Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-08-13
Carpenters Break
From AFL in Blast al
Agreement With Clio
BY the Associated Press


000-member Carpenters Union
suddenly broke connections with
the American Federation of La
Dor yesterday. Dickering between
the AFL an dthe CLIO for a mer-
ger and action to ban raids" by
rival union membership was
given as the reason.
However, Maurice A. Hutche-
son, president of the Carpenters
"a pillar of the AFL and one
of its founding unions-con-
coded:
TITS the climax Of something
that's been going on for a long
time in the ALL"
Objects to Agreement.
Mr.. Hutchinson wrote in a let
ter to AFL President George
Meany, revealing his unions Sc
cession, that he objected to the
AFL agreeing to ban fights be-
tween AFL and CIO unions when,
he wrote, the AFL hadn't taken
steps to stop scraps among it's
own unions.
His letter complained that AFL
leaders ARE more concerned
with the affairs of the CLIO than
they are with those of the fed
Grafton"
Mr.. Meany fired back that Mr..
Hutcheson's reasons for quitting
didn't seem to make sense. "
He said the mo raiding" agree
ment with the CIO was a neces-
sary first step toward achieving
an actual AFL-CIO merger -
something Mr.. Meany said al
most everyone agreed would ben
eft all labor.
In San Francisco, John L.
Lewis, president of the United
Mine Workers, said the carpen-
ters' action "exemplifies the fall
lacy of this Tweedledum and
Tweedledee policy of the AFL
executive council in avoiding
the basic question of unity"
Mr.. Lewis refused to say
whether he will ask the carpen-
tiers to join in his reported move
to form a new labor federation
of miners, AFL teamsterS and
TIO SteelU0rkerS
Rows Blamed on Union.
Mr.. Meany limited broadly to
newSmen that he considered the
carpenters primarily at the root
of many jurisdictional troubles
within the AFL.
He said Mr.. Hutchinson, while
protesting against lack of AFL
power to stop fights between
AFL unions, probably would be
the first one to protest against
vesting any such power in the
AFL leadership.
The AFL high command
seemed to take the carpenters,
action in stride. Mr.. Meany said
AFL-CIO unity talks will con-
tinue and he expects them even
tually to be fruitful. He said
other unions. AFL and CLIO, may
get mad and quit in the process.
Mr.. Meany said the Executive
Council had advanced other AFL
vice presidents up a notch. This
means the council considers that
William A. Hutchinson, father of
the carpenters president and
himself a former president of the
union, no longer is first vice,
president of the AFL.
The elder Hutchinson resigned
! as chief of the carpenters union
a year ago but remained on the
Executive Council as representa-
tive of that union, when the car
peiiters seeded he was auto
matically out of the council
post.
Mr.. Meany and other members
of the council. here for a week
long quarterly session, merely
treated Mr.. HutcheSon's post as
being vacant. Mr.. Meany an
nounced that the council, COM
posed of the vice presidents, will
select some one else for the
bottom or 18th vice presidency
fodau mr. tomorrow
AL Hayes, president of the AFL
MachiniSts Union, was men
toned as a possible choice.
Expected to RejOin.
Twice before, the Carpenters
Union has pulled out of the AFL
only to return later. It was plain
the AFL chiefs expected Mr..
Hutcheson, sooner or later, again
to rejoin.
Meanwhile there were reports
that a cleanup faction of the
beleaguered international Long
shoremen's Association had
seized power within the union
with the intention of making
some fast moves to help rid the
lila of criminal elements.
The AFL Executive Council
voted Tuesday to recommend the
LAS suspension at next month
AFL convention, contending the
waterfront union has been too
slow in ousting racketeers.
The LILA cleanup forces, led by
union officials from outside New
York, were reported to be initi-
ating a series of union trials
aimed at expelling lila officials
found guilty of irregularities.
Their hope is the move may fore
stall HAS suspension from the
AFL.