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 1431 Mr. Hdtciieson. What else could you do ? Mr. Owens. That has always been your feeling about work, hasn't it, that if they do not give the carpenters work you just let them take it^ Isn't that how you felt a jurisdictional strike should be ended? Mr. HuTciiEsox. I just don't get what you mean by your question. ]Mr. Owens. You have advised your men; you said when your man came to you and asked, "How can we end this jurisdictional strike,'' you said, "'Just get out and let them have the work." Mr. Htttcheson. No; I never said that about a jurisdictional strike. That doesn't mean but what we still contend for the work. ]Mr. Owens. I suppose it might mean you would still contend for the work, but, for instance, you said: Let me say many times members of our organization say to me, "Bill, why don't you settle this jurisdictional dispute?" My answer to them always was, "Tell ino how to do it." They said. "We don't know, but we elected you general president and you ought to know." I said, "Here is one way we can settle it. Tell me if you think this would be O. K. The only way I know how to settle it would be if any time anyone comes along and claims work we have been ac- customed to doing and which requires highly skilled knowledge and ability of caiT)enters in order to do it in the proper way we just say, "All right, take it," and we walked away. Do you want me to settle it in that way? Invariably they would say. "No; no; wait a minute." That is the only way you could settle them unless you had some magic wand. Mr. HuTCHESON. I still say that. What is wrong with that statement? Mr. 0^^'^NS. I was Just wondering. There was an arbitration agree- ment handed down. Mr. HuTCHEsoN. Ex parte evidence—^be sure and keep that in the record, please. Mr. 0^\t:ns. Anyway, it was an arbitration agreement. In January we find it was discussed in the January meeting, and the men refused to change their agreement. You then persisted in your efforts to make a change in that arbitra- tion directive, didn't you? You brought it up again at the meeting in April. Mr. HuTCHESON. No; I did not do anything of the kind. Mr. O^^^ENS. When was it brought up again after January ? Mr. HuTCHESON. Mr. Congressman, I am surprised. I thought I made it clear in my presentation that the next step after the January meeting of the executive council of the American Federation of Labor was the convention of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners in April. INIr. Oa\t:ns. That is what I said, in April. Mr. HuTCHESON. You said the executive council. Mr. Oavens. Well, those were bad words again. The general meet- ing of the convention then. Mr. HuTciiESON. No; not January meeting of the convention. Mr. 0^\^;NS. The general meeting of your convention in April 194G. Mr. HuTCHEsoN. There is a vast difference between a convention and a meeting of the executive council of the American Federation of Labor. The executive council of the American Federation of Labor met in January of 1946. The convention of the brotherhood was held in April 1946. The next meeting of the executive council of the American Federa- tion of Labor was held in May.