*WEEKLY; N;EV5

TWO GIRLS BOY,WIN STATE FEDERATION'S i95t SCHOLARSHIP CONTEST

(CPLNL) SAN FRANCISCO,--Two girls and a boy were this week named winners of the California State Pederation of Laborts six- th annual high school scholarship contest. Winners of the three $500 -awards given each year by the state AFL were Rochelle Leiter, 17, North Hollywood High; Peggy Bosworth, 17, St. Mary's High, Stockton; and Eldon R. Clingans 18, Merced Union High. Award presentations will be made during the State Federation of Labor's August convention in Long Beach. The annual competition is open to all senior high school stu- dents in California and Hawaii. Three hundred and eighty one students participated in the 1956 contest. Scholarship examinations were held May 18 in all schools where students had filed. Examination books were screemdby professional educators, and the top -40 presented to the conuittee of Judges comprised of Dr. George Hildebrand, acting director, Institute of Industrial Re- lations, University of California at Los Angeles; Vaughn D. Seidel, superintendent of schools, Alameda County; and Dr. Frederick. A, Breier, assistant professor of economics, University of San Fran-

Neither the screening readers nor the Judges' caunittee were aware of the studentst identities,

W-7-7~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~k California State PF%jati1n of Labor IE~EKLY NEWS LET,I~, Jte 8,j1956 Page 2.

MATTHEW WOLL DIES AT 76., LINK WITH GOMPERS GONE

(CFLNL) SAN FRANCISCO.--Matthew Woll, close associate of and vice president of the American Federation of Labor for 36 years, diec last Saturday in New York. He was 76. At the time of his death, Brother Woll was a member of the executive committee of the merged AFL-CIO and also a vice presi- dent of the merged federation. He had held top union offices for more than 50 years. AFL-CIO President said in a formal statement of sympathy: "The entire labor movement will mourn the passing of Matthew Woll. He served the cause of the nation's workers with constant faith, courage and sound Judgment for half a century. "Irmbibing his knowledge of trade unionism from Sam Gompers, Matthew Woll throughout his brilliant career re- mained true to the principle of the founders of the labor movement. He believed wholeheartedly in labor-management cooperation. Labor has lost a great leader." Born in , Woll came to America at 10. He became an apprentice photo engraver at 16, He was admitted to the prac- tice of law in Illinois in 1904 and in the same year was elected president of the AFL International Photo Engravers Union, a post he held for nearly half a century, In 1923, President Gompers appointed Woll to a special com- -mittee to study and improve death benefits provided by affilia- -ted unions. Out of this activity grew Woll's connection with the Union Labor Life Insurance Company, set up by the AFL in 1925. Woll was president of the insurance company for 30 years, resigniag. last year to become the firm's general executive chair- man. Woll was senior lieutenant to Gompers, Green, and Meany dur- Ing his long membership on the AFL executive council.. Regarded as the architect of the AFL foreign policy program, be- was chairman of the AFL Free Trade Union Committee prior to California State Federation of Labor WEEKLY NEWS LETTER,, June 8,, 1956 Page 3 the merger, and since then had served as co-chairman of the AFL- CIO Committee on International Affairs. Brother Woll is survived by his widow, and two sons, Willard M. Woll, and J. Albert Woll, general counsel of the AFL-CIO. A Requiem Mass was offered for the deceased this Tuesday in St. Matthew's Catholic Cathedral, Washington, D. C. Burial followed at Fort Lincoln Cemetery in the national capital.

GOP HURRIEDLY DROPS CHOTINER

(CFLNL) SAN FRANCISCO.--Murray M. Chotiner, close associate of Vice President Nixon and mouthpiece for reported hoodlum ele- ments in New Jersey, will not be a part of the GOP presidential campaign this year, it was claimed this week by Ieonard W, Hall, chairman of the Republican National Committee. Chotiner, a Los Angeles lawyer, has been recently accused of using White House influence in behalf of clients. He was a leading figure in the GOP presidential campaign of 1952. President Eisenhower has whitewashed his aides of wrong-doing in the Chotiner "influence case," which is still being investiga- ted by the Senate Investigations Subcommittee. National columnist Drew Pearson has charged that Chotiner was tightly connected with the late Marco Reginelli, who last year beat a deportation drive launched against him by the Truman Administration. Pearson claimed Reginelli was a top mobster in New Jersey and won clearance in the Eisenhower Administration despite a long criminal record.

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PLAN NOW FOR 1956 STATE FEDERATION CONVENTION

LONG BEACH - AUGUST 13-17 California State Federation of Labor WEEKLY NEWS LETTER, June 8 1956 Page 4.

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE TO HOLD HEARINGS ON SAFETY IN LUMBER INDUSTRY

(CFLNL) SAN FRANCISCO.--Hearings on safe working practices in the lumber industry will be held Tuesday, June 26, in Eureka by a State Assembly interim committee, it was announced this week by Edward M. Gaffney, San Francisco Assemblyman. Gaffney, chairman of the Subcommittee on Industrial Safety, said hearings will be held at the Eureka Inn, commencing at 10:00 a.m. June 26. General purpose of the session will be to get data and sug- gestions on safety in the wood products industry, including opera- tions in sawmills, woods, and log transportation. Unions interested in filing statements with the committee should immediately write Gaffney at the Merchants Exchange Build- ing, San Francisco 4.

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WESTERN UNION WORKERS PREPARE FOR NATIONAL STRIKE

(CFLNL) SAN FRANCISCO.--Forty thousand members of the Com- mercial Telegraphers Union, AFL-CIO, were prepared to strike Western Union following a national ballot giving the union strike committee authority to take necessary action. The strike vote came after long negotiations with the corpora- tion, As of this week, the union was standing by the following pro- visions: (1) An across-the-board wage increase of 15 cents an hour (a revision from the 16 cents asked for originally); (2) An increase of 7 cents for job classification inequities, to go into effect August 1, 1956; (3) An increase in automobile messeiger vehicle allowance to California State Federation of Labor WEEKLY NEWS LETTER June 8, 1956

70 cents and in telecycle allowance to 23 cents (the union had originally asked for 75 cents and 25 cents respectlvely). Since negotiations opened, the union has dropped demands for longer vacations and an increase of bicycle messenger vehicle al- lowance. Despite union revisions, the corporation has refused to ac- cept the latest proposals. Temporary has already been taken in Los Angeles and various eastern cities.

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ANDY GALLAGHER LAST SURVIVOR OF STATE FEDERATION I S SECOND CONVENTION

(CFLNL) SAN FRANCISCO.--The recent death of veteran AFL offi- cial Tim Reardon in San Francisco left only one survivor of the California State Federation of Labor's second convention held in 1902. Andrew J. Gallagher, recently retired member of the U. S. Conciliation Service and a member of the Photo Engravers Union, is the lone living delegate of the second convention which was held in Vallejo in 1902. There are no known survivors of the first convention of 1901, held in San Francisco. A history of the State Federation from its founding down to the present time is currently being prepared by Paul Scharrenberg in accordance with action taken last year by the executive council of the state AFL organization.

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OEIU-3-AFL-CIO( 31)