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 555 of Labor not to infrinoe upon the existing jurisdiction of the United Brotlierbood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. It should also be noted that any claim over the amusement industry is not bona fide, and the part claimed by the lATSE is restricted only to the production of motion pictures and does not extend to all the amusement industry ; for example, bowling alleys, night clubs, amusement piers, and so forth. Prior to 1021, certain questions were raised as to the jurisdiction of work between the lATSE and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. To avoid any dispute, the American Federation of Labor held a conference on July 9. 1921, with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and lATSE. That is the 1921 agreement. I will pass that up. Mr. McCann. That has been received in evidence, Mr. Cambiano. Mr. Cambiano. That is right. With this agreement between the parties, jurisdictional matters were settled between 1921 and approximately 1939. During that period the making, maintaining, and repairing of wood and wood-substitute products for use in the production of motionpicture sets were done almost entirely by carpenters. In 1939 the American Federation'of Labor and the lATSE, due to external problems between the CIO and A. F. of L. in the studio industrv, and certain internal problems within the A. F. of L. studio locals, dissolved the lATSE Studio Local Xo. 37, and lATSE, with the approval of the American Federation of Labor, issued charters to five locals, presumably compassing the work of local 37. At this time the Propmen's Local 44 was chartered and given jurisdiction over prop work in the industry. That was the first development which laid the basis for the present jurisdictional dispute. It became apparent to the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners in 1939, wlien Propmen's Local 44 was chartered, that these jurisdictional problems might be involved. In an attempt to settle the matter before a serious problem arose, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners wrote to Mr. J. W. Buzzell, who was acting as direct representative of President Green of the \. F. of L., and requested that the interests of the LTnited Brotherhood of Car])enters and Joiners be protected in the establishment of these new charters in the lATSE. The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners' letter submitted by Mr. J. F. Cambiano, international representative, is attached hereto as exhibit Xo. 2, and the reply from Mr. Buzzell is submitted as exhibit No. 3. AVe want to call particular attention to Mr. BuzzelFs letter of July 2, 1939, exhibit Xo. 3, in which he states : As I assured you at the time, it is not the purpose of anyone that I know of, and certainly not my own, to, in the organization of tliese unions, invade the jurisdiction of any other local or international union. May I say at that point, during that period there was an election being called for certification. All of us went to bat to try to save the day for the lATSE while it was being prepared for the election. Committees were appointed from the carpenters and the lATSE for the purpose of settling what differences we had at that time. If my memory serves me right, I believe either Harold Smith or Lou Blix was the big shot in the lATSE at the time.