Guild Strikes

For the first time in 44 days, Duluth, a city of 101,463, last week had a daily newspaper. On April 3, 93 members of the American Newspaper Guild walked out of the Ridder Bros, papers, News-Tribune and Herald, after their 24-hour demand for a Guild shop had been turned down. Five days later, the papers suspended publication.

Negotiations and efforts by the publishers to resume publication failed. Finally last week, with the aid of police tear gas and night sticks, printers and other nonstriking employes were able to scurry past 300 pickets. Once inside, they immediately started getting out the papers. Two days later, an agreement was reached, the strike called off.

Terms: no Guild shop in editorial and news departments; qualified Guild shop in commercial departments provided the National Labor Relations Board finds the Guild entitled to represent the employes involved; extension of the five-day, 40-hour week; fixing of wages through arbitration.

Southern California journalism is dominated by two aged titans, William Randolph Hearst (Los Angeles Examiner and Herald and Express) and Harry Chandler (Los Angeles Times'). A lonely liberal voice in the midst of this die-hard desert is the little Hollywood Citizen-News, published by a pious progressive from Minnesota, Judge Harlan Guyant Palmer. Publisher Palmer likes the New Deal, dislikes the utilities.

Fortnight ago, labor-loving readers of the Citizen-News were shocked when labor-loving Publisher Palmer's entire editorial staff went on strike. With a Guild contract about to be signed, Publisher Palmer had decided to retrench by firing three active Guild members: Political Editor Roger Johnson, a past president of the Los Angeles Newspaper Guild, Drama Critic Elizabeth Yeaman and Editorial Writer Mel. G. Scott Jr. To the Guild, this was discriminatory discharge in violation of the Labor Act and cause for a strike. Sorrowfully, Publisher Palmer hired a staff of scabs, insisting that, as a liberal, he must fight for "the right to regulate the size of his editorial force and the further right to determine who shall be laid off when layoffs are decided upon.''

Among the tender hearts of Hollywood, the strikers promptly found lush support. Humorist Frank Scully became chairman of the strikers' public relations committee, provided them with a theme song:

Oh, the Citizen-News has liberal "views

On everything but money.

On German Jews, on Rupert Hughes

Its attitude's a honey.

But the Citizen-News has liberal views

On everything but money. Last week, Hollywood decided to make its crowning contribution to strike tactics: 500 invitations went out, signed by Miriam Hopkins. Gloria Stuart, Melvyn Douglas. et al., for a cocktail picket party and promenade in front of the Citizen-News.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.