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 1393 Mr. Owens. In other words, you construed it to be yourself? Mr. HuTCHESON. Certainly. Mr. OwExs. But they might have construed that to be Mr. Cam- biano? jVIr. HuTCHESoN. I am not a college graduate but I have lived long enough to get at least a fair understanding of the English language when you use common, ordinary words. Shall I proceed, Mr. Chairman? Mr. Kearxs. Go ahead, sir. ]Mr. HuTCHESOx. Mr. Chairman, I just read the letter addressed to President Green by the general secretary of the brotherhood. I now have before me here the minutes of the executive council meeting. The following memorandum was read to the executive council of the American Federation of Labor. I will not further take up the time of your committee because it just recites what I have already read, that Secretary Duff}^ had sent to President Green: Vice President Hutcheson stated that this is the unanimous action of the convention of the brotherhood and the situation is worse now than it ever has been and is getting worse. He stated the question arises whether the council wants to deal with it now, or whether the council wants to wait until it gets worse and then do something about it. He further contended that the way things are going now, eventually the carpenters won't have any men in that work at all, and that then the brotherhood will demand the federation do something. He stated they are asking it now. President Green stated that a feeling apparently exists out there among the local repre.sentatives of the brotherhood, which was expressed by one of the delegates to the Lakeland convention. President Green stated that one of these delegates called on him w^hile he was at Lakeland and stated that it is a very serious situation; that the membership was deeply moved, and that he did not think they would acquiesce in the decision because they claimed the decision had been taken away from them on that work that they had performed for a long period of time. President Green stated he asked him if it had not been an agreement in fact between the lATSE and the carpenters at one time, but he said the situation was different now altogether and he was apparently very much disturbed about it. The council discussed the matter at length. Vice President Hutcheson stated the carpenters cannot sit idly by and let some other organization do their work. Vice President Dougherty, of the executive committee, stated that the committee did not give the jurisdiction over the erection of sets on stages to the lATSE and nothing else. He stated the committee handed down a decision as honestly and conscientiously as they knew how. He stated that the committee did not want to hurt anyone; that Chairman Knight asked each of the participants to the dispute if they could not come to some agreement or understand so that the committee would not have to hand down a decision. They failed to do it and the committee did hand down a decision. Vice President Doherty contended that the committee handed down a deci- sion which was definite, final, and binding on all parties. He contended it is not a matter of acr-epting or rejecting the committee's actions. Vice President Bugniazet suggested that President Green call up Eric Johnston and advise him that there is a protest of the carpenters that they are being moved off of work in violation of the settlement, and ask him to have it corrected. Vice President Knight reviewed the case fi-om the time the committee was appointed and went to Hollywood, held hearings with representatives of each of the organizations named in the directive of the executive council, and final de- cision fif the committee. Vice President Hutcheson protested that he was not given an opportunity as general president of the brotherhood to appear before the committee. The memlxn-s of the executive council contended they did have a representative there who presented information in support of the petition of the carpenters. The council discussed the matter. It was regularly moved that the chairman convey to Eric .Johnston the charges made by the carpenters and the personnel and directors of the studios are displacing the carpenters and giving the carpenters'