Mr. LONG. We were approximately organized at that time, Senator, we were 75 percent organized.

The CHAIRMAN. How long before that had you been organized? Mr. LONG. We started in April, Senator.

The CHAIRMAN. You were really in the process of organization, you had not had the year before or so, or for some years back, any organization?

Mr. LONG. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. So up to this time, you were an unorganized group of workmen.

Mr. LONG. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. You were in the process of organizing this trade union when this plan was suggested to you by your employers? Mr. LONG. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Proceed.

Mr. LONG. They put the plan into effect in the early part of June. The foremen came around and instructed the rollers-I have 900 men under me, there are 26 mills there, each mill is composed of 3 crews to the number of 27 men, that is the rollers, with 3 in charge on these different shifts-instructing the rollers that they should have their men go and vote for representatives on this plan; this agreement. Senator WAGNER. Did they distribute the constitution?

Mr. LONG. Yes, they distributed the constitution. They selected the members

The CHAIRMAN. Who do you mean by "they"?

Mr. LONG. The company.

Senator WAGNER. The management.

The CHAIRMAN. The superintendents?

Mr. LONG. Yes, sir; the various foremen, together with the hot mill superintendent.

The CHAIRMAN. Yes.

Senator WAGNER. You had no mass meeting in which you formed your own constitution?

Mr. LONG. We had nothing. They laid the plan on the table and says, "Take it. Here it is."

The CHAIRMAN. You assume they had knowledge at this time of the activities of the groups of employees forming a trade union? Mr. LONG. Yes, sir; they were thoroughly familiar with it.

The CHAIRMAN. When this plan was proposed, what did the employees do about it?

Mr. LONG. When the plan was proposed?

The CHAIRMAN. Yes, I mean by the employers.

Mr. LONG. There was a small majority, Senator, that took it rather seriously, thinking that in some way it would be beneficial to them, but the majority of men who were familiar with what had taken place in the Wheeling Steel Corporation, with the plan that they had in effect there, they knew that it did not benefit them in any way whatsoever, and these men in Weirton who were familiar with that just disregarded it. Many of them were merely what you might call "wooden" men when it came to voting.

The CHAIRMAN. Was there a meeting held?

Mr. LONG. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. The employees never accepted the idea?
Mr. LONG. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. They never accepted the idea of a company union? Mr. LONG. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Then how did the management of the company respond when they discovered the employees were not accepting the suggestion?

Mr. LONG. Well, they insisted on putting it through. They posted a notice. Senator Wagner, I believe, has a copy of the notice. They posted a notice to the effect that this company had this plan in effect and we must accept it and they would not bargain with any other group.

The CHAIRMAN. Had anybody started any bargaining with them up to this time?

Mr. LONG. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Your union men were starting to bargain with them?

Mr. LONG. We tried to; yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. So that they knew that an effort was being made by the representatives of the trade union that had organized the plant, to deal with them for bargaining purposes, and they refused to do it?

Mr. LONG. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. And they posted a notice saying the only way they would deal with the men was through this company plan? Mr. LONG. Through this plan they had in effect.

The CHAIRMAN. What happened next?

Mr. LONG. Through their insistence that we deal through this plan, knowing that we had our organization approximately 85 percent then, we rejected it.

The CHAIRMAN. Your organization rejected their suggestion?

Mr. LONG. Yes; the employees who had accepted our organization as their representation. There were efforts made to deal with them through the company representative plan, or the employees representative plan.

The CHAIRMAN. How far did you get with that attempt at representation?

Mr. LONG. We sent a man out on a small grievance that we had there, and the general manager, together with the tin plate mill manager, says, "Now, listen, you have to forget this. Remember how good we have been to you here. You will get nothing in years." The CHAIRMAN. This was the attempt of the representatives of your union?

Mr. LONG. No, sir; this was a company representative.

The CHAIRMAN. I thought you said you never had a company union meeting.

Mr. LONG. We did not, sir. This was the committee meeting, you understand, Senator, with one individual going out there on a matter of a small grievance.

Senator WAGNER. Maybe there is one thing he did not explain. After the constitution was distributed, you were told to go up and vote, were you?

Mr. LONG. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Did you vote?

Mr. LONG. I did not; no,

sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Did any of the men vote? Did they select some representatives?

Mr. LONG. They did; yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. And did they attempt to have a conference with

their employers?

Mr. LONG. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. With what success?

Mr. LONG. No success.

in the matter at all.

The CHAIRMAN. Why?

They would not allow us to have a voice

Mr. LONG. Because they would never allow us to congregate in a mass form to present our grievances.

The CHAIRMAN. These representatives now were apparently, on the face of it, men chosen as the result of a company's effort to establish a company union, am I correct?

Mr. LONG. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. They would not deal with them?

Mr. LONG. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Now what happened next?

Mr. LONG. We then had a grievance which was known as the "opening department", which led to a strike in the opening department. The CHAIRMAN. You had a strike in the opening department? Mr. LONG. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. That was over conditions of work, nothing over unions?

Mr. LONG. Over conditions of work and wages.

The CHAIRMAN. You struck because there was nobody to go and speak for you, no representatives?

