Evening star., 1948-07-04
HARLEY Announces
Nationwide Probe
OF Reds in Unions
BY the Lssoeiuied Press

BY the Assoeiuisd Press
A Nationwide investigation *
expose and smash the poison ten.
tacles Of Communism" in American
labor unions was announced yester.
day by Chairman Hartley Of the
House Labor Committee.
The co-author of the Taft Hartley
law, who announced his retirement
from the political scene last winter
told a reporter:
Il have been deeply shocked b,
testimony received by the com.
mittee this week on the extent O.
Communist infiltration into key
positions of union leadership II
New York.
I'VE know what has happened
IN New York. And it points {
very grave moral. on what coulc
happen in Detroit, Chicago, Kansa.
City and other great citio"
Letters Are Quoted.
The moral is this: The people
the loyal and patriotic Americans
are either indifferent or yield little
by little until they wake up ane
find the Communists have seizee
control. Then it Is too late"
Mr.. Hartley riffled through g
batch Of letters and kilograms or
his desk, responding to his mid.
week appeal to American worker.
to come forward and tell what
they know about Communist lead.
ers in labor unions.
Some Of the letters were signed
Others were anonymous. All ex.
pressed fear of Communist retalia
ton II their identities became
known.
All cried out for help to clear
out the Communists" Mr.. Hartley
declared.
The members that talk al
(union) meetings are knocked down
IT, they don't think and talk like
a Red which our union is. The
members who try and fight of the
Red tactics later lose their jobs and
sometimes are hurt bodily"
Late Meetings Cited.
Another letter, signed "a worker
who wants to be an American" said
Reds, Reds, that's all we have
in this union. I say make some
laws to keep them out of this. beau
tiful country
And still another:
Meetings which run late into
the night invariably gain every
thing desired by the Communists
because most of us prefer to return
to our homes rather than hear
meaningless speeches.
"The Red bosses slap us with all
kinds of assessments. We are work.
ing for the union and not our
selves"
After four-day hearings on Capitol
Hill, Mr.. Hartley and q House Labor
subcommittee headed by Represent
ative Kersten, Republican, of Wis
consin will move to New York next
Wednesday to hear testimony by
Union leaders. Some of them have
been accused in the hearings here of
being Communists and Red Fas-
cists."
81 Officials Subpoenaed.
Thirty-one union officials who Mr.
Hartley said represent both left and
right wing elements of the CIO-
United Department Store Employees
Union, have been subpoenaed te
testify in New York.
Mr.. Hartley said the committee
will also hold secret sessions to hear
union members who have volull-
teered to tell the inside story" o1
what they describe as Red terrorism
From New York, Mr. Hartley told
newsmen. the committees investiga-
ton will spread out to other sections
of the country. He mentioned De-
troit and San Francisco as early pos
sibilities.
1T will 60 wherever we have rea-
son to believe the Red poison OF
communism is real danger" he
said. 1T will not be a witch hunt.
But it will try to help labor to help
itself"
Store Executives Heard.
In the hearings which began here
last Tuesday. top executives OF New
York's big department stores
Gimoels, Macy's, Oppenheim Collins,
Bloomingdale's and others--painted
a joint picture of Communist leader
ship at work In Americas biggest
city
One after another, they testified
that a comparative handful OF al
legged Communists have seized union
leadership control over thousands
of white collar workers in New York
Nor Is that all. They told OF
serious business losses suffered
through alleged terrorist tactics
They told of the pigeon treat
ment," where flocks of pigeons are
freed to roost over valuable mer-
chandise in strike bound stores.
And finally they told of union de-
mands for the right to fire any en-
ploye, not only from the union, but
from his job. This is the reciprocal
discharge" clause which New York
department stores are fighting.
One Big store Signs.
Already one of the big stores.
Frederick Loeser Co., has signed a
contract containing the clause
Joseph Pridday, Loeser president
testified he signed it "in the heat
of the bargaining"
Sharply, Representative Kersten
told Mr.. Pridday: Don't you realize
such an action means that manage
ment abdicates from its rights to
hire and fire and merely confirms
the power of these left-wingers?"
Another big-store executive, Cor
don Greenfield, secretary treasurer
of Oppenheim- Collins Co., said he
wondered how long his company
could Withstand the pressure" OF
the unions demand for the union
firing clause
He has not signed it yet. But he
said his company faces a strike Au-
gust l unless we sign an illegal
contract"
He said the unions leaders have
refused 10 sign non-Communist al
fldavits as required by the Taft
s&xY