A.F.of L. Votes

A.F.ofL. Votes

Organized U. S. Labor would like a five-day working week with plenty of holidays. The American Federation, having worked five days at its Vancouver, B. C. convention fortnight ago (TIME, Oct. 12. 19), recessed. Then came Saturday, Sunday and a double holiday (Columbus Day and Canadian Thanksgiving Day). All were observed. After a 72-hour layoff, the convention got back to work last week, concluded its 515! annual session. Work accomplished by conventions is recorded in their resolutions. A survey of resolutions adopted by the A. F. of L. indicated two things: i) that whatever the resolutions committee--chairmanned by Red-baiting Photo-Engraver Matthew Woll--advises is usually accepted; 2 ) that gentle President William Green is uncommonly adept at oiling through the recommendations of the resolutions committee.

> Opposed by a handful of waiters and onetime bartenders who wanted the entire 18th Amendment discarded, the convention voted as it has in the past to urge Congress only to modify the Volstead Act. legalize the manufacture of 2.75% beer. "A favorable Congress," President Green had said, "could legalize beer in 48 hours. Immediately an estimated 1,000,-ooo men or more would find jobs. . . ."

> An expected controversy between the 16 unions in the Federation's building trades department (500,000 members) and the triple alliance of bricklayers, carpenters and electrical workers (535.000 members) did not materialize. Irked at jurisdictional violations by the triple alliance, which is affiliated with the A. F. of L. but not incorporated in the building trades department, the department wanted to alter the Federation's constitution, compel independent unions to join their trade departments. The committee on laws thought otherwise. President Green dextrously palmed away the altercation by reminding the convention that almost the last words of the late President Samuel Gompers were: "The cornerstone of the labor movement is voluntarism, not coercion, persuasion and not force."

> Once again President Green had to use persuasive eloquence to keep the convention from bounding off what he considered the right track. Although the resolutions committee had reported on it unfavorably, one after another of the delegates rose to plead for a Federal-controlled system of unemployment insurance, i.e. Dole. Hot raged the debate from morning until sunset.

"There is the problem of relief work" argued James A. Duncan of Seattle's Central Labor Council, "for which in Seattle they get $1.50 a day. What is to prevent employers, in the goodness of their hearts, from opening their factories, just as a relief measure of course, and paying us the same wage? Unemployment insurance is the solution."

For the other side, dramatically cried Victor O. Orlander of the International Seamen's Union: "In this country for 100 years we had a system where employers guaranteed shelter, food and work. We called it Slavery and 1,000,000 gave their lives to end that system!"

Finally President Green sagely pointed out that unemployment insurance could not be obtained without an organization that would force men to take any kind of work which first presented itself. That, said he, would sound the knell of unionism. A thundering viva voce vote was taken. The ayes, the resolutions committee and President Green had it. As a consolation, the insurance agitants were permitted to place on record a snarl at the Capitalist system in general, bankers in particular: "Prior to the Depression it was mainly the bankers who encouraged the people to put their funds in towering pyramids of investment trusts. These trusts were organized by banks and are still involved in the financial crash that brought on the Depression."

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