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)

1484 MOTION-PICTURE JURISDICTIONAL DISPUTES In Cincinnati this case was reviewed before tlie executive board. This was the fonrth or fifth time that we were before the executive council, rather, of the American Federation of Labor. Mr, Kearns. You are not a member of that council, are you, Mr. Walsh? Mr. Walsh. I am not. I am outside of that one. It was well reviewed this day. The employer was present. Mr. Landis. May we ask questions as he goes along? Mr. Kearns. You don't mind, do you ? Mr. Walsh. No, I don't mind. I am here to answer any questions. Mr. Landis. I would like to know the length of your contract and if it is a closed-shop contract ? Mr. Walsh. With the employers at the studios? Mr. Landis. Right. Mr. Walsh. We have 5-year contract entered into some 3 years ago. It has some time to run and it is a closed-shop contract, with the excep- tion of one organization out there which is known as the set erectors. That is a 1-year closed-shop contract which terminates next August. Mr. Landis. When does the 5-year contract terminate, do you know? Mr. Walsh. I think it is in August 1949, if I am not mistaken. Mr. Landis. Have all the officers of your organization signed the anti-Communist affidavit ? Mr. Walsh. Yes, sir. We were one of the first organizations to do it. Mr. Landis. Go ahead. Mr. Walsh. This case was reviewed by the council in Cincinnati at the request of the employer, not at the lATSE's request, because We had thought we won the strike and as far as we were concerned we were not worried about anybody coming in to take the jobs, we had stayed on the job; we had lived up to our no-strike pledge, we had lived up to our contracts with the employers, and had kept pro- duction going. Some people have asked the question about motion i^ictures and whether it was important to the war effort or not. I think the motion picture was very important to the war effort and T think the bond drives will so show. I think the soldiers who were over on the islands and the sailors on the boats, the war effort as far as they were con- cerned was very important and the motion picture was a very important part of the war effort. I had sat, by the way, right behind President Hutcheson, of the American Federation of Labor, when this pledge was made by all of us international presidents, and the vice presidents of the American Federation of Labor, and we were very anxious to make this no-strike pledge at that time because we were all very anxious to win the war. I think he was too. After this case had been submitted to the council in Cincinnati one of the members of the council said, "We have heard enough of this case. We will ask the employer and all the interested unions to get out of the room and we will make a decision." So we all got out. Of course Vice President Hutcheson stayed there because he was a member of the council and he had a right to stay in there. While this argument was going on in the council meeting either Meany or one of the other members of the council would come out and talk to myself about some point they wanted to understand or talk to the employer about some point they wanted to understand.