Document QgoMXdpX7r8LnGzkm4nbNvOVv

The first blow was outlined in my letter of April 25, 1957 which indicated that a wage premium had been demanded by the New York local in their wage negotiation agenda. This, we were successful in having deleted. The second blow and a more alarming one was dealt recently by the union during their western states conference held in Oakland, California, which was attended by business agents from all over the western portion of the United States. In the published minutes of their meeting, which was mailed to each of the 20,000 members, the following statement was made: "The problems of asbestosis and silicosis were discussed at large, stemming from the report of Local Number 16, in which it was revealed that 11 members passed away this year. A large number of the men had definite symptoms of the aforementioned hazards of our trade." MR. McGOWAN: Your Honor, may I ask him to read the whole thing?