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The membership of local union 706 was fully aware that $4,236.24 was spent for Christmas gifts, they were fully aware of what the gifts were, and they were fully aware of to whom these Christmas gifts were given and the reasons therefor.

The financial statements are read on the floor almost every month and at no time has anyone ever asked me any question about the financial statement that I didn't give him a complete answer, and if I could not give him a complete answer I would advise him to look for himself in the books and in the records.

No one has ever requested to participate in the drawing up of these financial reports and no one has ever complained to me as a member of the finance committee that the books and records of the local union were being kept from them.

It has been the custom of the local union for many years to give Christmas presents and gifts to various general organizers and various business agents of other local unions, to contractors, etc., who have assisted our business agent in securing employment for the membership of local 706. It is a common practice in the local union and I can remember many occasions where it has been brought up on the floor of the local union and approved by the membership.

Generally, the selection and type of presents to be given to these people is left entirely up to the business agent.

In order to clarify a statement previously made concerning the reading of the financial statement on the floor, some months the financial statement is not prepared, but 12 financial statements are read every year on the floor. There may be some months where there would be a skip because of the auditor having the books or the books being out of place for one reason or another, but there is a financial statement made for each month of the year although it may not be read each month in the year.

With regard to the democracy in our local union, I know and every other member of this local union knows that he can get up on the floor and speak his piece at any local union meeting without fear of being discriminated against or without fear of any reprisal whatsoever. This happens at almost every meeting and I know of no one in this local union who has been discriminated against by Earl or Ermon Griffin or any other officer of this local union because they disagreed with them or their policies or for any other reason.

I have read the foregoing statement and it is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Subscribed and sworn to before me this 12th day of October 1960. [SEAL]

My commission expires March 21, 1963.

N. W. PRICE.

C. W. DANCER.

Notary Public.

STATE OF ARKANSAS,

EXHIBIT No. 90

AFFIDAVIT OF WESLEY FORD

County of Union, ss:

My name is Wesley Ford and I am a member of local 706 and I am on the finance committee of local 706. I have read the foregoing affidavit of N. W. Price and I make the same affidavit as does he.

WESLEY FORD.

Subscribed and sworn to before me this 12th day of October 1960. [SEAL]

My commission expires March 21, 1963.

C. W. DANCER,

Notary Public.

62255-6119

STATE OF ARKANSAS,

County of Jefferson, ss:

EXHIBIT No. 91

AFFIDAVIT OF SCOTTIE L. SMITH

My name is Scottie L. Smith. I live at Jefferson, Ark., and in 1951 to 1954 the Blaw-Knox Construction Co. was building an arsenal for the U.S. Government just outside of Pine Bluff, Ark., in Jefferson County. I started working on this job as a welding inspector for Blaw-Knox and I worked on the job for approximately 2 years. I worked on the job as a journeyman fitter for about 30 days. After I worked there as a journeyman fitter for awhile I drug up and went to another job. During the time that I was working there I never paid any assessment into local 706 or any other local union, was never asked to, was never told that I had to, and know of no one else on the job who was told that they had to make a $3.50 payment into local 706 each week in order to maintain their job there at the arsenal.

During the time I was welding inspector with the company on this job I became a member of local 665. I have been a member of local 665 ever since that time although I have worked in various and sundry jurisdictions of other local unions.

I have read the foregoing and it is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Subscribed and sworn to before me this 22d day of October 1960.

My commission expires September 16, 1961.

EXHIBIT No. 92

SCOTTIE L. SMITH.

GEO. N. HOLMES,
Notary Public.

UNSWORN STATEMENT OF EARL GRIFFIN SUBMITTED SUBSEQUENT TO THE HEARINGS At the close of the hearing held before the Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Government Operations on August 17, 1960, in Washington, D.C., the Chair advised that additional statements may be submitted. The following is my additional statement with supporting affidavits which I respectfully request be made a part of the official record in this matter.

At the outset of the hearing which began on August 16, 1960, the Chair made a statement concerning the scope of the investigation of the subcommittee, and from this statement of the Chair, I conclude that the subcommittee is interested in the following matters:

I. The moneys collected from the pipefitters on the Pine Bluff Arsenal job by local 706 with respect to

A. From whom and the method the money was collected.

B. The agreement between locals 155, 665, and 706 concerning the joint venture account of such moneys.

C. The amount of money which was collected, and the disposition thereof.

II. The expenditures from the funds of local 706 for gifts.

III. The availability of financial records of the union to the general membership.

IV. Democracy in local 706.

I should like to take up the above-enumerated matters in the order listed above, and present to the committee evidence on such matters.

I. THE MONEYS COLLECTED ON THE PINE BLUFF ARSENAL JOB

At the outset of the comments presented on this subject, I wish to emphatically state that I never used any of the money collected on this job for my own personal benefit nor do I know of any person or persons who did. Insofar as I have been able to ascertain, every cent collected on this job on behalf of local 706 went into the treasury of that organization. I categorically deny that I have ever wrongfully taken any money that belonged to local union 706. A. With regard to the method of collection and the persons on the Pine Bluff Arsenal job from whom the collections were made on this job

The following is the true picture:

The bylaws, and the amendments thereto, of local 706 provide that the members of local 706 who worked in excess of 8 hours in any one workweek were

required to pay into the building fund of the local $1.50 for that week. If a member worked in excess of 16 hours in any workweek, such member was required to pay the full $3.50 working assessment per week into local union 706. This $3.50 per week was distributed into three separate funds of the local, to wit: $1.50 building fund, $1 organizing fund, and $1 general fund.

Thus, if a member worked only 8 hours in a week, he pays nothing for that week, if a member works 16 hours for that week, he pays $1.50 into the building fund, and if a member works in excess of 16 hours for the week, he pays the entire $3.50 into the local.

