Evening star., 1950-02-26
Auto Workers Claim
Victory in GIN Ballot
Despite 'Hardships'
BY the Associated Press

DETROIT, Feb. 25.-The CIO
United Auto Workers today
claimed a smashing victory in
the Nationwide General Motors
union shop election despite what
1t called God and mane made
hardship"
The union said a tabulation
would show that about 100000 Of
the 100000 eligible voters turned
out in the biggest such election
ever held and it confidently pre-
dicted that 80 per cent of them
voted for union shop.
This was accomplished, the
UAW said, in the face of floods
and blizzards on the one hand and
lack of company cooperation and
National Labor Relations Board
mismanagement on the other.
In one instance, the union
claimed, workers were forced to
vote in "a city dog pound from
which dogs had been removed be-
cause OF the intense cold"
Ballot Counting Wednesday.
The voting ended today. The
counting Of ballots is expected to
start Wednesday.
Under the Taft-Hartley Act, a
majority of all eligible workers
must approve a union shop before
a union can attempt to negotiate
such provision in management
labor contract. Even then there
is no obligation for a company to
grant one.
A union shop permits the hiring
Of non-union workers, out requires
them to join union in a stipu-
lated time. usually 80 days.
The UAW will start negotiations
with General Motors about April
on q new contract to replace the
historic two-year cost-of living
pact which expires May %. A
union shop is at the top of union
demands.
ASV~s w LIZ hS0s
A formal protest on voting con-
ditions will be filed with the NLRB
rs soon as the results are an
nounced, the union said.
r. A. Johnstone, director OF the
JAWS General Motors depart
ment, said in a statement:
Tens of thousands of GIN work.
ers were deprived of an opporru-
nifty to vote and most of those who
did vote had to do so under the
most adverse circumstances.
This was due in the first place
to the refusal Of the corporation
to permit the elections to be held
on company property and In the
second place to careless, ineffici-
ency and incompetent direction of
the election by the national Office
of the NLRB."
Other Hardships Cited.
There was no immediate COM
ment from either GIN or the
NLRB.
The UAW said the dog pound
incident occurred at nearby Pom
tiac where employees Of GINS Yel-
low Truck & Coach Division
voted.
Other examples of hardship and
alleged NLRB ineff1ciency cited by
the UAW included:
I'm Defiance, Ohio, a flood of
the Maumee River made 1t neces-
sary for voters to wade through
ankle-deep water in a pouring |
rain to get to the polling places.
I'm Framingham, Mass, work.
ers had to travel a mile and a
half from the plant to the poll
ing places in the midst of how
ling blizzard in order to cast
their ballots.
Pensions. Pay Boost Sought.
The UAW also charged that
there were scores" of polling
places which were inadequately
lighted or heated or not heated
ut all.
In addition to a union shop the
union also will ask GIN for pen
sions, hospital-medical care
program and Substantial"
wage increase.
Meanwhile, the strike of $4,000
Chrysler Corp. workers passed
through its 32d day with no de-
velopments.
Peace talks have been recessed
until Monday, when both company
and negotiators were asked to
come up with fresh ideas on dead