National Affairs: Suspension

Joe Ryan’s gangster-ridden International Longshoremen’s Association has long been notorious for dock scandals: graft, extortion, kickbacks, loan-sharking, gambling, strong-arming, pilferage, gang warfare, wildcat strikes. Mild A.F.L. President William Green never did anything about it, but soon after George Meany succeeded Green last December, the A.F.L. Executive Council began to think of taking some action. Last week, after giving Ryan a chance to speak his piece, Meany announced that the council was not satisfied: it recommended that the upcoming A.F.L. convention suspend the I.L.A. from the federation.

Trying to make the best of it, Ryan implied that suspension was merely a legal device to give him more time. “If the council wanted me out,” said he, “it would have said so.” But Meany made it obvious to reporters that he hoped suspension would bring on an I.L.A. revolt that would both depose Ryan and keep the union within the A.F.L. Asked whether he thought the I.L.A.’s present leaders could do an effective cleanup job, Meany gave an unequivocal answer: “No.”