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)

416 MOTION-PICTURE JURISDICTIONAL DISPUTES this union. And his decision will be binding upon all concerned, including the producers. This naturally will involve saying what work is set erection and what work is carpentry, as it will involve, for example, saying what is a conduit and what is a plumbing fixture. In my opinion, the arbitrator should be someone outside the unions, so that he will be free from the political pressures which, as both sides in this dispute admit, operate on the higher levels of the A. F. of L. He should also have no connection whatever with the producers and his salary should be paid by all of the unions involved sharing equally. I know what the producers and the actors will say, because Mr. Brewer has given them the cue. They will say that no agreement of this kind has any meaning unless it ha^ Bill Hutcheson's signature on it, and you can't get Bill Hutcheson's signature on it. I can't guarantee Hutcheson's signature, but I do know that this thing will not be settled except here in Hollywood. In answer to this objection, I put another challenge to Herb Sorrell. I ask him if the Conference of Studio Unions will accept this arrangement, agree to accept the arbitral decisions on all matters involving jurisdiction, and agree that, in the event Bill Hutcheson refuses to abide by such decisions, the others. Conference of Studio Unions, will not support his carpenters in any action they take in defiance of such a decision. This, then, is my proposal : It seems to me that, in view of my own conviction that justice has been substantially on the side of the Conference of Studio Unions all through this thing, I have asked of Herb Sorrell very generous concessions. I ask them confidently because of my own conviction that Herb Sorrell is a thoroughly honest trade-union leader who genuinely does not want jurisdictional disputes and who is willing to accept any just and reasonable settlement of them so long as the just interests of his people are not sacrificed. Now I want to make this comment about one of tliese proposals: First, that the proposals of the August clarification be thrown into the wastebasket. It must be understood this proposal was made on March 9, when, as a result of the telephone conversation and all the disputes on botli sides, everybody, written by these men, are not ; there was a lot of confusion. Later in the dispute, later on, Mr. William Green reaffirmed and made very clear the fact that the August clarification had been written by these men and that it was the final and definitive decision of the American Federation of Labor executive council. But at this time there was all of this obscurity about the clarification. Now, what was the reaction to these proposals ? The Conference of Studio Unions had a strategy meeting a day or so later and publicly announced they accepted these proposals without qualification, indicating a willingness to sit down and negotiate, discuss, arbitrate on any kind of a basis in order to get back to work; even a willingness what at that time — what had been all along— the basis for the position they had taken, namely, the August clarification. Even a willingness in the event that Mr. Hutcheson would not go along with them to abandon Hutcheson. I want to make it clear I don't think this agreement at the present time or after April of 1947 was a sound proposal, because after then the validity and authenticity of the August clarification was established b}^ Mr. Green, and, I think, several times reaffirmed by Mr. Green, notably in a letter, copy of which was given to me by Mr. Carr, to INIr. Walsh on April 28. I would like to introduce that in evidence, if Mr. Luddy agrees it is an authentic document. Following the acceptance of these proposals by the Conference of Studio Unions, I sent a telegram to INIr. Pat Casey and the same telegram to Mr. Walsh and Mr. Brewer. I have a copy of that telegram here. This is not an exact copy; this is as I wrote it, but as I was