Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-08-06

For Protection
Tied 10 Die
Concerns Invented
Own Auto Union.
Witness Discloses
BY WILLIAM HINES and
CECIL HOLLAND

CECIL HOLLAND
Senate rackets Investigators
were told today that New York
mobster Johnny Dio demanded
and received about $4,000 over
a three-year period as his price
for preserving labor peace in
the New York auto glass re-
pair business.
Stanley Lehrer, Brooklyn at
torney. told the Senate Rackets
Committee that until Dio en-
tered the picture, the glass
repairmen's association which
he represents could receive no
assurance of freedom from
raids by one union upon shops
organized by another. Then a
two-pronged deal was cooked
up whereby Local 227, United
Auto Workers (AFL) organized
about lao glass repair shops
and a Dio-controiied group I'M
dertook to keep other unions
of.
Received $4,000
The Die outfit, euphoniously
named Equitable Research AS
sociates. Inc" got $4,000 for
its labor management con-
sultant services.
Senator Mcclellan, Democrat
OF Arkansas, chairman Of the
committee. used blunter phrase
ology to characterize the Dio
groups -ole. He called it pro-
tection"--a word to which Mr..
Lehrer agreed.
Though the name of Johnny
Dio-real name. John DID,
guardians cropped up count
less times in the hearings to
date. this was the first direct
link of the mobster to labor
protection and racketeering
payoffs.
Mr.. Lehrer said that about
so per cent of the member
shops in his Auto Glass Dealers
Association are one-man oper-
atoms where the owner works
without employees. Despite this.
all the shops we're unioni7ed
under threat Of picketing.
One-Man Shops Hit
Because of intense COMPETE
ton and the practice Of keep
ing small inventories Of ma
terials on hand. Mr.. Lehrer
said. quick delivery service was
essential to the continued OPP
Grafton Of a shop. So when q
picket line materialized around
a non-union place, the propri-
etor Immediately felt the pinch.
1t was for this reason. he said.
that l00-odd shops without en-
ployes were unionized.
Under questioning by Sena-
tor Ives. Republican of Kew
York, Mr.. Lehrer explained
that under the New York
State Labor statutes. a shop
owner could go broke while
waiting out the long process
of getting an injunction against
picketing.
Chairman Mcclellan brought
out that the minimum cost to
any Shopowner of the organiz-
ing efforts of Local 227 and the
Cancellation efforts of Johnny
Dio were in the neighborhood of
$3.50 over the three-year life of
the Local 227 contract.
But the Do deal had one adj
vantage, MIR. Lehrer pointed
out. In 1856, Local 227's boss.
Harry ReisS. came around to
reopen the contract and nego-
tiate a work week shorter than
40 hours. Mr.. Lehrer turned
him down and went to Reiss
labor movement mentor, Dio.
about the matter
Matter Was Ended
THAT was the end of that. :"
Mr.. Lehrer said.
That was part of the pro-
lection your contract with
Equitable Rereach) called for"
Senator Mcclellan commented.
You used it for protection"
Louis Boyar. a glass shop
owner. also testified. He told
how he attempted to wheedle
and eventually to buy freedom
from picketing. but could not
get results. During negotia-
tions looking toward a payoff.
Mr.. Boyar said. the initials
u D. and the name Johnny
D." were invoked.
Another stratagem by small
businessmen to rid themselves
of labor difficulties was de-
scribed by Louis Pope, owner
of an auto body shop in the
Bronx.
When unions started breath
ing down the necks Of members
CnnNt,.,,ns - Down Ak CnI