Jurisdictional disputes in the motion-picture Industry : hearings before a special subcommittee of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Eightieth Congress, first-session, pursuant to H. Res. 111 (1948)

MOTION-PICTURE JURISDICTIONAL DISPUTES 13 In October 1945 the executive council of the A. F. of L. was meeting in Cincinnati. They meet four times a year, as you know. Eric Johnston, who had just accepted the presidency of the producers' association, and Donald Nelson, president of the Society of Independent Motion Picture Producers, went back to Cincinnati to that meeting, and appealed to the council on behalf of the producers to settle the issues involved. He called attention to the violence and the fear of even further violence. The council pointed out that the American Federation of Labor is without power to impose a settlement of jurisdictional issues upon its outonomous internationals. Such settlement can be made only by voluntary action of the internationals involved. However, after various conferences, Mr. Green, president of the federation, appealed to the international presidents involved, and particularly to William Hutcheson, of the carpenters, and Richard Walsh, of the lATSE, who by this time had become the chief parties to the controversy, to settle a conflict which was bringing disrepute upon the A. F. ofL. "... As a result, the council issued a directive which was agreed to by the internationals involved and by Messrs. Johnston and Nelson on behalf of the producers. It reads as follows : 1. The council directs that the Hollywood strike be terminated immediately. 2. That all employees return to work immediately. 3. That for a period of 30 days the international unions affected make every attempt to settle the jurisdictional questions involved in the dispute. 4. That after the expiration of 30 days a committee of three members of the executive council of the American Federation of Labor shall investigate and determine within ,30 days all jurisdictional questions still involved. 5. That all parties concerned — the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Moving Picture Machine Operators of the United States and Canada, the United Brotherhood of Cari>enters and Joiners of America, the International Association of Machinists, the United Association of Plumbers and Steam Fitters of the United States and Canada, the Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators, and Paperhangers of America, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers of America, and the Building Service Employees' International Union — accept as final and binding such decisions and determinations as the executive council committee of three may finally render. While the strike nominally was over the right to represent set decorators, the CSU unions which participated in the strike had jurisdictional disputes of their own with the lATSE, and it was clear to the executive council of the American Federation of Labor that the strike could be settled only by an adjudication of the many jurisdictional disputes which had been plaguing the motion-picture industry. It recognized that the jurisdictional dispute over set decorators was simply the spark which ignited a long-smoldering fire which included within its area disputes between the lATSE, on the one hand, and the painters, carpenters, machinists, electrical workers, and building-service employees, on the other hand. It was for this reason that the executive council ordered that all jurisdictional disputes be settled within the period of 60 days from the issuance of its directive. The major motion-picture producers and all of the A. F. of L. unions involved agreed to abide by the award of the arbitration committee and to accept it as final and binding. On this basis, the 30-week-old strike which started on March 12, 1945, was settled on October 31, 1945, and the strikers returned to work.