AFFIDAVIT I, James W. Jones, who reside at 1416 Helm Street, El Dorado, Ark., freely and voluntarily make the following statement to LaVern J. Duffy, who has identified himself to me as a member of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Improper Activities in the Labor or Management Field. No threat, force, or duress has been used to induce me to make this statement, nor have I received any promise of immunity from any consequences which may result from submission of this statement to the aforementioned Senate select committee: In the year of 1955 I was a bus driver for the Continental Southern Lines. I recall in the later part of 1955, L. D. Mims, terminal manager, handed me a charter order which directed me to pick up a group of 41 men at the union hall of Local 706, Steamfitters and Plumbers Union, El Dorado, Ark., and transport them to Baton Rouge, La. I picked up the 41 men and we proceeded to Baton Rouge, arriving around noon. I recall that we had lunch after we arrived. Approximately 21⁄2 hours later the men returned to the bus and we returned to El Dorado, arriving about 7 or 8 p.m. I heard no discussion during the course of this trip relating to the reason these men visited Baton Rouge. I only know it had something to do with the union affairs. I have read the foregoing statement, and to the best of my knowledge it is true and correct. Witness: JAMES W. JONES. SYLVIA J. EVANS, Notary Public. My commission expires September 1, 1964. In the year 1955, I was working on a construction of a mill in Crossett when George Wolfe, a member of the executive board of local 706 approached me and said that I should clear my book into local 798 in Tulsa, Okla. He said these orders came from Earl Griffin and that if we would do this for him he would do us some good later on down the line. It was apparent to me that Griffin was trying to control an election outside of the local but he decided to go along and I told him that I would clear my book into the local. It was my understanding that between 50 and 60 members cleared into the Tulsa local in order to guarantee the reelection of Jim Craddock. The CHAIRMAN. Craddock was seeking reelection in that local? Mr. DUFFY. That is right. The CHAIRMAN. And apparently had strong opposition. Mr. DUFFY. That is right. The CHAIRMAN. And in order to get him reelected, Griffin cooperated with him by getting some of its members to transfer to the Tulsa local and vote for him. Mr. DUFFY. That is right. The CHAIRMAN. That is a little bit of rigging, I would say. Mr. DUFFY. The second affidavit is from Mr. A. M. Evans, and I will quote a portion of that: I would like at this time to relate an incident that occurred in November or December of 1955, at which time we made a bad error in judgment regarding my activities in local 706. One of the members of local 706 either Curtis Porter or Red Yocom or George Wolfe, who made the statement to me that there was going to be an election of officers in local 798 of the pipefitters union in Tulsa, Okla., and it was important to get the right man in office as business manager. I was then asked by one of these three men to clear my union book into local 798 so I could vote for the man 706 wanted elected. Without realizing at the time the terrible mistake I was making; I gave my union book and poll tax receipt to Jimmy Baker and Oscar Johnson and told them to give it to Curtis Porter. At this time I realized that Earl Griffin, who was an international organizer for the union, and who controls local 706, was attempting to rig an election in another State. I have another deposition of Mr. Mitchell, and I will quote part of that. The latter part of 1955, Ted Nordmeyer approached me and asked me if I would make a trip to Baton Rouge, La., to vote for Jim Craddock in the election being held there. He said that Delton Fistchue was supposed to make the trip but his wife was ill and he could not go. He asked me to take the place of Fistchue and vote for Craddock in the election. The CHAIRMAN. Take the place of another man and vote for him? Mr. DUFFY. That is correct. The following morning about 7 p.m. Ted Nordmeyer met me at the bus which transported some 30 or 40 men to Baton Rouge to vote in the election. He handed me Fistchue's book and told me to vote for Craddock. We arrived, we made the trip, and we arrived in Baton Rouge around noon, and we were given a free chicken dinner, all we could eat, and I remember putting some chicken in a bag when I left and we returned to El Dorado. The last deposition is from Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones is the bus driver that took the men over there, and I interviewed him and secured a deposition from him, and he states: In the year 1955, I was a bus driver for the Continental Southern Lines. I recall in the latter part of 1955, L. D. Mims, terminal manager, handed me a charter order which directed me to pick up a group of 41 men at the union hall of local 706, steamfitters and plumbers union, El Dorado, Ark., and transport them to Baton Rouge, La. I picked up the 41 men