Action in Miami

With portly John L. Lewis lolling on the platform, the United Mine Workers of America wound up their Washington convention last week with 2,000 delegates yelling and stomping in a wild "Lewis-for-President" demonstration. Though he did not indicate his reactions by even so much as a twitch of a bushy eyebrow, Mr. Lewis must have found the demonstration exceedingly gratifying--for professional if not political reasons. For, in his usual ironhanded manner, he had run the convention in large measure for the edification of another group of labormen meeting simultaneously in Miami--the executive council of the American Federation of Labor.

There William Green and the rest of the A.F. of L. board were pondering an important bit of unfinished business--what to do about John Lewis and his C.I.O. After Miner Green turned down the invitation to go to Washington to stand trial for "treason" before the U.M.W. Convention, Miner Lewis had the Green case referred to his executive board, leaving Mr. Green, for the moment at least, still in possession of his union card. On the other hand, the A.F. of L. had still to take action on kicking the miners and other suspended C.I.O. unions out of A.F. of L. Some A.F. of L. men contended that as far as the miners were concerned John Lewis had done the job for them. For in convention last week the miners systematically eliminated from their constitution every mention of A.F. of L., substituting C.I.O.

Divided internally between moderates and die-hards on the question of what to do with John Lewis, the A. F. of L. executive council was distracted last week by jurisdictional squabbles and the horses at Hialeah Park. Even Baptist Bill Green went over one day, could not resist the temptation to put money on a horse named Mine Boy. Mine Boy ran fifth.

Indeed, the horse and other Miami attractions were taking so much of the labormen's time that Bill Green threatened to hold regular night sessions. Most of the sessions were occupied with endless arguments on such sharp jurisdictional questions as: Are ink makers painters or pressmen? Neon tube men electricians or glass blowers? Offset pressmen lithographers or photoengravers? Who should pull the dump handle on ready-mixed concrete trucks, the hoisting engineers or the teamsters?

Meanwhile, an unwanted kibitzer. President Charles P. Howard of A.F. of L.'s Typographical Union, added to Mr. Green's discomfiture. Claiming that he was on hand to watch over his jurisdictional interests, Mr. Howard, C.I.O.'s secretary, was the most unpopular man in Miami. Mr. Howard could have probably spent his time better in other places, for there is a potent movement in his own union, still A.F. of L., to toss him out of office at the next convention. In one of his daily exchanges of insults with Mr. Green, the A.F. of L. president asked him why he insisted on sticking around. In terms which all A.F. of L. men understand Mr. Howard replied: "As regards the executive council I feel like the man in the poker game who does not dare turn his head to spit while the other fellow is dealing. I don't like to play in a game where you have to spit in the centre of the table because you have to keep such a close watch on developments."

Apparently the C.I.0. secretary turned to spit once too often. For suddenly at the start of this week Mr. Green announced that his executive council had expelled the United Mine Workers and two other C.I.0. unions, the Flat Glass Workers and the Mine, Mill & Smelter Workers. And the action had been taken in secret session three days before. Announcement was delayed pending the arrival of a certified copy of the miners' purged constitution.

At the same time Mr. Green turned in the card he has held for 48 years in the United Mine Workers, leaving him no more than an honorary member of the Chicago Musicians Union. Presumably he will join the down-&-out Progressive Miners of America, recognition of which by the A.F. of L. was the basis of the Lewis charges of "treason." Bill Green's eyes were filled with tears when reporters filed in to hear the announcement.*

Real as it was to old Mr. Green, the A.F. of L.'s action seemed strangely unreal. The Mine Workers had already read themselves out, as even the ouster resolution noted. Nor was it explained why of all C.I.O. unions the ax had fallen on the Flat Glass Workers and the Smelters, both relatively unimportant. Logical union to go and the one expected to go was Sidney Hillman's big Amalgamated Clothing Workers. But whatever the strategy may have been one thing was sure: it was not in the interests of labor peace.

*One reporter who did not get in was Columnist Heywood Broun, an accomplished Green-baiter. He was barred by Mr. Green's new pressagent, Philip Pearl, who resented Broun's description of his job as "streamlining" Bill Green,

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