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)

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MOTION-PICTURE JURISDICTIONAL DISPUTES 281 always better for manaoement. I am not saying it happened in this case, but oftentimes tliat occurs. Mr. McCann. I want to turn now to Mr. Knight, and Mr. Keporter, will you read to Mr. Knight exactly the question I propounded to Mr. Doherty ? (The question referred to was read by the reporter.) Mr. Knight. He was not carrying out my thought, Mr. Counsel. Mr. McCann. Mr. Birthright, was he carrying out yours? Mr, Birthright. Absolutely not. Mr. McCann. Now, gentlemen, I want to ask you — and I start with you, Mr. Doherty — if it was your opinion — your judgment at the time that you wrote tliis decision — not in August now, but on December 26, when you issued your original decision — was it at that time your intent to perpetuate the historical jurisdiction of carpenters in the erection of sets and the historical activities which had been engaged in by the lATSE in the erections? Mr. Doherty. Mr. Chairman and Counsel, I think I have already answered that question previously. Mr. McCann. Perhaps you have. Mr. Doherty. I gave a definite statement to the committee, the subcommittee here, that our committee handed down its decision based on the so-called 1926 agreement, and that in so doing we never at one moment had any idea of taking away from the carpenter the work that was historically his, or taking away from the theatrical stage employee the work that was historically the work of that particular organization. It worked both ways. All we wanted — the only thing that imbued our every act, our every effort, our every deed, was to break up that strike out there and get the people back to work so they might earn their bread and butter. Mr. McCann. Is that your opinion, too, Mr. Knight? Mr. Knight. Yes, sir. Mr. INIcCann. Was that your thought in issuing the decision, Mr. Knight ? Mr. Knight. Yes. Mr. McCann. That was your thought in issuing the decision ? Mr. Knight. That is right, Mr, McCaxn. How about you, Mr. Birthright? Mr. Birthright. Correct. Mr, McCann. He has expressed the opinion of this committee. Now, Mr. Birthright, I w^ant to read to you a section that comes from the statement of Father Dunne a few minutes ago. You recall where Father Dunne stated, after the statement I have already quoted, that he asked Mr. Birthright to explain to me what the December directive had meant and he answered in this way, and for the most part I am using his exact words : "This is how we wrote the December decision. We went out to Hollywood and made a thorough investigation, at least as thorough an investigation as the time allotted to us permitted. We were given 30 days to make the decision. Within the limits of that time we investigated that situation. We looked into the history of that situation. We wrote the decision on the basis of that history; that is, on the history of the labor unions involved. The exact phrasing of my question to Mr. Birthright was, 'What did the committee mean by th^ December directive?'