Mr. LONG. There were approximately 300 men went out on strike. The CHAIRMAN. What happened then?

Mr. LONG. They made an effort to arbitrate and settle this department strike.

The CHAIRMAN. Through whom? In what way?

Mr. LONG. The company representatives and the employees' representatives.

The CHAIRMAN. They then sent for these men that had been elected?

Mr. LONG. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. And tried through them to make some settlement? Mr. LONG. To effect a settlement, yes.

The CHAIRMAN. Did they succeed?

Mr. LONG. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. What happened after that?

Mr. LONG. The men threw them out, they wouldn't even deal with them.

The CHAIRMAN. The men who struck would not deal with the so-called "company" representatives?

Mr. LONG. No, sir; because they had previously tried to arrange a settlement of their grievances and met with no success, and it led to a condition where there was a general strike threatened. They had imported men. I was the acknowledged president there of the trade union, and I told them these men could not work there in their places.

The CHAIRMAN. So when these men in that particular section went out on strike the company imported men called "scabs"?

Mr. LONG. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. And that led finally to a general strike all through the plant?

Mr. LONG. About 3 weeks later, Senator.

The CHAIRMAN. About 3 weeks later?

Mr. LONG. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. How long did that strike last?

Mr. LONG. Well, after they had tried to negotiate with the men and effect a settlement and found it very unsuccessful, when I went over to threaten them it would terminate in a general walkout if they let the scabs work, then they asked what steps they could take to effect a settlement, and I said, "I will go up and lead the men back, if you will talk with us towards settling this," and they said they would, they would do everything to bring about a settlement. I led the men in a march two by two, 300 strong, right on over through the main office into the mill gate and we went back to work.

The CHAIRMAN. In other words, you had succeeded in settling the strike successfully, to the satisfaction of the men and the employers? Mr. LONG. And the company; yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Then what happened?

Mr. LONG. Then we had a similar grievance in another department, the tinners. There was unrest throughout the whole plant. The wages were unsatisfactory, and the working conditions were unsatisfactory. We had a grievance in the cold roll department. It finally terminated in a general strike. We could not effect a settlement.

The CHAIRMAN. Did you attempt when these difficulties happened in these other departments to effect a settlement?

Mr. LONG. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Without success?

Mr. LONG. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. You could not get together with the company on any basis of agreement?

Mr. LONG. No, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. The result was a general strike followed?
Mr. LONG. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. What was done to try and settle it?

Mr. LONG. Well, on the morning previous to the general strike, I went before the general committee of the company and forewarned them that there was danger of a general strike owing to general grievances through the whole plant. I met with the general manager, the general superintendent, and the various foremen and superintendents throughout the whole plant, and I warned them if it was not settled in 24 hours there would be a general tie-up, and they insisted then again that while they knew we had never met with any success in dealing with the company union-we called it the company union, and they called it the employees' representative plan-they insisted that we go back and deal through them. I asked them how could we deal through them when the representative from the coldroll department had joined our organization and he was elected vice president and that he had won before without acting in the capacity of an employees' representative, and they laughed us out of the office.

The CHAIRMAN. The final break, then, came because the employers, or the representatives of the employers refused to deal with anybody except the representatives of the company union?

Mr. LONG. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. And that resulted in a general strike because the other workmen, or the workmen who were not willing to deal through a company union, thought it would be unsatisfactory and useless? Mr. LONG. Yes; after they made various attempts to effect a settlement there and to settle the grievances.

The CHAIRMAN. How long had that strike lasted?

Mr. LONG. That strike lasted 3 weeks.

The CHAIRMAN. And finally it came to the attention of the Labor Board?

Mr. LONG. Finally it came to the attention of the National Labor Board; yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. And some orders were issued that have not been complied with, and the matter is now, according to Senator Wagner, in the hands of the Attorney General?

Mr. LONG. Yes, sir. It resulted in an agreement being drawn up there that the strike would terminate.

The CHAIRMAN. You went back to work, I understand.

Mr. LONG. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. But the conditions that you wanted to improve or change have not been improved, the agreement has not been carried out?

Mr. LONG. No, sir.

Senator WAGNER. There was an election to be held supervised by the Labor Board.

The CHAIRMAN. The Labor Board has not held that election?

Mr. LONG. No, sir; they ignored the agreement.

The CHAIRMAN. You did have an election at which you selected the representatives?

Mr. LONG. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. And the employers refused to recognize the men chosen under the Labor Board's election?

Mr. LONG. No, sir.

Senator WAGNER. No; we ordered the election to be held and prescribed the procedure to be followed in the election, so that the election would be free from any coercion and intimidation and that each worker would have a free choice as to who he wanted to represent him, and the plan that we proposed the company refused to accept, although an agreement to that effect was made, and they insisted on conducting their own election, which was nothing but the company union plan.

Mr. LONG. Yes, sir. We threatened another general strike.

The CHAIRMAN. And there is a threat now of another general strike?

Mr. LONG. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Because the men are insisting that they have representatives of their own and not representatives of the company union?

Mr. LONG. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. We thank you very much.

Mr. LONG. I would like to say further, if I may, the agreement that we had reached in Senator Wagner's Board, before Senator Wagner's