Gojeck Faces Contempt Charge, March 2, 1955 Front Page Article

In an earlier posting on this Blog, a letter from Henry Batke, dated March 5, 1955, to the Editor of The Herald-Press, appeared.  At the time of the previous posting, the article referred to in the letter to the editor could not be located.  It has now been found and appears below.  Although Henry Batke, Jr., is not mentioned in the front page article, the accompanying photo, by placement next to the article, implies those pictured might have some relationship to the Communist Party.  Again, remember this is the time of McCarthyism.

The text under the photo reads:
TARGET OF ATTACK-- Man identified by IUE publicity agent, Ray Hansen, as Alec Leith, a one-time writer for the Communist newspaper, The Daily Worker, is shown above standing at right on the steps of UE local 931 office in St. Joseph.  Hansen charged over WHFB last night that Leith was formerly known as Alex Goldmann and that he wrote a "greeting" in the booklet entitled: "Two Decades of the Communist Party in New York State."  Leith, said Hansen, is handling UE publicity during the local struggle to retain bargaining rights at Whirlpool.  Standing on steps with Leith is Robert Mounsey, route 2, Eau Claire, one of the UE's most ardent local supporters.  Man with back to camera is identified as Henry Batke, who took a trip to Soviet Russia three years ago.

If you wish to enlarge photo, double click on image. To read Henry Batke's March 5, 1955 response to the photo and the following article, click on letter-to-the-editor.

The following article adjoined the photo on page one of The Herald-Press, March 2, 1955.

GOJECK FACES CONTEMPT CHARGE

ACTION LOOMS
AS WHIRLPOOL
BALLOTS ON UE

Probers Hold UE Leader's

Quiz Stand In Contempt

Of Congress

A contempt of congress citation for United Electrical' workers official John T. Gojack seemed virtually certain today in the wake of a house un-American activities subcommittee vote to cite him, the Associated Press reported from Washington D. C.

The impending citation against Gojack comes on the day when Local 931 of the UE, St. Joseph, puts its fate on the line in an NLRB election to determine a bargaining agent for the Whirlpool corporation's 2,400 production and maintenance workers. Chairman Walter (D-Pa) of the full committee said the group would approve the unanimous recommendation against Gojack. The house, which has the final vote on committee contempt citations, has always followed such recommendations in recent years.

Vote To Cite Gojack

The three-man subcommittee, headed by Rep. Moulder (D-Mo), voted to cite Gojack in open session late Tuesday at the climax of a two day tussle with the 38-year-old UE vice president. Gojack, who is president of the UE's District 9, hotly declared, "It is time that more people in the country challenge this committee."  Gojack had wriggled, evaded questions and defied the committee throughout his two days in the witness chair. His testimony followed that of Miss Julia Jacobs, 34-year old secretary of Local 931 in St. Joseph.  Throughout his testimony, Gojack invoked the first amendment guaranteeing freedom of speech—in refusing to answer the Red-hunter questions.

Refuse 21 Times

Monday afternoon, Gojack refused 21 times to deny that he was, or is a member of the Communist party, in the face of a series of direct questions from subcommittee members and Counsel Frank Tavenner.  Committee sources emphasized what they considered an important difference between Gojack's refusal to answer questions on his alleged Communist connections and the position taken by Miss Jacobs, who declined to answer 122 questions on Monday, pleading the fifth amendment, which protects witnesses from having to give testimony that might be harmful to themselves. Gojack's lawyer, Frank Donner of New York, said the contempt citation against Gojack would provide a clear cut court test of the use of the first amendment as ground for refusing to answer questions of congressional probers.

UE's national secretary-treasurer, Julius Emspak, used the first amendment before a congressional committee on Dec. 5, 1949. He subsequently was cited for contempt and a District of Columbia court sentenced him to serve six months and to pay a $500 fine after he was convicted of the charge on Feb. 26, 1951.

Emspak's conviction was upheld by the United States court of appeals for the District of Columbia on Dec. 19, 1952. Emspak's final appeal is now pending before the Supreme court. Gojack was active in St. Joseph in 1953 when the UE was challenged by the IUE and IAM, but retained its bargaining right in two NLRB elections at Whirlpool. IUE and IAM again are the challenging unions in today's vote at the St. Joseph corporation, the world's largest manufacturer of home laundry appliances and the UE's largest remaining stronghold.