and we proceeded to Baton Rouge, arriving around noon. I recall that we had lunch after we arrived. Approximately 21⁄2 hours later the men returned to the bus and we returned to El Dorado arriving about 7 or 8 p.m. I heard no discussion during the course of this trip relating to the reason these men visited Baton Rouge. I only know it had something to do with the union affairs. The CHAIRMAN. I believe those affidavits have already been made a part of the record. Now, is there anything else in connection with the lack of democracy or dictatorial rule or rigging elections that you found in the course of your investigation? Mr. DUFFY. Yes, sir; I have found, Mr. Chairman, an instance here, and there is an affidavit from Mr. Plez Major, and I will quote a portion of it. The CHAIRMAN. I do not recall that one. Mr. DUFFY. Yes, it is in. For many years I have been an outspoken critic of the dictatorial policies of the Griffins in the manner that they have run the affairs of local 706. I recall that in 1956 while working on a job in Pine Bluff, Ark., Benny Rybiski, foreman Incidentally, Mr. Major is an ordained Baptist minister and a member of this local. I recall in 1956 while working on a job in Pine Bluff, Ark., Benny Rybiski, foreman, asked me to sign a petition which was handed out by Red Yocum, steward on the job. This petition contained a list of the officers of the union, and we were supposed to sign our names indicating we wanted them to remain in office. When I was asked to sign the petition I told Benny I didn't do things like that, and it was wrong. Benny answered that if I didn't sign it I wouldn't be around long. I didn't sign it. Since that time I have had difficulties getting a job in the local and they have discriminated against me in every way possible. I have also seen other members discriminated against and refused work who have seniority in the local; their jobs have been given to transits and permit men who have moved into the area. This theme runs through all of these affidavits. The CHAIRMAN. In other words, even though they are regular members and paid their dues, and kept in good standing, if they do not go along with the Griffins, apparently, they will take in outside men and let them pay permit fees and get the jobs rather than give it to their own union members. Mr. DUFFY. Yes. This is also an interesting affidavit. Mr. J. R. Longing states, in substance: Our local union has no welfare or sick benefits. I personally have spoken up in union meetings and asked why we did not have such benefits. I have heard Earl Griffin answer that they could be too costly for the union. However, the union can afford an expensive airplane and other benefits for its officers. I have frequently spoken up at union meetings against the policies of the local union. As a result I have had trouble getting work. In 1956 I objected to the methods and policies of the local union, and the following day I was replaced on an instrument chemical job in El Dorado. In 1956 and 1957 a petition was passed round to keep in office the local union officers. Earl Griffin, who controls local 706, said at a union meeting that if the election did not go as he wanted it, that he would cut this jurisdiction of the local back to the city limits of El Dorado. The CHAIRMAN. By cutting, the jurisdiction back, that meant that they would only get work in El Dorado, if the job was in El Dorado? Mr. DUFFY. That is correct. The CHAIRMAN. That was a threat that was made? Mr. DUFFY. Yes, sir. Here is another affidavit. Mr. O. H. Primm states, in substance: During August of 1959, I signed a letter addressed to the president of our national union asking for an organizer of the national union to meet with a group of the local union members in order to investigate the finances of our local union. Within a week after I signed this letter I was in the lobby of the union hall when Earl Griffin appeared and made a statement so typical of him. In the presence of about 60 men, he said that the 6 individuals who had signed a letter to the president of our national union, requesting an investigation of our local union, would be suspended from the union or heavily fined, and put back in line. He went on to discuss a job where approximately 35 men would be used and then added that 6 additional men could have been used on the project if this letter had not been signed and sent to Washington. Again, Senator, this theme runs through all of these affidavits. The CHAIRMAN. I might ask you at this point, from your investigation down there, from the charges in these affidavits and from other information you may have gotten, are you pretty well convinced that this union is pretty well run by coercion and intimidation and reprisals? Mr. DUFFY. I am convinced of that. Of course we didn't take depositions from every man we interviewed, but we interviewed 40 to 50 men down there and the theme that they had expressed to us on this subject matter was the same all along. The CHAIRMAN. That is the thought I had in mind. The affidavits you procured are not the only ones