detroit asked that Mr.. Flaxer
also be required to go on record with
other top CIO officials against the
third party presidential aspirations
of Henry A. Wallace.
If he refuses this or the demand
that he file a nom Communist af-
hdavit, the local said, the interna-
tional executive board should call on
him to resign on grounds of mis-
conduct"
According to the Detroit local
officers Mr.. Flaxer refrained from
voting on the Wallace candidacy
when the CIO executive board met
last January 81 Local 191 is COM
posed of employees of the Michigan
Unemployment Compensation Com
mission Office in Detroit.
Reply to Be Made Today.
In Washington, Richard Bancroft,
president of cafeteria workers local,
said he had not been advised for
mally of Mr.. SchWellenbach's de-
mand that the union officers file
non Communist affidavits. He said
he would confer with other officials
and a reply would be made later
in the day:
Mr.. Swellenbach made public his
views on the strike yesterday be-
fore the House Expenditures Com
mittee. Chairman Hoffman is in
vestigating the two-months' old
walkout from AZ cafeterias operated
by Government Services, Inc.
Announced Stand Last Week.
The Secretary said he made clear
in a talk with Mr.. Flaxer last
week that he would take no steps
until the local filed the afhdavits.
required by the t-Hartley Act
before union can be recognized by
the National Labor Relations Board.
The unions refusal to file the af-
fidavits has been a major point in
the bitter dispute.
4 Officials of the United Public
Workers, who also have refused to
sign the affidavits, declined to COM
ment on the Schwellenbach state
ment.
A GSI Official meanwhile, de-
clared that mere filing of the af-
fidavits and financial statements
now would not place the union in a
position to bargain"
GSI to Demand Election.
J. c. Niehuss, GSI personnel chief,
said that GSI will demand repre-
sentative election of workers to test
the unions strength before 1t will
agree to bargain. And we would
demand that the election be held
among workers who are on the job
now" he added.
Such a move, he said, would put
the election up to more than 1000
non-union members who have been
hired as requirements for the more
than 1,400 workers who walked of
the job. About 300 of the strikers
have been rehired. Mr.. Niehuss said,
and GSI "is willing to take back
only those whose jobs have not been
filled"
Mr.. Niehuss said service in the
cafeterias, since the replacements
have been hired, "has been normal"
About rs of the striking workers,
meanwhile, visited the Office of Fed
eral Works Administrator Fleming
yesterday to demand that he close
the cafeterias.
An FWA spokesman said they
were told Gen. Fleming was in Bos-
ton, but that they waited several
hours" before leaving.