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| COLILItraiSM IN L/130R Communists have little hope of influencing the needle trades unions, where the Social Democratic group under David Dubinsky plays a decisive role.'The Communists consider Dubinsky their most effective foe. The third group, the teamsters, is characterized as vacillating, but they hope to make definite progress here. Finally, there are the Communistic out rolled local unions,'naiaely, the painters, bakers, meat cutters, hotel and restaurant '.Torkers, and, to some degree, even the machinists. A later speaker, Jane Hoffman of the cultural section, noted controlled unions (not all A.F. of L.) in rn-Mo, film, publishing, theater, music, commercial and fine arts, and the .. ike. The actual title of some of these unions are: the Dramatists Guild; Radio -.Triters Guild; Authors Guild and Screen <7riters Guild of the Independent Authors League of -America- Actors Equity Association- Chorus Equity; American Federation of Radio Artists; Guild of Musical Artists; Guild of Variety Artists; Radio Directors Guild- American Federation of uusicians; Scenic Artists; Screen Actors Guild,'Int. Alliance of Theatre Stage Employees, and many others, all A. F. of L. (N.B. This is a report from tte Hew York State Convention: it does not necessarily indicate national control, although the statement could substantially be made of Hollywood as well) (A source in Los Angeles reports these additional A. F. of L. unions controlled: American Federation of Teachers, Local 430; Screen Cartoonists Guild, Ixtfal 852; Tiln Technicians Local 683; and Screen Office Employees Guild, Local 1391). In the national Convention, the tone was less exultant. Tfeinstoclc apologized for their poor showing. Steuben noted that in Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Detroit, only one Communist business agent for the painters was to be found in each city. He considered Chicago as absolutely deplorable, with not a single Communist in A. ?. of L. executive positions. Even in Cleveland, according to Arnold Johnson, only 300 A. F". of L. members were Communists." Earold Johnston of Seattle noted infiltration of the Machinists Union there. In conclusion, ".feinstock urged intensive work'by Communists in the Teamsters, Machinists, Food Workers, Building Trades, and Building Service Trades unions. If such a move occurs in the Teamsters, it will be interesting to watch Tobin»s reaction. In the past year, he has given an endorsement of the Crimea Conference and a scathing attack on religious penetration of the trade union movement. The occasion for the attack was the action of a ITew Orleans priest in protesting against an act of injustice. In summary, it must be remembered that most of the trouble promised the A, F. of L. is precisolyin the stage of promise. There is no indication that it will necessarily be successful. Of the large unions, the one that night bear watching is the Machinists Union, mainly fceoause it has become a mass organization quite similar to C.I.O. unions, and hence'is more easily penetrated. Otherwise, the controlled unions are important, not so-much be- cause of their influence in the A. F. of L., for this is negligible, but rather because of their'potentialities for affecting public opinion. Cultural considerations, however, are more properly reserved for the follow- ing chapter. A listing of the more prominent Communist holdings is the A. F. of L. will be given in Appendix .IV, Communism in the national C.I.0. In the Congress of Industrial Organizations, the Communist problem is more serious. Before entering into details, however, it would be useful to note briefly the structure of the organization. The C.I.O. is a representative body which handles legislative, |