Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1948-02-02
FIaxer Tardy,
Cutting Short
.GS| Hearing
UPWA President
Will Face House
Group Later To-day

The failure of Abram Flaxer,
president of the CLIO United Public
Workers of America, to arrive on
time this morning cut short the
House Labor subcommittee inquiry
into the issues of the month-old
strike at Government Services, Inc.
cafeterias.
Representative Hoffman. Repub-
lican, of Michigan, subcommittee
chairman, who has subpoenaed
officials Of UPWA and its affiliate.
Local All of the United Cafeteria
Workers, to find out why they
won't file a non-Communist affida-
Wit, adjourned the session shortly
before noon after only a brief
hearing before the House convened.
Mr. Hoffman said he would seek
House permission to resume hear
ings this afternoon, at which time
Mr.. FlaXer and the other union
officials were to be heard.
When the subcommittee met at
10 am, Mr.. Flaxer was not present.
His attorney, Nathan Witt, said the
union official was detained by busi-
ness and would appear later in the
morning. Mr.. Flaxer arrived shortly
after 1890 am, but the committee
decided not to call him until this
afternoon.
Engage in Verbal Skirmish.'
Mr.. Witt and Mr.. Hoffman en-
gagged in brief verbal skirmishes re-
lating to Mr.. Flaxer's tardiness-
foreshadowing real fireworks later
today.
When the UPWA president finally
did arrive, Mr.. Witt said:
'Mr. Chairman, let the record
show that Mr.. Flaxer arrived at
10:40. No. believe it was 1o:39
am"
Plainly irritated, Mr.. Hoffman
turned to the committees official
reporter and snapped, Ignore all
that. He's just talking for the
newspapers.
Present and waiting to be called
were Richard Bancroft, president Of
the Cafeteria Workers Union, and
Oliver Palmer, its business agent.
Denies Racial Issues Involved.
j. c. Niehuss, GSI personnel man.
ager appeared briefly and denied
that any racial issues were involved
in the strike.
Also appearing briefly were Rob-
ert A. Morrison and Victor r. Daily.
manager and personnel director of
the United States Employment
Service Office here. Mr.. Hoffman
previously had said he wanted to
talk to them about "rumors that
they had been favoring the union
in the strike"
However, Mr. Hoffman did not ask
this question directly. When he
asked Mr.. Morrison If he were a
member of union Mr.. Morrison
said he belonged to two ALL unions,
the Marble Settlers Union and the
American Federation OF. Govern
ment Employees, the last one being
a rival Government union of UPWA.
Will Accuse GSI.
Following union meeting yester-
day at the Vermont Avenue Baptist
Church, 1880 Vermont avenue NV,
union spokesman said Mr.. Bancroft
and Mr.. Palmer expect to tell the
subcommittee that GSI is trying to
break" the union and that refusal
of union officials to file non-Com-
munist af1davits is no bar to COL
lective bargaining between the
company and the union.
| The subcommittee began its in
vestigation two weeks ago with an
open hearing at which Secretary of
Labor Schwellenbach, Undersecre-
tary of the Interior Oscar Chap
man, Federal Works Agency repre-
sentatives and GSI officials were
questioned. 1t held two sessions
last week but continued the pro-
ceedingS until today because Com
mittee Counsel F. Albert Reiman
and United States deputy marshals
were unable to locate Mr. Bancroft
and Mr.. Palmer.