Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-05-04

warning by some LABOR leaders
This is the third Of five articles on the
scheduled merger Of the AL ond
Clio, which will effect IS million
members Of labor unions.
that if unions cannot achieve
their goals through the two
party system-then they may
head in another direction.
Meany States Views
AFL President George Meany,
who will head the merged ALL
CLIO organization, gave these
views in an interview:
LAS long as / have anything
to say about it, the AFL will not
tie itself to any political party.
I don't believe in a labor class or
q labor party along class lines
such as the British Labor Party.
I don't believe in it just as
don't think there should be a
political party in this country
along UNCONVENTIONAL lines.
There will be increased politi-
cal action by labor in 1856. But
POLITICAL action by organized
labor doesn't mean we will tie
ourselves to any party. There
is talk that labor is going to join
forces with the Democratic Party.
Well, I'm not going to tie the
AFL to any party, any time, any
where.
THAT doesn't mean, of course,
that we won't support more
Democrats than Republicans be-
cause that probably will be just
the way it works out The facts
are that more Democrats have
favorable records from our point
of view than Republicans. We
aren't damn fools. We know
there will have to be corpora
ton with political parties on the
local level-but that doesn't
mean we're going to tie ourselves
to any one party in any shape
or form"
One Political Group
The merged unions will make
their political drive through a
single organization which will
be formed with the merger of
the AFL's Labor League for
Political Education and the
CLOS Political Action Commit
tee.
The AFL and CLIO set up these
political action groups after pas
sage of the Taft Hartley laws in
1947, which forbid unions from
taking dues money out of union
treasures and spending it in
support of any candidate run.
ming for Federal office.
These groups accept voluntary
contributions from workers ano
since it is not dues money-there
are no strings on spending it in
direct support of any candidate
But won't the effect of suct
political action actually NEAR
drawing labor into closer working
arrangements with the Demo
cratic Party which now gets mos
of labor's support?
Mr.. Meany: Il will say this: /
the time should ever come wher
we are forced to do such a thint
tie ourselves to any party
then it will be own party.
1--WE are going to try to achiev'
our aims on a nonpartisan basis
But if the nonpartisan effor
fails, then We'll 60 somewher
else. Well go where we must &C
And We'll go as far down tina
road as it is necessary to 60"
1t is known that Waite
Reuther, president of the GIG
and John L. Lewis. chief of tn
United Mine Workers, both shar
Mr.. Meany's misgivings towar'
a national labor party in tn
United States.
No Labor Party Need
Thomas Kennedy, vice presi
dent of the UNIV, whose view
often reflect the thinking O
Mr.. Lewis. had this to say:
There is no need for a labo
party in the United States. TIL
American labor movement i!
essentially an economic move
ment and if it fails to realiz
this and to continue to act il
behalf of it's own membershi
to win better wages and workin
conditions through economi
action. the UNIV feels that
will suffer the fate of much @
the European labor movement.
Generally, the feeling of unio
leaders is that labor best ca
achieve it's aims through existin
political parties rather than b
setting up third force in poll
tics aimed at complete control c
Government.
/. Mr.. Meany. Mr.. Reuther, M
Lewis and other labor leader
have studied the European labo
movement closely and most {
them have come to the sam
conclusion: A European typ
labor movement in the Unite
States would be bad for labc
because 1t is too political.
And it is understood that M
Lewis believes Mr.. Meany an
Mr.. Reuther are going too ia
into politics even with the
present plans for more vigorot
political action.
Quill Disagrees
But there are some who bt
lieve labor should have its ow
State labor parties II not a ns
tional party. The viewpoint
this group was voiced last d.
cember in the CLIO conventio
by Mike Quill, president Of Il
Transport Workers of Americ
Mr.. Quill said in part:
II am afraid as we roll alor