Evening star., 1950-02-25
Board Of UPWA
Votes TO Stay in
Federal Field
CIO Witch Hunting
Blasted; FIoxer Gets
Vote of Confidence
By Joseph Young
Sfor Sfnff Cokrespondanf


ecutive Board of the left-wing
United Public Workers Of Amer
lea, which recently was expelled
from the C1O on charges Of Com
munist domination, has voted
unanimously to continue the
unions activities In the Federal
employees field.
Concluding its two-day semi
annual meeting here, the board
issued a statement blasting the
CIO for witch hunting" and de-
clared that UPWA will Garry out
the program of bettering the
wages. hours and conditions for
Government workers"
Abram Flaxer. UPWA president.
told press conference the union
is stronger financially than we
ever have been," with $150,00o in
liquid assets"
UPWA's membership totals IT,
900 members in good standing,
including $4,000 Federal employees
and 5000 Panama Canal workers,
Mr.. Flaxer asserted. The $4,000
Federal workers are counted sep
arate from the Panama employees,
he added.
CIO Put Total at 10000.
UPWA's total membership fg-
ures differ greatly from those
given by the CIO when it kicked
out the left-wing group. CIO
officials said UPWA had only 30,-
900 members.
The Executive Board also went
on record unanimously as giving
vote Of confidence" to Mr.. Flaxer
and the rest of the unions leader
ship. This caused no surprise
since the right-wing elements Of
UPWA has long since quit the
union in protest against its leftist
policies.
The board also approved a
resolution condemning the Vet
erans' Administration for refusing
recognition to the union in en-
ploye matters. The State De-
partment has taken the same
stand.
UPWA officials said that the
union would continue to represent
VA members.
"As a matter of fact we rep
resented one of our VA members
in grievance procedure last week
in the agency-after the VA had
issued the order" Mr.. Flaxer said.
He said the UPWA representative
was one of their business agents.
Minimizes VA Action.
The UPWA chief professed to
minimize the seriousness of VAS
action. He declared that VA had
never recognized us anyway" Mr..
Flaxer said that VA and other
Government workers are entitled
to have some one represent them
at grievance hearings and that in
dividual UPWA officials could still
appear as the employees represent
atives in these cases. The only
thing denied the union is the
right to have a voice on broad
personnel policy matters land we
never did have that" the UPWA
chief asserted.
In response to q newsman's
question. Mr.. Flaxer repeated his
denial of several weeks ago in
Washington that he was a Com
munist.
I'm willing to tell you that
I'm not a Communist" he told
reporters, but I wouldn't tell it
as a matter of principle to the
CIO executive board or the House
Un-Amerlcan Activities Commit
tee."
Supports John L. Lewis.
Asked why the UPWA board did
not formulate some resolution de-
nouncing Communism, Mr.. Flaxer
said this would be red batting.
The unions executive board
claimed that UPWA had scored
a great victory" in the findings
OF the Presidents Fair Employ
ment Practice Board yesterday
regarding its charges of discrimi-
nation against negro employees in
the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing.
In other action, the board voted
its support of John L. Lewis and
his striking coal miners.
Mr.. Flaxer also acknowledged,
that he and officials of other left
wing unions ousted by the CIO
had discussed formation Of a new
independent labor federation,
"but nothing definite has been
settled"
The UPWA board voted to hold
the unions biennial convention
in Chicago in May.