JULY 18, 1946 ACCION Page OFFICIAL STATEMENT OF POLICY Adopted Unanimously June 27, 1946 Washington, INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD UNITED PUBLIC WORKERS OF AMERICA, CIO WHEREAS: The Congress of the United States has adopted riders to appropriation sto several departments providing in part that no part of any appropriation contained in this act shall be used to pay the salary or wages of any person who is a member of an organization of government employees that asserts the right to strike against the government of he Unied States.
even to consider this question of strikes. This Union has never struck against the Government of the United States. It has never threatened such a strike, never contemplated a strike against the Government of the United States.
It is obvious, however, that these riders are an attempt to persuade government employees not to affiliate with the United Public Workers of America. The riders are not at all concerned with preventing strikes in the government service. Their purpose has been baldly stated by the sponsors themselves as that of union busting.
Certain unofficial spokesmen for these riders, having ulterior pur.
poses, have stated that these riders are directed against the United Public Workers of America (CIO. Such spokesmen are either wholly misinformed or deliberately do not speak the truth. In any event they are doomed to disappointment because these riders do not and cannot apply to the United Public Workers of America (CIO. This Union does not now, nor has it ever asserted the right to strike against the Government of the United States.
False issues regarding the policies of this Union having thus been raised in this unscrupulous manner, the International Executive Board regards it as important to establish once and for all that these riders have no applicability to our Union, and to establish this in such a way that enemies of labor cannot possibly distort the facts or create con fusion about this Union policies for their own purposes.
These riders are significant only because they are a blind thrust at our Union made in the desperate anti. labor spirit and reckless mood in which Congress had adopted anti labor legislation directed against all organized labor. To the protagonists of these riders and of the other anti labor proposals daily emanating from Congress, the merits of legis.
lation of this kind are of little moment. Such legislation is proposed and pushed in order to create an atmosphere of anti. labor sentiment and to keep that atmosphere whipped up so that in the ensuing welter of confusion and alarm, labor may somehow be separated from its allies in the fight for better working conditions, progressive legislation and the advancement of democracy generally.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the International Executive Board of the United Public Workers of America (CIO) at a meeting duly held in Washington, C, on the 27th day of June, 1946, with a quorum present, unanimously adopts and endorses the interpretations of the Constitution made by the International President pursuant to the authority contained in Section of Article VI of the Constitution, regarding the established policy of this Union opposing strikes against the Government of the United States; and It is perfectly obvious to anyone who takes the trouble to read the Constitution of the United Public Workers of America (CIO. that this Union stands upon a policy of no strikes against the Government of the United States.
Section of Article II of the International Constitution states: IT SHALL NOT BE THE POLICY OF THIS ORGANIZATION TO ENGAGE IN STRIKES AS MEANS OF ACHIEVING ITS OBJECTIVE.
The International President of the Union who is empowered by the Constitution to interpret its clauses stated in an open letter on May 25th, The position of the United Public Workers of America with respect to strikes against the federal government has always been perfectly clear. It is not our policy to engage in strikes against the govern.
ment. This provision is contained in the preamble to our new Constitution. This provision has been in our Constitution for the past ten years and during that perio been no strikes by our Union against the federal government. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the International Executive Board which, between conventions is the supreme executive, legislative and judicial authority of the Union, as provided in Section of Article of the Constitution, hereby reiterates the no strike policy of this Union and hereby adopts for its governance the law that there may not be and shall not be a strike against the Government of the United States; and in particular, for the administration of Section 15 of Article Vm of the Constitution, it is hereby ruled that said section does not apply and was never intended to apply to locals of federal employees and such locals may not and cannot have recourse to said section inasmuch as a strike against the Government of the United States would be in violation of the basic policy of this Union; accordingly, it is hereby provided that the International President shall not, under any circumstances, approve a strike against the Government of the United States by any local of this Union; and it is further provided that the calling of any such strike by the officials of any local of this Union shall be subject to the penal.
ties provided in the Constitution; and The United Public Workers of America (CIO) has 346 locals whose membership does not comprise any employees of the government of the United States. As to them, the International Constitution specifically provides in Section 15 of Article VIII that no local union may resort to strike action without submitting such proposed action to the International President, and it is further stated that officers of a local union calling strikes in conflict with this provision may be suspended for such violation. This section does not pertain to locals of federal em.
ployees and such locals cannot have recourse to his section.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that each and every local union comprising in its membership, employees of the Government of the United States whose By Laws do not now specifically ban strikes against the Government of the United States, is hereby ordered, pur.
suant to Section of Article VIII of this Constitution, to amend its By. Laws so as to make such provision and submit such amendment to this Board not later than sixty days from this date; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the International President shall send copies of this resolution to each and every local of this Union to be read at the next regular membership meeting of the local union, Were the proponents of these mischievous riders acting in good faith, it would not be necessary for the International Executive Board THIS STATEMENT OF POLICY WAS ADOPTED TO ELIMINATE ANY CONFUSION THAT EXISTS AND TO CLARIFY ONCE AND FOR ALL THE POLICIES OF THE UNITED PUBLIC WORKERS OF AMERICA.
All members of the Union, all Government Employees and all. Government Officials are hereby advised that the United Public Workers of America, CIO, does not assert and has never asserted that it has the right to strike against the Government of the United States of America.
ABRAM FLAXER, President THE PUBLIC RECORD JULY, 1946 BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL ERNESTO CASTILLERO