Dubinsky bolts Labor Party
New York (UP) –
Formation of an independent party pledged to support President Roosevelt for a fourth term loomed today as David Dubinsky, president of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, announced he would urge the union’s 162,338 members to follow his example in bolting the American Labor Party.
Mr. Dubinsky, whose right-wing forces of the ALP were defeated by a left-wing faction in Tuesday’s primary, estimated an independent party could poll 300,000 votes in New York State.
Foes called Reds
One of the organizers of the ALP, Mr. Dubinsky promised his support to an independent party yesterday when he said he regarded “the former American Labor Party as a communist labor party, and am therefore withdrawing from that party.”
Mr. Dubinsky said that if an independent party was not formed, he would vote for President Roosevelt on the Democratic ticket, but intimated that if Wendell L. Willkie were the Republican candidate, he might vote for him. He added that under no circumstances would be vote for Governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York for President.
Bore brunt of cost
Mr. Dubinsky also said his union paid about 60% of the ALP expenses in the last eight years and reported that the union’s contributions totaled almost $533,000.
The left-wing faction, led by Sidney Hillman, leader of the CIO Political Action Committee, scheduled a statewide meeting tomorrow to plan its campaign in support of Mr. Roosevelt. The goal of the group is to boost upstate enrollment in the ALP from 16,000 to 200,000 and to establish a working organization in every region of the state.