The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-07-14
By RUBEN LEVIN

hands on July /.
President Harvey w. Brown
stepped down after more than a
decade at the helm and A years
of activity in the union.
President-elect A. j. Hayes step
ped up, taking over the reins at
/ only 40, as a climax to a career in
which trade unionism played a
major role for over three decades.
Brown gave up the burdens OF
office in compliance with 65-year
age limit law he had helped to en-
act. Technically, he retired, but
actually he is now slated to enter
| a new career of public service.
Hayes, heretofore a vice pres
ident, had been Browns right-hand
man at Machinists' headquarters
for the past few years. In a refer
endum election, he was elected to
succeed Brown without opposition.
In taking over, AL Hayes made
it clear he is planning no revolu-
tionary changes. He will carry on,
he said, in the tradition of Harvey
Brown. That doesn't mean mere
continuation of the status quo, he
stressed. Constant progress will be
his goal.
"A labor union, like any other
institution, must be progressive
enough to alter it's methods and
functions as conditions change" he
said.
What kind of personality is All
Hayes? In looks, he is vigorous,
stocky, broad-shouldered. He has a
shock of bankers gray hair, gray
green eyes, and bushy black eye
brows that remind one of John
Lewis. He has a full round face;
look that's quizzical and deliber-
ative, but that lights up when he
smiles.
Bring him a problem, and he
listens attentively, coming up with
a quick, firm answer. He may not
let off sparks, but his mind is
orderly, and he works with deep
absorption. His interests are far
wider and broader than those of
unionism alone.
A German by extraction, he was
born and raised in Milwaukee, the
town made famous by beer. His
father, a maintenance repair man
in coal yard, was trade union
ist, too.
AL was one of 10 children, and
was finishing up his last year in
high school when, in a shop accid-
ent, a hammer swung loose and hit
his father in the skull. The result
was to leave his father disabled
and semi-paralyzed. Young All had
to cut school short to help support
his family-but he filled out his
formal education with many night
courses at the University of Wis
consin's extension division in Mil
waukee.
He became a machinist appren-
tice in the Milwaukee Roads shops
and soon was chosen by the ap-
prentices as their spokesman on
grievances. From then on, he
marched from one leadership post
in the union to another.
Like many a machinist of those
DAYS. he turned "boomer" as soon
as he finished his apprenticeship.
He transformed from job to job on
Western railroads, then returned.
to Wisconsin. After a stint with
the North Western Railroad at the
little town of Kaukauna, he shift
ed to the same roads shops in his
home city of Milwaukee.
He had just married in 1928
when the big national rail shop
mems strike broke out. Hayes be-
came local leader in the stop
page, and picketed constantly dur
ing the long months until the dis
pute was finally settled.
Thereafter, lam members thrust
him ahead into union offices-to
president of the local, then head of
District z covering the entire
North Western system. Meantime,
headquarters had been cycling the
aggressive youngster, and in 1884
he was hired as a grand lodge rep
resentative to handle organizing,
negotiations and a multitude of
other activities in his area.
During World War ii he served
as the labor member of the Sixth
Regional War Labor Board, cover
ing the crucial Chicago area. In
1914 he advanced to vice president,
and now to the highest office in
the gift of the union.
What are his views? Though
never a member of any political
party, he has always voted on the
liberal side. In Wisconsin that gen.
orally meant for LaFollette Pro-
gressive and Socialist candidates.
Right now, he is strong support
er of the Americans for Democratic |
Action, and in fact was one of the
ADA's original sponsoring men,
bers.
In thumbnail, here are his be-
liefs on some of the major issues
of the day and his detectives for
the Machinists:
Profits-"Reasonable profits are
necessary to the maintenance and
progress of our economic system.