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 435 of the country probably than any single contribution that has been made in the last century, and it has not been until the last 8 or 9 years that certain leaders among the unions have jeopardized the cause of unionism. They have placed unions in an embarrassing position. They have legislated within their own organizations to cause misunderstandings among the unions, misunderstanding on the part of the public toward unions. As the result we have been forced as a national body known as the Congress to effect laws that will try to correct abuses. Now, I know as I stand here and talk that most of you gentlemen are not altogether in approval of the Taft-Hartley bill. That is commonly accepted throughout labor unions. Now, I am here to defend it. I voted for it. I am proud of my vote. I am sorry we had to put legislation on the book known as labor legislation. No one brought it about but conditions like this, conditions throughout the rest of the Nation. However, I don't think the law has been fairly dealt with. I don't think the union leaders have tried to explain the full provisions of the act, and have merely had a smear campaign against the authors rather than explaining the provisions of the act. You know and I know, as I stand here before you, that I could talk with all of you and let every union man in America vote on it today, whether they are for it or against it, what would be the result? Most of the provisions would appeal to the men and they would vote for it if you would leave the name "Taft-Hartley" out of it. So I have said repeatedly that I think that unionism should be fair to the law of the land. We should try to live under it and we should not try to kill something until after it has had an opportunity to find out whether it functions or not, because I can truthfully say as I stand here that I would be the first one to vote for any resolution or amendment to correct any phases of the present bill that do not function properly toward labor and management. The thing I am concerned about in America today is the fact that labor has placed itself in a very precarious position. They have not stood united and they have given the impression to the public that their effort is selfishly inclined toward their own phase of employment, that that in various unions is the only thing to be concerned with, and that is the thing that worries me. It seems to me that labor today certainly should be able to work among themselves. Unions should have a very fine integrated program. I can't understand why we can't respect the rights of others, why we can't respect the jurisdiction of others, if you want to say it that way, and how any one union, as long as you are interested in the labor movement of America, would want to do things to keep another man who belongs to another union, and that union to him is just as sacred as your own could be, from functioning or keep men out of employment. We are about to open up the labor phase of this hearing here. We have gone through management and what we call impartial witnesses, and we have had the three-man committee here. Now we are going to start down through the line with labor, and I know what I am going to hear. That is what worries me. I am going to hear this union get on the stand and give the other unions the devil. Then I