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United Auto Worker Presi-
dent Walter Reuther has for-
mally notified AFL-CIO Pres-
ident George Meany that the
UAW has officially with-
drawn from the AFL-CIO.

Following is a copy of
Reuther’s letter to Meany:

“In March this year, the
International Executive Board
of the International Union
UAW, requested of you and
the Executive Council of the
-_ AFL-CIO a special conven-
tion to permit the discussion
and action on a number of
proposals that the UAW
made, which in our opinion,
would revitalize and make
more effective the American
labour movement. We made
this request because critical
negotiations in the automobile
industry did not permit the
leadership of the UAW to at-
tend the 1967 Convention of
the AFL-CIO.

“Tt is regrettable that on
March 12, 1968, the AFL-CIO
Executive Council refused
our request for a special con-
vention by attaching condi-
tions to a special convention

that no honorable organiza-
tion could possibly accept.
The nearly 3,000 delegates
to the 21st UAW Constitu-
tional Convention, meeting in
Atlantic City, May 4 through
10, 1968, adopted a resolution
urging the AFL-CIO Execu-

. tive Council to reconsider its

decision of March 12, and
schedule unconditionally a
special AFL-CIO convention

to be held no later than De-
cember 1968.

“We deeply regret that you.

and the Executive Council of
the AFL-CIO reacted nega-
tively to the request of the
delegates to the UAW’s Con-
stitutional Convention. In-
stead of convening a special
convention as the delegates
had requested so that the pro-
gram and policy recommen-
dations of the UAW to
strengthen the labour move-
ment could have been tested
by free and open democratic
discussion and debate, you
chose to suspend the UAW
under a provision of the Con-
stitution mever invoked pre-
viously in the more than 60

beat se as a om i ye eee Se

THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

years history of the American
labour movement.

“Your action, as you know,
has compelled severance of
the relationship which the
UAW local unions had with
numerous state and local
bodies and was unprecedent-
ed and has created very seri-
ous problems in many impor-
tant local and state councils.
UAW local unions were ac-
tive and were prepared to
continue to be active as a part
of the state and local councils
in the common effort to meet
the critical challenge of the
1968 election but your unpre-
cedented action now makes
this impossible.

“In the light of your action
and in order to avoid any
confusion or misunderstand-
ing as to the status of the
UAW with the AFL-CIO, you
are hereby advised that the
UAW formally disaffiliates
from the AFL-CIO.

By order of the Interna-
tional Executive Board:

Walter P. Reuther,
president.”

WOULD YOU CHAPS OBJECT TO MY CHANGIN’
BEFORE WE PROCEED WITH TH’ ACCIDENT
INVESTIGATION?

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SHOE MANUFACTURING CO.

(B.C.) LTD.

2249-50 E. Hastings, Vancouver 6