Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-08-15
AFL-C|0 Amity Fades
AsUnited PoIicyGroup
Heads for Dissolution

Heads for Dissolution
The solid front presented in re-
cent months by the AFL and CLIO
in mobilization and legislative
matters apparently was fast crum-
bling away today.
A recommendation will be made
to the AFL convention next month
for dissolution of the United Labor
Policy Committee, made up of IA
officers of the AF'L, CLIO and rail
unions. 1t was held almost certain
the convention would approve the
move.
1t was through work of the COM
mittee in economic, legislative and
defense program cooperation that
the AFL and CLIO had been drawn
closer together than at any time
since the big split of organized
labor IS years ago. That split of
AFL leaders, led by John L. Lewis,
resulted in the establishment of
the CLIO. Mr. Lewis now is at odds
with both organizations.
Dissolution Proposed.
The AFL Executive Council. gov
erning body of the federation. at
their meeting in Montreal last
week instructed President William
Green to propose dissolution of the
Policy Committee to the San Fran
cisco convention.
This action. 1t was understood.
was taken after a rather heated
fight in the council. The step
was proposed by Secretary treas
urer George Meany and Endorsed
by majority of the council. How
ever, 1t was strongly opposed by
George M. Harrison. president of
the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks,
and Danial j. Tracy, head of the
International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers.
Set Up Last December.
The United Labor Policy Com
mlttee was set up last December
so that most of organized labor
could speak with one voice in mat
tiers affecting the mobilization
program. The committee has been
very active and last spring was
successful in winning for labor
greater representation in the Fed
eral defense agencies and a wider
participation in the setting of de-
tense program policy.
The new AFL-CIO split also was
expected to seriously affect their
cooperation In the international
labor field. Last year the two Or
carnations Joined labor groups
from other countries outside the
Iron Curtain in establishing the
International Confederation of
Free Trade Unions. +
Attended Milan Meeting.
Both AFL and CLIO officials at
tended the last meeting of the
ICFTU held in Milan, Italy. last
June
Sporadic efforts to bring about
labor unity have been made ever
since the AFL-CIO split in 1895.
Early last year the two groups
appointed a committee to work
out their differences. But that
committee has not met in more /.
than year, and each side blames
the other for the failure to get
together.
The traditional position of the .
AFL has been that there must
be full. organic unity with the
CLIO before their can be co-opera-
ton in economic and legislativeI
matters. The CIO, on the other
hand, has held the two first must
show they can work together for
single detectives before there can
be a merger of the organizations.
In setting UP the United Labor
Policy Committed the AFL tenn
porarily abandoned the policy of
organic unity of labor first, and
went along with the CLOS func-
tional unity idea. Now the AFL is
returning to its original position, /
Three developments are held to-
be the cause of the new split in
labor's ranks: /
/. Orangizational rivalries in
the field caused by overlapping
jurisdiction of AFL and CLIO
unions.
2. Failure of efforts to resume
merger talks of last year.
3. Some sharp differences which
have developed recently between
AFL and CLIO members of the
Policy Committee.
CLIO President Philip Murray
was not available for comment on
the action of the AFL Executive
Council. But a CIO spokesman
expressed surprise that the AFL
was moving to break up the new
found friendship" of the two big
labor groups.