NAB reports (Jan-Dec 1943)

National Association of Broadcasters 1760 N STREET, N. W. «*»♦*** WASHINGTON, D. C. January 22. 1943 SPECIAL A. F. of M. BULLETIN No. 15 Petrillo Hearing Before Senate Sub Committee This issue contains excerpts from the official record of 515 typewritten pages of testimony given by James C. Petrillo, President of the American Federation of Musicians, and Joseph A. Padway, counsel for the Union, at the hearing before the Subcommittee of the Interstate Commerce Committee of the United States Senate on January 12, 13 and 14th. While the record has necessarily been shortened, every effort has been made to have the excerpts accurately reflect the testimony as a whole, and a reading of these excerpts will reward every broadcaster. Informed broadcasters will also find in the testimony numerous misstatements and inaccuracies which, in the interest of expeditious circulation of this bulletin, the NAB is not at this time attempting to point out or to contradict. The NAB has been assured by the Senate Committee that it will be afforded an opportunity to set forth its side of the controversy, and at this time the industry’s position with respect to Mr. Petrillo’s ban and to his “unemployment problem” will be made known. Mr. Petrillo frankly admitted that he called a strike and withdrew the services of all his musicians from recordings without ever having formulated or made demands, and that, if the affected people had sought to find out what he wanted, all that he could have said to them was that he wanted more employment and it was up to the affected industries to find some way of giving that employment. For this, and for his ignoring of the public position in the controversy, Mr. Petrillo, as the record shows, was strongly criticized by members of the Committee. The basic theory which underlies Mr. Petrillo’s action was indicated by his testimony. He admitted that he had no information as to what percentage of the members of his union were primarily engaged in crafts and occupations other than musicianship, although he admitted that the number was substantial. He admitted that radio had furnished employment opportunities for musicians, and was unable to give any concrete examples of musicians who had been displaced or supplanted as a result of radio. Under these circumstances, his claim would appear to be that the broadcasting industry has an obligation to men whom it does not employ, never employed, and did not supplant. Obviously, the members of Mr. Petrillo’s union today are not the same persons who were members of the union when the phonograph was invented over fifty years ago. Mr. Petrillo’s union has grown since that date from a membership of less than 10,000 to 138,000; and the membership has increased by 20,000 during the last decade when commercial broadcasting made its greatest strides. The Committee pointed out that the demand for more employment came with particularly bad grace at a time when our nation is struggling with a shortage of manpower. Mr. Petrillo himself ad¬ mitted that if the war continued for only a few months more, his union would be unable to meet even the present basic needs of broadcasters for musicians, and that 18% of his union membership was already in the armed forces. In the course of his presentation, Mr. Petrillo made a number of concessions: 1. He agreed to formulate his demands in writing after meeting with his Executive Committee on February 1st, and to deliver a copy of these demands to the Senate Subcommittee, as well as to make