STATE OF ARKANSAS, County of Crawford, ss: EXHIBIT No. 86 AFFIDAVIT OF JOHN GUY BROWN I live in Crawford County, star route 2, out of Van Buren, Ark., and I am at the present time employed by Mechanical Contractors, Inc., which is building the Ohio Rubber plant just outside of Fort Smith, Ark. I have been working here approximately 5 months. In 1951 to 1954 the Blaw-Knox Construction Co. was constructing an arsenal for the U.S. Government at Pine Bluff, Ark., and I worked on this job as a journeyman pipefitter and as a pipefitter foreman for approximately 18 months. I am a member of Local Union No. 29 of Fort Smith, Ark., of the United Association. I was sent down to work on this job by my local and inasmuch as the Local Union 706 of the United Association had jurisdiction over this job, I paid into local 706 the sum of $2.50 or $3.50 per week, but I don't remember exactly how much. I do remember, however, that all of the members of other locals than 706 were not required to pay any money into local 706, but that this was a voluntary contribution from the people who were not members of local 706. While I was a foreman on the job I had from 10 to 12 men working under me and I never collected any money from these men to turn in to local 706 and I never required them to pay any money into local 706 in order to hold their jobs there. It was understood by everyone concerned on this job that I know anything about that they were not required to pay any amount into local 706 in order to hold their jobs there. When I first went to work down there I was working with a group of men out of local 155 of Little Rock, Ark., and they told me that they were not paying into local 706, but were paying into local 155. While I was working with them I never saw any of them pay into local 706 and none of them were ever discriminated against or run off the job or in any way treated any differently than any of the rest of us who did make a voluntary contribution into local 706. I remember no one being run off the job for not making a voluntary contribution into local 706 and I know of some that did and some that didn't. I have read the foregoing statement and it is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief. JOHN GUY BROWN. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 7th day of October 1960. [SEAL] My commission expires August 5, 1963. L. WILLENE Cox, Notary Public. EXHIBIT No. 87 AFFIDAVIT OF HERSHEL SMITH AND HARVEY ATKINS STATE OF ARKANSAS, County of Union, ss: In 1952 we were working for the Lion Chemical Co. at El Dorado, Ark., and we went out on a strike some time during that year. When we went out on a strike we went to local 706, although we were not members thereof, and asked them if they could give us a job while we were out on a strike or help us find employment while we were out on a strike. Someone in the office of local 706 sent us over to Pine Bluff as they were building the Pine Bluff Arsenal at that time and we went to work there. We worked there approximately 3 months before our strike was settled and when our strike was settled we went back to work for Lion Chemical Co. When we went out there and went to work at the Pine Bluff Arsenal job in Pine Bluff, which was being built by Blaw-Knox Construction Co., no one ever told us that we had to pay any money to anybody to hold our jobs or to work on that project. We did contribute to local 706, but on one told us that we had to. We felt like if we were going to work on the job that we would pay into the local union to help bear the expenses of the local union just like the regular members did. The money which we paid into local 706 was strictly a voluntary contribution on our part as we merely wanted to help bear the expenses of the local union in keeping the wages, hours, and working conditions which they had on the project. Affiant Harvey Atkins states that it is his understanding that everybody that went to work out there on the job while they were on a strike at the Lion Chemical Co. understood that any money they paid into local 706 while they were working on the Pine Bluff Arsenal job was purely a voluntary contribution. We have read the foregoing statement and it is true and correct to the best of our knowledge and belief. HERSHEL SMITH. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 14th day of October 1960. I am Floyd W. Zylks and I live at 318 West First Street in El Dorado, Ark. I have been a member of local union 706 for approximately 15 years and for the past 5 years I have been a member of the finance committee. It is the duty of the finance committee to go over the books and records of the local union each month and see what the money that the local union has has been expended for and examine the receipts of the local union and see that they are properly accounted for. I was a member of the finance committee in January of 1958. The financial statement for the month of January 1958, was signed by Wesley Ford and N. W. Price. I did not sign that particular financial report to the body, but I remember it being discussed. I remember very distinctly the discussion which took place prior to January of 1958 concerning the Christmas gifts which were to be given. The body authorized Christmas gifts for general organizers and other personnel of the United Association who had been instrumental in assisting the business agents of local 706 in securing employment for the members of 706 over the United States and in and around our area. These Christmas gifts were discussed thoroughly at a meeting prior to the time that their purchases were approved. The financial statement for January 1958, was read on the floor and approved and it contains Christmas gifts in the amount of $4,236.24. It has always been customary in our local union to give Christmas