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 341 or that part of the work." The electricians come in and say the welding in the machinist's industry belongs to them. The engineers pick out another part of the work, and say, "We are now affiliated with the A. F. of L. That belongs to us." From the interest of the body politic and from the interests of the public, it has accentuated the jurisdictional dispute, rather than settled it. It is true it takes time, and maybe the employer is the innocent victim. It will take time to settle these disputes. It is better to keep them within the family, with the hope we may settle the dispute as quickly as it is possible. This has been, as Mr. Doherty said, one of the bad ones. This has been one of the prolonged ones. Do you know, Mr. Chairman, that the American Federation of Labor executive council and the American Federation of Labor committees settle hundreds of such disputes each year? The building trades council has a set-up with procedures and rules which you may obtain, and I will send you a copy of them. They will prove of great interest to you. I would like to have them filed with the record. It shows how they go about settling jurisdictional disputes. Not all can be settled. Sometimes we find an obstinate union or obstinate officers. They are human in their zeal to protect the rights of their members. Perhaps they go further than they should. Nevertheless, we settle hundreds of the disputes. I have been appointed as arbitrator by Mr. Green in many disputes among these unions. I have settled many of them right and left. AVhen I can't, I step out. To say to these unions that because one or the other — and I am not saying that it is so — disobeys the mandate that was handed down by these members of the board, who were told to make a decision, the result shall be to oust them from the American Federation of Labor ; that won't solve it. You may find this : The fact of the matter is, I think I am stating the truth — if I am not, you gentlemen here can bear me out — both Mr. Walsh and Mr. Hutclieson have threatened to withdraw from the American Federation of Labor in connection with different angles of these disputes. Am I right? Those threats have been made. That is not going to solve the problem. I would hate to see them do that because they are fine organizations. They belong in the family of the American Federation of Labor. It is hoped the American Federation of Labor will in some way appeal to their judgment and to their conscientiousness and fairness, and have them settle it. You yourself, Mr. Chairman, in connection with another international union, by the simple expedient of a just appeal, got part of those problems solved. I think you did a fine job. You didn't get as far as you liked perhaps, but you did an excellent service for the American Federation of Labor and the American public as a whole in that matter of education with respect to children. You know what I am referring to. If that should be done, I would appeal as loudly as I could from this witness stand to the attorneys representing the various clients and the two organizations, and the local offices, as well as they can to make further attempt to get together and bring his rather troublesome question to a close. But my purpose is to emphasize once again—