Evening star., 1949-07-15
UAW 10 Vote Today
On Proposal 10 Raise
|10-Mi||ion Strike Fund

~" sSSSS~s ~ NNsSO
10-Mi||ion Strike Fund
BY the Asseeiotsd Press
MILWAUKEE,. Wis, July IS
The CIO-United Auto Workers
Union. its political course charted,
turned today to means Of raising
up to $10,000.000 in a hurry for
any big strike.
A proposal, to be put to con-
vention delegates as a constitu-
tional amendment. was partic-
ularly timely in light Of a threat
ened system wide strike of LOG, 900
Ford workers only days or weeks
away.
Also on the calendar for what
might be the conventions last day
were some hot grievance cases
one of them involving Harold
Christoffel-and a backlog of
other matters.
The proposed strike fund
amendment, under certain cir
cumstances, would lift the $1-a-
year assessment limit the UAW
Executive Board can impose on
the unions million members.
Deal With Major Strike.
These circumstances deal with
a major strike, meaning against
one of the automobile industry's
"big three" producers-General
Motors, Ford or Chrysler.
Even then, however, $4,000, 900
could not be raised overnight.
Such a sum could be amassed over
a years time. With the present
limit on assessments, only $1,000,-
900 can be raised by that means
in one year.
To produce the larger amount
would cost each member almost
81 a month in addition to his dues.
Another proposal to raise the
dues rate from $3.50 to 81 a month
was withdrawn by the Constitu-
ton Committee yesterday in the
face of almost certain defeat.
Contract Expires at Midnight.
The Ford contract expires at
midnight tonight. The UAW has
agreed to extend it on a day-to-
day basis but won't say for how
long. It could strike anytime on
five days notice. Negotiations in
Detroit on the unions pension,
welfare fund and wage demands
have been recessed until Monday.
Christoffel, whose perjury convic-
ton for denying he was a Commu-
mist was dismissed on a technical
lity recently by the Supreme Court,
was one of nine former officers of
Allis- Chalmers Local 248 expected
to appeal to the convention.
All were expelled from the union
by a local trial board on charges
of misusing funds. The UAW Ex-
ecutive Board upheld their expul-
Sions.
A resolution upholding the po-
litical views of Walter Reuther,
UAW president, was adopted with
little opposition.
A militant labor address by Rep
resentative Franklin D. Roosevelt,
jr., Democrat, of New York opened
q day in which the UAW turned at
least for a time, from internal
politicking to the national po-
litical scene.
Mfr. Roosevelt blasted United
States Steel for its refusal to- ac-
cept President Truman's media
|tion plan in, thesstsel disputhe1
1--WE have witnessed in the last
two days; one Of the most ahj6ct
abdications Of responsibility by q
great leader Of American business
Benjamin dFairless,. = ." Mr.
Roosevelt thundered. "fE7
There iseno law on the statute
books which says that President
Truman has to hew to the Taft
Hartley Act. There is no reason
in the world why he cannot pro-
pose any recommendation which
will prevent the stoppage Of the
production Of steel in this country.
But there is the moral law
which says that men in the posi-
ton Of Mr.. Fairless cannot act
selfishly, but must act for the
good of the country as a whole as
well as of his company and stock
holders.
This kind Of action will bring
on the interference not of the
Government of the United States
but Of the people acting through
their Government. to prevent such
misuse of power in the future"
MIR. Roosevelt was received re-
L. Il