This so-called working assessment of the members is in addition to the $4.50 per month which each member pays as dues.

If a member fails to pay his working assessment or his dues, he is not discharged from his job, for this local union has had no "closed shop" or "union shop" agreements which would require the employer to discharge him.

If a member fails to pay the working assessment as required under the bylaws, his dues will not be accepted until he has paid what he owes as an assessment, and after he is delinquent for 3 months on his dues he is carried as delinquent for an additional 9 months and then he is dropped from membership of local union 706.

The above was in effect at the time the Pine Bluff Arsenal was being constructed by Blaw-Knox Construction Co., insofar as the members of this local union were concerned. However, an entirely different situation applied to pipefitters working on this job who were nonmembers of local 706.

The nonmembers of local 706 on this job were not required to pay anything into local 706. However, many of such nonmembers of local 706 who were engaged in pipefitting did make a voluntary contribution into the treasury of local 706 in order to help defray the expenses of local 706 in policing the job and maintaining and securing better wages, hours, and working conditions. Local 706 was given union jurisdiction over the project by the United Association, its parent organization, and local 706 handled all of the negotiations, grievances, etc., on this project. As a matter of fact, through the efforts of local 706, two backpay awards were made to the pipefitters on this project, one for 26 cents per hour, one for 8 cents per hour, and an increase in pay to $2.85 per hour from $2.31 per hour. These backpay awards concerned negotiations with the Wage Stabilization Board.

Affidavits attached hereto of the following persons establish that no obligatory assessment was levied against pipefitters who were not members of local 706, and that the pipefitters were not required to pay a weekly amount into local union 706 to remain employed on this project.

Affidavit number and name:

1. Norwood Deal.

2. Walter J. Martin, Sr..

3. James E. Goodwin.

4. Fred J. Daniels.

5. Dan Dietrich and Henry Dietrich

6. William Roland McAdoo.

7. Earl W. Alexander.

8. R. W. Brummett.

9. R. K. Schaeffer.

10. J. E. Cook and C. P. Thompson. 11. W. A. McMahan, A. A. Malloch, B. E. Craig, and W. T. "Red" Harris

12. H. J. Webb and J. B. Swilley. (See last page of McMahan affidavit.)

13. W. W. Wright and H. C. Brat

ton

14. M. Muckelrath,

24. John Henry Armer
25. Fred Murphy

26. Ralph Kelly

27. Homer Andress

28. John W. Garlington
29. Keith Ripley

30. H. C. Burns

31. R. J. Garrett

32. M. L. "Red" Evans

33. H. A. Tanner

34. Frank W. Holzer
35. Garnett Hamp Smith
36. O. K. Rogers

37. Kenneth Herbert Andrews
38. Robert H. Tinsley

39. E. B. Wheelis

40. Walter E. Yarbrough

41. Finis Lee, Jr.

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It appears to be of particular significance that there was only one person out of the several thousand who were employed on this project at one time or another that the record in this matter contains the statement of only one person, Orris M. Nix, that when he got behind on his assessments he was discharged.

This statement of Nix. however, is completely refuted by the affidavit of Mr. Fred J. Daniels (affidavit No. 4), the foreman of Orris M. Nix, who discharged him, and the affidavit of James M. Lamb, attached hereto as affidavit No. 45. Mr. Daniels fired Mr. Nix, but it was not because of any assessments which were unpaid. The true reason Mr. Nix was discharged is contained in Mr. Daniels' affidavit.

Of course, it must be conceded that no union official, business agent, or representative had the authority to discharge anyone from this job, for only the company, Blaw-Knox, could do this, through its representatives. Insofar as I have been able to determine, this record is completely devoid of any company representative or official discharging anyone from this project for the failure to pay assessments into local 706-whether such person be a member or nonmember of local union 706.

It is absolutely not true that nonmembers of local 706 were required to pay a weekly assessment, contribution, donation, or to pay any money into local 706 to either go to work or continue to work on this project.

The members of local 706 paid their assessments into local 706-some by the use of the envelope system with which this committee is familiar, and some by direct payment to the local union office. The pipefitters on the project who were nonmembers of local 706 were informed that they did not come under the bylaws of local 706, and thus were not required to pay the 706 working assessment, but if they desired to make a weekly contribution into 706, it would be accepted.

Apparently there was some misunderstanding about this, and in order to get this matter completely straight so everyone understood, we called a meeting one evening in the city park of Pine Bluff near the job site, and I told everyone present in as plain English as I know how to use that no one on the job was required to pay the $3.50 per week or any other sum into local 706 in order to continue to work on the project or to begin to work on the project. I further stated at this meeting that if anyone had paid any sums into 706 under the impression he was required to do so to hold his job such money would be refunded to him upon request. (For substantiation of this, see the attached affidavits of persons in attendance of such meetings.)

In spite of this special meeting, and in spite of the instructions to the steward, in spite of the discussion of this matter on the local union floor at regular meetings, and in spite of the matter being fully discussed at the meeting of the Arkansas Pipe Trades Association, there still appeared to be some misunderstanding about the matter. When I learned of this I called a second meeting of all the pipefitters classification on this job at the city park near Pine Bluff and again reiterated my previous explanations that nonmembers of local 706 were not required to pay anything into local 706 to hold their jobs, but that if they wished to make a voluntary contribution to local 706 to help defray the expenses of policing the job, it would be accepted. (See attached affidavits of persons attending such meeting.)

In addition to the above, attached hereto are photostatic copies of a few of the checks which I have been able to locate which were given to pipefitters who were nonmembers of local 706 as a refund as these men applied for the refund under the impression that they were required to pay to local 706.

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