you interviewed. Mr. DUFFY. It represents the views of the many we interviewed. The CHAIRMAN. The affidavits are representative of the conditions you found there, but there were others who would verify substantially the same information contained in the affidavit? Mr. DUFFY. That is correct, Senator. Mr. MUNDIE. I might concur that I interviewed a lot of men that he did not talk to, and it was the same impression there. The majority of them stated that all the Griffins wanted from them is that $4.50 a month, whether they work or not, but they have to donate every month or their card will cancel out on them. Some of the men have worked 2 or 3 weeks in a year, hardly enough money to pay for the union dues. The CHAIRMAN. Just enough to pay their union dues? Mr. MUNDIE. That is right. The CHAIRMAN. And they take all of it? Mr. MUNDIE. That is right. The CHAIRMAN. All right; let us go on to the next thing, which is the misuse of union funds. Now, this morning we talked about the misuse of a joint venture fund or assessment or work fund that was intended to be a joint venture fund of three locals. It then all wound up in the hands of local 706 in its three accounts, or that is where any that could be traced wound up. There was $120,000 that apparently, or approximately that much, that you have been unable to trace? Mr. MUNDIE. That is correct. The CHAIRMAN. Now, let us go to the question of misuse of union funds; that is, dues money of local 706, funds that come in that category. What did you find with respect to that? Mr. MUNDIE. We examined vouchers and the canceled checks that were available for us to observe. We found a number of items. The CHAIRMAN. Over what period of time? Mr. MUNDIE. A period of time from 1951 through 1958. Now, some of the records were not available, but the ones that were available we did examine. They were not complete. The CHAIRMAN. How did they have records from 1951 to 1958? I thought all of those were lost? Mr. MUNDIE. They had some canceled checks and old books and invoices. The CHAIRMAN. You did not find a complete set of records prior to what date? Mr. MUNDIE. Prior to 1955. For example, we would find an invoice that was marked "Paid" in an old box or something around in 1951. We checked the name of the firm in El Dorado to find out how that money was paid, and from their records, and we checked out a lot of items in that way. The CHAIRMAN. Well, you were unable to make a thorough check that would accurately determine the situation because of lack of records to enable you to do it? Mr. MUNDIE. That is right. The CHAIRMAN. All right, go ahead. Mr. MUNDIE. We found a number of purchases that were unauthorized from the membership at union meetings, and they were paid from union funds from local 706. The CHAIRMAN. Give us the nature of those purchases. Mr. MUNDIE. For example, in January 3, 1958, for Christmas gifts, the purchased Christmas gifts for general organizers: 20 diplomat briefcases at $57.50 each; 20 men's two-suiter suitcases at $79.50 each; 4 ladies' wardrobe cases at $82.50 each; 4 ladies' hat and shoe cases at $92.50 each; and 2 pilot flight cases at $69.50 each. The total amount for this-I should have given the figures after each item. I think I have the total. The CHAIRMAN. You have the total of those figures, Mr. Mundie? Mr. MUNDIE. This is January 1958, for the Christmas gifts of 1957, and I might say 20 diplomat briefcases cost $1,150. two-suiter suitcases cost $1,590. The two men's The total of that was $3,870.02, which was paid to the Star Clothing House. The CHAIRMAN. Do you have a copy of that invoice? Mr. DUFFY. I made an exhibit here from these invoices. The CHAIRMAN. You have prepared an exhibit to submit for the record? Mr. MUNDIE. Setting forth the date the purchases were made, the item involved, and the amount, and who it was purchased from. The CHAIRMAN. Do you have other items? Mr. MUNDIE. I have a number of other items I would like to refer to. I might add to all of the items that Mr. Duffy has on this, there are photostatic copies of the vouchers and the checks in the files. The CHAIRMAN. Then you will arrange these in the order of the vouchers and the canceled checks and photostatic copies, whatever you have, in one bundle for each year? Mr. DUFFY. We have all of those downstairs. The CHAIRMAN. They will be made an exhibit in bulk of all of these documents to which you referred. They will be marked "Exhibit No. 15" for the record. That will include the totals, and for all documents in support of these expenditures as per Mr. Duffy's exhibit. Now, if there is anything specific, we can as we go along make a separate exhibit of it. Mr. DUFFY. I won't go through all of these items. The exhibit will be inserted in the record. The CHAIRMAN. You do have a list of them? Mr. DUFFY. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. The list will be printed in the record at this point, and the supporting documents will be contained in exhibit No. 15. (The document referred to was marked "Exhibit No. 15" and may be found in the files of the committee.) |