The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-08-25
TYPO DELEGATES BACK
NO SURRENDER POLICY
ON TAFT-HARTLEY LAW

Odhiclilhs Oc1llIs IL - wv
gates Of the Int'l Typographical
Union-AFL unanimously backed
the unions policy of "no surrend-
err on contracts with employers
after two and half hours spent
in debating the issue at the unions
91st convention here last week.
Fred Berlemann Jr., a delegate
from st. Louis, argued that the
present policy, adopted at the 1947
convention and sustained by the
1948 convention, had led to strikes,
injunctions, and other difficulties.
Berlemann and other st. Louis
delegates cited the 21-month strike
against the Chicago papers as an
illustration of his argument.
The present policy is to avoid
making contracts which surrender
previous benefits won by the union.
Not all the st. Louis delegates
were in favor of modifying the pre-
sent policy, and when the final
vote came, all delegates at the
convention voted solidly to stick
together in the battle.
The question of whether or not
this convention would stand by the
present fighting policy, identified
with the leadership of Internation-
al President Woodruff Randolph
was the burning one on the lips of
all delegates and observers during
the opening days of the convention,
and with that question settled
Tuesday, the delegates settled
down to the business of making
relatively routine decisions effec-
tuating the fundamental policy.
Randolp his administration is
supported by tn e Progressive
Party in the lTU, and criticism of
it has largely come from the Inde-
pendent Party, which has been
caucusing during the convention,
and is reported to have agreed
tentatively. upon a ticket to be
nominated in February preparatory
to the referendum election for in
ternationaI officers in May, 1850.
The Independent Party is re-
ported to have agreed on Clifford
G. Sparkman, president of the
Detroit Typographical Union, as
candidate for president to run
against Randolph; and George N.
Bante, secretary-treasurer of the
Chicago local, to run for secre-
tary-treasurer against Don Hurd
of Oakland.
y The Progressive Party in the
lTu is universally expected to
back the present administration,
which includes, in addition to Ran
dolph and Hurd, First Vice Presi-
dent Larry Taylor, Second Vice
President Elmer Brown, and Third
Vice-President Joseph Bailey.
The present fighting policy of
the ITC was vigorously defended
by President Randolph on the
opening day of the convention. He
told delegates that "here and now
at this convention" Is the place to
his methods of meeting
-he crisis created by the Taft
Hartley law. He invited critics "to
Difer some constructive plan in
place of the one we are now follow
ng."
The invitation, uttered in ring
ng voice at the end Of review of |
.he battles against TIL by one Of |
oldest unions, brought |
he vast majority Of the delegates
% their feet, cheering.
Randolph first read statement, |
,opies of which were distributed to
representatives of the press, in
.luding men sent here by the Chic
ago Tribune and the Chicago Sun
Times, two of the big papers in
he strike against which the union
has spent millions.
81 have had to resort to this
practice of reading a prepared |
statement" explained the militant |
unions leader, because state
ments made eXtemporaneously at |