The Potters Herald

Board Maps Further Steps To Isolate Communists

Cleveland (LPA)—The CIO Executive Board, meeting directly after the national convention here, set in motion the machinery to decide which of the nominees for the board are ineligible on grounds that they are Communists.

In its closing hours, the convention—by a fifteen-minute demonstration—returned President Philip Murray to office, and re-elected Secretary-treasurer James B. Carey. Eight vice-presidents were returned to office, and President Joseph Beirne of Communications Workers was chosen to replace Albert Fitzgerald of the United Electrical Workers whose union was earlier expelled.

As left-wing unions nominated their presidents to serve on the executive board, right wing leaders rose on the floor and indicated they believed the nominees were ineligible under the Constitution clause barring Communists from serving on the board. The right-wingers abstained from voting on the pro-Communists' nominations.

In the case of avowed Communist Ben Gold, nominated by the Fur Workers, Murray ruled him ineligible, and invited the union to nominate a qualified man. The union refused.

Major attention was given to the new International Electrical Workers union, whose officers were introduced to the delegates. Acting President James B. Carey revealed that telegrams had gone to 1500 employers holding contracts with the expelled union, asking for recognition of the affiliate. Murray estimated that 48% of the members of the Communist-dominated union would come back to the fold, repudiating "the unholy trinity of the Communist party, the old UE, and the employers."

Resolutions passed in the closing days included endorsement of the Marshall Plan and Point Four, approving steps to form a new non-Communist world labor federation, calling for eventual unity of all US labor, and urging closer bonds between working farmers and industrial workers. Support of the Brannan farm program, strengthening of the Labor Dep't including an industrial safety and an aid-the-physically handicapped program, were also approved. Another resolution called for the appointment of a Nat'l Security Resources Board with proper labor representation, to plan civilian mobilization if war should come.

A national system of unemployment insurance, geared in with a national employment service and a unified national social insurance system was urged.

Bitterest word battles were over foreign policy, with President Harry Bridges of the Longshoremen leading opposition to the majority policy. President Harry Martin of the Newspaper Guild, who is director of the Economic Cooperation Administration's labor information program in Europe, said that the tide of "red totalitarianism" on the continent has been halted.