Evening star., 1952-08-16
AFL Voids 7 Charters
In Probe Sparked by
Racketeering Reports
BY the Associated Press

ATLANTIC CITY. N. j., Aug.
16.-The American Federation of
Labor has revoked charters of two
local unions in an investigation
sparked by reports of racketeersI
in the labor union.
A charter for organization of
Circus, Carnival and County Fair|
Workers in the Midwest was the
latest to be taken back. Secretary
Treasurer George Meany an
nounced the action yesterday
after it was reported to a closed
meeting of the AFL Executives
Council.
The other revoked charter in
volved the Wine, Liquor and Dis
tillery Workers Union and hadI
been announced earlier by that
union.
Two other cases are being in
vestigated. They involve an In
ternational JeWelry Workers local
in Brooklyn and a United Auto
mobile Workers charter in New
York City.
Mr.. Meany said racketeering
was not among AFL reasons forI
canceling the charters or con-
Quoting the probes.
Check on stranger" Cases.
He said the Investigating COM
mittee's sole aim was to check
on charters issued to strangers"
or persons having no legitimate
interest in the unions activities.
However, he said the committee
was guided in part by reports
that charters had got into the
hands of alleged racketeerS.
Mr.. Meany said the committee
did not consider itself law en-
forcement agency. A full check
of all the AFL's $4,000 local un-
ions and 100 national or interna-
tional unions would be too big
9 job, he added. /
If laws are being broken, he
said. there are proper authori-
ties for handling the case. I'VE
assume labor people, if they break
the law, are just as liable to
prosecution as any one else. For
that reason we do not have a |
law enforcement body"
Convention Opens Sept. Is.
His report was made at the
close of a five-day meeting of
the AFL Executive Council. It
was the last quarterly meeting
before the AFL national conven-
ton opens in New York Septem-
Der IS.
The council adjourned without
receiving any reply to telegraphed
invitations sent to Gen. Dwight
D. Eisenhower and Gov. Adlai
Stevenson asking them to speak
before the convention.
AFL President William Green
noted the invitations had been
issued only the day before and
no reply had been expected yet.
In his report on the charter
investigations. Mr.. Meany identi-I
fed Harry Karsch of st. Louis
as the person from whom a char
ter for organizing carnival work.
ers had been taken. 1t had been
issued by the International jew
elry Workers Union and was re-
voked because "it was outside the
jewelry workers field" Mr.. Meany|
said.
He said he knew nothing about
the character of Mr.. Karsch.
Auto Charter Still Probed.
The auto workers New York
charter still under investigation
had been issued to Sam Berger
and is now held by John Dio. Mr..
Meany said. It was questioned
because Mr.. Berger is not an auto
worker and had no reason to be
granted charter, Mr.. Meany
said. Mr.. Berger is head of a
truck local of the International
Ladies' Garment Workers Union.
In addition to Mr.. Meany, men,
bers of the Charter Investigating
Committee are David Dubinsky,
president of the ILGWU, and
William L. McFetridge of Chicago,
president of the Building Service
Employees Union.