United Automobile Worker

UAW Board Names Dept. Heads for Next Year

Thomas Says Aim Should be To Add 250,000 Members

PHILADELPHIA—The International executive board of the UAW-CIO, in session here prior to the CIO convention, approved recommendations of President R. J. Thomas for department heads during the coming year.

Thomas declared that it will be the objective of the various departments and the International union to add an additional quarter of a million members to the rolls of the union by the time the 1944 convention of the UAW-CIO opens.

These are the department heads approved by the board:

War Policy Division—President Thomas.

General Motors—Vice-president Walter P. Reuther.

Ford—Richard T. Leonard.

Chrysler—Leo Lamotte.

Aircraft—Vice-president Richard T. Frankensteen.

Washington Bureau—Frankensteen and Reuther.

Unemployment Compensation Division—Secretary-treasurer George F. Addes.

Medical Institute—Addes.

Publicity and Publication—Edward Levinson.

Legal—Maurice Sugar.

Skilled Trades—Reuther.

Research—James Wishart.

Education—William H. Levitt.

Women's Auxiliaries—Carl Swanson.

Recreation—Melvin West.

Eaton Division—Richard E. Reisinger.

Auto-Lite Division—Richard Gosser.

Hudson-Hershey—Joseph Mattson.

Bendix—Addes.

Borg-Warner—Arnold Atwood.

Thompson Products—Paul E. Miley.

Mack Truck—Charles E. Kerrigan.

Farm Equipment—George Burt, Atwood and Mattson.

The post-war planning committee was incorporated with the War Policy Division.

CHANGE EXPLAINED

In assuming direction of the War Policy Division, Thomas stated that the change was not intended in any way as a reflection on the work of Addes, who had previously headed that division.

He declared that Addes had done a commendable job. The change was made, Thomas said, because he had so arranged his time as to be able to assume personal direction of the division. He felt it was logical that the president of the union should have charge of the most important problems before the union.

Handling a great deal of business referred to it by the convention, the board adopted a number of resolutions of importance. It endorsed U. S. Senator Pepper's resolution calling for an effective post-war alliance to keep the peace; it denounced the Steagall bill, which would place a ban on all subsidies for the purpose of keeping down food prices; and it demanded the United Nations take all possible action to deliver the Jewish people from Nazi cruelty.

STEAGALL BILL HIT

The resolution on the Steagall bill, resolved:

"That we, the officers and members of the International executive board of the International union, United Automobile Workers of America CIO, do hereby demand the defeat in the House of Representatives of the Steagall Bill (H. R. 3477), and that we urge our one million members and all other like-minded persons who look with horror on this cynical attempt to take away the food of working people and divert it to those with higher incomes, to urge their Congressmen to vote down and end the menace of the Steagall Bill, which seeks to stop food subsidies while permitting all other forms of subsidies to industry and business."

URGES AID TO JEWS

The resolution on the oppression of the Jewish people proposed the following program:

1—Prompt and effective action to rescue as many of the helpless victims of the Nazis as possible: "to evade this responsibility is to cast doubt on the integrity of the cause for which we fight."

2—Positive action by the governments of the United Nations to establish havens for those Jewish people who can still be saved and extricated from Nazi-dominated countries.

3—Immediate withdrawal by the government of Great Britain of the Chamberlain White Paper of 1939 under which Jewish migration into Palestine is restricted and under which this Jewish national home-land will be closed to Jews forever starting April, 1944.

AMALGAMATED LOCALS

Other actions of the board were:

Appointment of a committee consisting of Addes, Reuther, Frankensteen, John W. Livingston and William Stevenson to cooperate with the CIO War Relief drive, and to carry out the convention recommendation for establishment in UAW centers of labor sponsored canteens for service men.

A request that the Federal government take over and operate the Nash-Kelvinator plant in Lansing, Michigan, because of refusal of management to cooperate on labor relations and production.

Creation of a committee of Addes, Reuther, Stevenson and Melvin Bishop to draw up and to report to next board meeting a statement of policy defining amalgamated locals.

SENIORITY COMMITTEE NAMED

Appointment of a committee to draft a recommended statement of policy, for the next board meeting, on seniority problems as they effect women workers. Committee: Reuther, Frankensteen, Reisinger, Livingston and Swanson.

Endorsement of aims of National Labor and Religion Foundation, and appropriation of $1,000 contribution. The Foundation engages in work aiming to acquaint religious groups, ministers and theological students with the aims of the labor movement.

The voting strength of the board members, under the constitution, was as follows:

Thomas, Addes, Frankensteen and Reuther, 84 votes each; Atwood, 80, Bishop, 84, Blakely, 34; Burt, 18; Arnold Coxhill, 33; Gosser, 35, Kerrigan, 45; Lamotte, 84; Livingston, 15; Percy Llewellyn, 81.5, McAulay, 80; Mattson, 56; Lew Michener, 17; Miley, 36; Reisinger, 13; Thomas J. Starling, 11; Stevenson, 81.5; Swanson, 54.