gifts of this nature to contractors, general organizers, and people who have assisted the business agent in securing employment for the membership. This has always been approved by the membership and the type of gift was usually and generally left up to the business agent. I have had an opportunity to see the financial statement of January 1958, and it was read on the floor on May 6, 1958, and approved by the membership and it is so noted thereon by S. O. Longing, who is the recording secretary of the body. These financial statements have always been open for inspection by any member of the organization and they are discussed on the floor and if anyone desires to inspect them after they are read on the floor and approved or before they are read and approved, they have a perfect right to do so. Anyone who makes the statement that the finance committee has kept the financial statements of this local union 706 from them is not conversant with the facts, to put it mildly, for this committee of which I am a member would be happy to have any member of the organization go over the books with them at the time they make up these statements. No one has even requested me or any member of the committee, so far as I know, to see any of the statements which we prepare and if they did have they would have been perfectly willing to see them or come in with us and assist us in making up the statement if they so desired. During the latter part of the Pine Bluff Arsenal job which was constructed by the Blaw-Knox Construction Co. between 1951 and 1954 I worked on this job approximately 12 months. During that time I was a foreman having under me approximately 10 to 12 men at all times. Some of these men were members of local 706 and some of them were not members of local 706. I collected the $3.50 per week assessments due local 706 under the bylaws of local 706 from the members of local 706. However, I made no attempt to collect any moneys from any person on the job who was not a member of local 706. They were told that if they desired to voluntarily contribute anything into the treasury of local 706 to help finance the policing of this job by local 706 that it would be accepted. At no time was anyone in my crew or anyone that I know of told that it was obligatory on their part to pay $3.50 per week in order to hold their job at the Pine Bluff Arsenal. I made it plain to everybody in my crew that if they were not members of 706, this was purely a voluntary contribution and they could either make it or not. I know of no one who has released, fired, discharged, or run off of the job because they did not pay this $3.50 per week into local 706 and I know several people who did not make this payment. There was no discrimination against anyone on this job who did not make this payment. When I made the collections from the men in my crew I would give it to "Red" Yocum part of the time and the other part of the time I would bring it in to the office and turn it in to the office and turn it in to the young lady at the office myself. I remember a meeting held at the Pine Bluff Arsenal job when Earl Griffin specifically told the people present that it was not necessary for them to pay the $3.50 per week into local 706 unless they desired to make a voluntary contribution. He emphatically stated that it was not necessary for them to pay anything into local 706 for them to hold their jobs and if they wanted to make a payment of $3.50 per week or any lesser amount, it would be gratefully accepted in order to help finance the policing of the job. I know of no one in the local union who has not been able to express himself on any subject that has come before the local union or has not been able to bring up any subject on the floor of the local union and have it thoroughly discussed without being discriminated against by Earl Griffin, Ermon Griffin, or any of the other officers in local union 706. Everyone in the local union has a right and has always exercised the right to get up on the floor and express anything they wanted to and I know of no one who has even been discriminated against in any way, shape, form, or fashion for disagreeing with Earl or Ermon Griffin or any of the other officers in local 706. I can remember specific instances where men would get up on the floor and take violent opposition to some of the policies of Earl and Ermon Griffin and yet be sent out on jobs just the same as would other men who agreed with the policies of Earl and Ermon Griffin. I have read the foregoing and it is true and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief. FLOYD W. ZYLKS. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 11th day of October, 1960. My commission expires October 1, 1961. STATE OF ARKANSAS, EXHIBIT No. 89 AFFIDAVIT OF N. W. PRICE Notary Public. County of Union, ss: My name is N. W. Price and I live in Camden, Ark., Route 1, Box 666. I have been a member of Local Union No. 706 of the United Association for several years and for the past several years I have been a member of the finance committee of local union 706. I was a member of the finance committee of local 706 in January of 1958 and I prepared and signed the financial report for the month of January 1958. The financial report for the month of January 1958 contains an item of Christmas gifts in the amount of $4,236.24. The finance committee went over this item and as it has been approved by the body prior to the time the expenditures were made it was listed and approved by the finance committee. This report was taken to the floor and read in full to the membership and it was approved by the membership. 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. 62255-61-19 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, 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 |