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 2371 In other words, because Mr. Sorrell went out on strike after he liad received a favorable decision from Mr. Tongue, we were not permitted to prosecute our appeal, not because of anything that the lATSE did, but because of something which Mr. Sorrell himself did. In a telegram dated March 21, 194:5, to Herbert Sorrell and the Conference of Studio Unions and local 1421, the then chairman of the National War Labor Board, the Honorable George W. Taylor, stated in just so many words that it would not take any action with respect to the petitions while tlie strike was in progress, and directed the strike to end; but because of the fact that the continuance of the strike, according to SorrelFs lights, continued to preserve the legal benefits of the Tongue decision, we were powerless to prosecute the appeal before the National War Labor Board and to show that the National War Labor Board had no jurisdiction in the premises. If we may, I should like to break into my testimony so that we can hear in part from Mr. Brewer, then I will continue after Mr. Brewer ceases. J\lr. Brewer. Mr. Chairman, I would like to start out by saying that I have been accused here of a lot of things by Mr. Sorrell. While I recognize the significance and the remarks of Mr. Owens about the discrediting of a witness on one portion of his testimony tending to discredit his testimony on all matters, I still think there are some charges made here which I think it is important the committee hear, so that they might not carry away with them some wrong impressions in regard to these wild and unsubstantiated charges which Mr. Sorrell made. I will reduce my testimony to those points which I think are important to give you a clear understanding of what the situation is and will not attempt to just deny charges because there are denials. However, I would like to say at the outset that if there are any points Mr. Sorrell made which any member of the committee is particularly interested in, that we stand ready, willing, and we believe fully able to answer any of the charges which he made with regard to the conduct of our organization in this strike. I first of all want to say that Mr. Sorrell in his charges certainly attempted to convey the idea to this committee that I, as a representative of the international alliance, had carried on in the same fashion as Willie Bioff carried on. I want to deny that categorically and without any qualification whatsoever. I want to say in the first instance that I never saw Willie Bioff to talk to him. The only time I ever saw him was from the floor of a convention when he was on the platform at one of the conventions which I attended as a delegate from my own local union. I never conversed with him. I knew nothing about his activities of my OAvn first-hand knowledge and I know nothing about his activities at this moment. I have not seen him or heard from him either directly or indirectly since I went to Hollywood and I have stated, as President Walsh has stated, that if there is any influence on the part of Willie Bioff or any of the element which he represented in the Hollywood studio situation, I will either eliminate it or promptly resign.