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 1051 Mr. Johnston. I do not have those minutes. It is possible someone miolit have them. Do you have them, Mr. Freeman, or does anyone have them ? Mr. Frekman. They are not here. Mr. Johnston. Or were they kept, if you know ? Mr. Freeman. If there are any tliey woukl be on the coast. Mr. Johnston. I do not have them, Mr. McCann, if there are any. Mr. McCann. Mr. Chairman, I woukl like to make a request at this time of the producers to furnish a copy of those minutes if they have such minutes. Will you try to get those for us, Mr. Johnston ? Mr. Johnston. I would be very happy to, Mr. McCann. Mr. McCann. Now, it was after you received the authority to take up the handlino- of the labor relations problems that you made your firet efforts in Hollywood, I assume, to meet with Mr. Sorrell and with Mr, AA'alsh, jNlr. Hutchinson, and the other labor leaders to try to settle these i)roblems ( Mr. Johnston. That is right. Mr. McCann. Did you make any proposals when you were in Holly- wood and before you went to Cincinnati ? Mr. Johnston. Any proposals to Mr. Sorrell and to Mr. Walsh? Mr. McCann. Yes. Mr. Johnston. No. I tried to find a common area of agreement between them as to what could be done to settle it and I find there was no conmion area of agie3nient, try as we would. Mr. McCann. Did you make any suggestions to Mr. Walsh for a basis of settlement of the Hollywood disputed Mr. Johnston. I do.not recall that I did. Mr. McCann. I will read to you from the minutes of the Cincin- nati meeting and from a summary of your remarks on that occasion and I will ask whether or not this statement is correct: Mr. Johnston stated tliat he suggested that the men return to work innuediately as of the same conditions as of March 12, 1945, when the strilce occurred; then that the jurisdictional differences be settled under niacliinery suggested by President Green, carried out through tlie presidents of the organizations in- volved, and if they could not agree in a reasonable length of time that an im- partial arbitrator or representative be set whose judgment would be unques- tioned, and they would report within a specified time; that displaced workers be taken care of by the industry by adequate severance pay to be negotiated be- tween management and the unions involved, and third, that permanent jurisdic- tional machinery be set up to avoid any further controveries along the lines that Mr. Dubinsky and his industry—^Lady Garment Workers—had so capably done for so many years. Mr. Johnston stated this program was not acceptable to Mr. Walsh. Now is that a correct statement of what you said to the Cincinnati group of the American Federation of Labor ? Mr. Johnston. Are these from the nunutes of the Cincinnati meeting ? Mr. McCann, These, sir, that I am reading from are a summary "Excerpts from minutes of executive council meeting, A. F. of L.^ Cincinnati, October 15-24, 1945." Mr, Johnston. I assume they are correct. Mr. McCann (reading) : He suggested another program, namely: Tliat all workers return imniediareiy. each group to work with the other group in the studios. Mr. Johnston state(i liiis