Evening star., 1948-01-27
Probe Resumes
Tomorrow Into
|GSI WaIkout
House Group to Quiz
UPWA and UCWU
. On Communism

Chairman Hoffman OF a House
Labor Subcommittee plans to resume
hearings at 10 am. tomorrow into
the Government Services, Inc, cafe
terra strike to find out whether the
United Public Workers of America
(CIO) has officers who belong to the
Communist Party.
He announced at the close of a
day-long hearing yesterday his COM
mittee expects to have before it
officers of both UPWA and its sub
sidiary, the United Cafeteria Work.
ers' Union, together with their rec
ords, If possible.
Secretary of Labor Schwellen-
bach, meanwhile, said he plans to
confer with officials of Local All,
United Cafeteria Workers, but will
not be able to do so today.
Subp0enas Out for Unionists.
Mr.. Schwellenbach and Maj. Gen.
U. s. Grant III, president Of GSI,
conferred yesterday at the Labor
Department. GSI officials said
there had been no change in the
strike situation as a result Of the
conference.
The committee failed to get pos
session Of the UPWA records yester-
day in what UPWA employees
charged was a raid" on UPWA
headquarters at $50 F street NV.
Skirmish Over Addressograph.
An addressograph machine with
its metal tabs containing names and
addresses was sought by the COM
mittee, Mr.. Hoffman explained late
yesterday. Testimony from UPWA
employees brought out that the ma
chine was being sent out for repairs.
1t had been detained temporarily by
F. Albert Reiman of the committee
staff, after service Of a subpoena on
Alfred Bernstein, director of nego-
tiations for UPWA. According to
Joseph Forer, attorney for Mr.. Bern
stein, the committee agent released
the machine, only after the attorney
threatened Mr.. Reiman with arrest
for an alleged illegal act.
Mr.. Hoffman insists he still wants
the names used by the addresso-
graph machine and other records of
UPWA. The subpoena duces tecum
which he has ordered served on
both UPWA and its local, the cafe
terias' workers, is broad in scope.
Among those for whom subpoenas
are out are these officials of UPWA:
Abram Flexner. president; Eleanor
Nelson, secretary-treasurer, and
Robert Weinstein, director OF organ
ization. Richard Bancroft, presi-
dent, and Oliver T. Palmer, business
agent and chairman of the Negoti-
ating Committee of the cafeteria
locals, have been subpoenaed.
GSI officials contend they will not
bargain with the union because the
union leaders have refused to sign
affidavits that they do not belong
to the Communist Party. Union
spokesmen insist GSI Is obligated to
bargain with them because they
represent majority Of the cafeteria
workers. ..., .....-........
Can Negotiate, Lawyers Advise.
Counsel for the Labor Depart
ment and the National Labor Re-
lations Board testified yesterday
that, under the Taft Hartley Act
an employer such as GSI is not pre-
vented from bargaining with en-
ployes who do not sign such anti
Communist affidavits, but that 1t Is
not obliged to do so. Unions whose
officials refuse to sign are barred
from benefits OF the NLRB, they
said.
Mr.. Bernstein yesterday parried
questions about communism, say
ing he was not interested In the
subject, and knew little about inter-
national politics or. the aims of the
Communist Party. He Is working
hard at his union labor job, he in
sisted, helping with problems OF
UPWA locals over the country.
At one point Mr.. Bernstein, a
World War II, veteran, under sharp
examination about the Constitution
of the United States, interjected
with: II declare my loyalty in no
uncertain terms"
Strike Breaking Effort Charged.
After the hearing was over late
yesterday, Mr.. Bernstein issued a
statement to the press.
"It is perfectly obvious" he said,
"that this committee is hell bent on
breaking the strike. The only issue
involved here Is whether a local
composed In the main of Negro
workers has the same rights as
other labor organizations"
Red Cross Delegates
Mat a& Mar,IandII