ONE FEDERATION

Grey River Argus, 3 May 1947, Page 5

ONE FEDERATION

FOR U.S. LABOUR ORGANISATIONS BEING DISCUSSED BY LEADERS

(Rec. 8.30). WASHINGTON, May 1. Ten of the nation’s most powerful Labour leaders, who have frequently battled with one another vigorously, met to-day to discuss a merger of the Congress of Industrial Organisations (led by Mr Philip Murray), and the American Federation of Labour (the president of whom is Mr Wm. Green). The purpose of the meeting is to unite the two federations in a single federation of thirteen and a-half million members. The C. 1.0. originally had requested a meeting to discuss the arranging of unified opposition to restrictive labour legislation, with a merger as a secondary consideration, but the A.F.L. president, Mr William Green, regarded labour unity as being of first importance, and he issued an invitation, which led to to-day’s meeting. Holding the spotlight were the A.F.L. mine workers’ president, John L. Lewis, and the C. 1.0. president, Philip Murray, who smoothed over a bitter fued which has lasted for six years with a handshake. It is twelve years since Lewis broke away from the A.F.L. over the issue of organising the nation’s mass' industries, and formed the C. 1.0. It is six years since Philip Murray, who then was Lewis’s lieutenant in the United Mine Workers and in the C. 1.0., decided to remain with the C. 1.0. when Lewis and the U.M.W. broke away from it, only to re-align themselves later with the A.F.L. Both Mr Murray and Mr Green have declared that they have an open mind on the merger proposal. After conferring for five hours, the leaders adjourned their talks until tomorrow. At a press conference, Messrs Green and Murray said that they were united in efforts to defeat anti-labour legislation that was pending in Congress. Mr Green said: “We have made definite progress in the promotion of an understanding and a genuine contribution to the questions both of joint action against anti-Labour legislation, and of the organic unity of the two groups”. None of the other participants, including Mr Lewis, would comment.