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)

to MOTION-PICTURE JURISDICTIONAL DISPUTES 1977 Mr. SoRRELL. -The penalty was equivalent to expulsion. 1 will have Mr. Kearns. And fines, too, were there not ? Mr. SoRRELL. I will have to explain that. You see, our constitution says that if a man is expelled by a local union, he can't attend the local union meetings any more. He has no rights as a member, but he has a right to work on the job until the expulsion is ruled on on an appeal. If he appeals within ?>0 days, he has a right to continue work until that appeal is heard at headquarters by the general executive board of the painters' brotherhood. The general executive board is supposed to meet every -3 months, but sometimes they do not. Sometimes they skip and meet every 6 months. Now, if we expel a man and then can't take him off the job, and have to wait 6 months, that would have a very bad effect on our people. So we fine them an unheard-of large fine. We fine them $12,000 for ordinary painters — that is 2 years" earnings — or $20,000 for the higherpaid group, which is equivalent to 2 years. The constitution of the painters' brotherhood says, where a man is fined, he must pay the fine before he can work, or post the fine before he can work, until it is appealed to headquarters. We knew those fellows could not post that fine, or most of them wouldn't, and we would be rid of them. So you will find that we have fined most of the members $12,000 and $20,000 up to that time so that we would be rid of them. But until this date, October 26, 1947, 1 think it is. and from then on, we didn't fine anybody. We let them go in and find out for themselves. But the Communists sort of like this. I am trying to make clear this clause in here so that you will understand. The Communists don't run the painters, the CSU. We don't deny that we have Conmiunists. We do deny that we have as many Communists as the lATSE. But the Communists in the lATSE do a job. The Communists in our organization have to come out and whip the whole membership into line, wliich they are very efficient in doing. But they are soon tabbed. They don't carry the weight, as has been borne out by the minutes. Are there any further minutes? Mr. Laxdis. Now, before that point is covered, could I say this? On the subject of picketing, I have heard this was a carpenters' strike from the beginning. I mean, it is labeled as started by the carpenters, who were first on the picket lines, and then the carpenters left and got jobs, and afterward the picketing was done by someone else, maybe the electrical workers, or painters. Now, could you straighten me out on that ? Mr. SoRRELL. Yes; I can straighten you out on that, ]Mr. Landis. It was carpenters and painters who were fired, kicked off, because they wouldn't work on the hot sets, who started the picket lines. Now, the other unions joined, and each union had its own method of picketing. For instance, the carpenters — and I am quoting from memory, 1 might be wrong — the carpenters picketed 2 hours a day. Mr. Landis. Did you picket every plant? Mr. SoRRELL. Yes; 2 hours a day. Each carpenter had to picket 2 hours a day or pay — I think it was — $2 and — I can't remember — the equivalent of 2 hours. I don't know exactly what it was.