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 271 Under date of November 21 a similar letter was sent to all of the parties involved by Chairman Knight, reading thus : Brothers, Grjeeting : The committee appointed by President Green to settle jurisdictional differences between the organizations involved in the Hollywood strike, would appreciate having one representative from each organization involved meet us at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel at 2 : 30 o'clock the afternoon of December 3, not to handle any jurisdictional questions, but merely to talk over procedure, that we will be ready to go to work Tuesday morning, the 4th. With best wishes, I am, Yours fraternally, Felix H. Knight, Vice President, A. F. of L. Now, Mr. riiairman, all of the organizations are covered, and were heard, including the International Association of Machinists, which was then at that time, as it is now, suspended from the American Federation of Labor. I have all of the testimony commencing with the first clay, at which time the representatives of the Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators, and Paper Hangers of America testified, and it runs some 75 pages. Briefly stated, they submitted testimony setting fortji their claims and appropriate exhibits in connection therewith, and so, with all of the other miion leaders and their representatives, they submitted evidence and lengthy statements and transcripts thereof, all ready to go into the minutes of this particular meeting. I think the important thing which must be explored — I think it will be helpful to the subcommittee of the House Committee on Education and Labor — is the fact that the directive which was handed down on December 26 was questioned immediately by the carpenters' union, and the premise upon which they questioned the directive comes in the fact that they did submit to tlie committee what was termed a preliminary statement of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, and on the second page thereof I read the introduction — a paragraph which states : This statement is being made with the understanding that no conclusions will be made by this arbitration board in Los Angeles, and that further evidence and data may be submitted and discussions will be held with the international president of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners prior to any final determination of this matter. Now, Mr. Chairman and Mr. General Counsel, Chairman Knight of our A. F. of L. committee had made an honest attempt to have all of the organizations involved present at our hearings, which were held, as I say, in 1945. and we only had 30 days in which to reach a decision— 30 days is all that was allotted us. I say to you in all fairness, and I say it in a very friendly way, Mr. Chairman and Mr. Counsel, that I don't think your subcommittee can do this job in 30 days. I think it is a very tedious job that has been assignee! to you by the House Committee on Education and Labor. This is probably the cancer spot in the entire labor movement of America. I don't know of any place where a jurisdictional dispute is so deep-rooted and the situations are so involved as they are right here in Hollywood. Mr. McCann. May I stop you for a question right there, please? Mr. Kearns. No, please, Mr. Counsel. Mr. McCann. He made a statement right there that I just wanted to ask him about.