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Show GOVERNMENT UNION IS CHARGED WITH COMMUNIST PARTY AFFILIATION . Evidence, indicates that the United Public Workers , of America, a union representing 30,000 to 35,000 dues-paying dues-paying government workers thruout the nation, is under the control of the Communist party, Senator Arthur V. Watkins said this week. Senator Watkins, a member of the Senate Internal Security Committee, also reported that the committee is seriously considering contempt proceedings against Abram Flaxer, national president of the U N P W A, for his refusal to produce certain documents docu-ments for the committee. "I think it should be pointed out to the public and to members of this union that the committee ; does not believe that a majority of the rank and file is aware of the control which the Communist Commun-ist party exerts over their union," Senator Watkins said. It should be noted that the U P W A had as its Dredecessors Read named him, together with E'eanor Nelson, president of the United Federal Workers from 1944 to 1946, and Ewart Guinier, secretary-treasurer of the U P "W A, as Communists at the time the organization was ousted by C I O. F'axer was one of the so-called so-called "left wing" labor leaders who met with Harry Bridges Oct. 12 in New York City to organize or-ganize opposition to wage stabilization stabili-zation and price freeze . Flaxer was accompanied by an attorney, David Rein, when he testified before the subcommittee. subcommit-tee. On the ground that an answer an-swer might incriminate him, Flaxer claimed his privilege under un-der the Constitution in declining declin-ing to tell the subcommittee whether he was a Communist. He made the same excuse in refusing to say whether members mem-bers of the organization had obtained ob-tained secret government information infor-mation for Russia or whether he had ever discussed with Communist Com-munist party leaders the possibility possi-bility that members of his group were employed in offices of the Federal Government might be used "as couriers or purveyors or grantors" of secret information informa-tion for the benefit of the Communist Com-munist party. the United Federal Workers of j America, and the State, County j "and Municipal Workers of America, Amer-ica, each with a long history in the Communist direction. Testimony was obtained at executive sessions of the committee com-mittee presided over by Senator McCarran (D., Nev.), chairman; Senator Watkins, and Senator O'Connor (D., Md.). In 1950, according to the testimony tes-timony of Harry Read, top CIO officials, the U P W A was expelled ex-pelled from the CIO for having hav-ing "failed to function as a labor la-bor organization, or acting as a subsidiary of the Communist party, an agent of the Soviet Union, for advancing the interests inter-ests of the Soviet Union over and above the interests of tlu members of the United Public Workers . . ." Flaxer was described to the subcommittee as "one of the tried fanatics" of the Communist Commun-ist party. |
