Business & Finance: Buttered Oil

A caller at the Manhattan office of Director D. T. Pierce of Consolidated Oil Corp. last week was Harvey C. Fremming, president of C. I. O.'s International Association of Oil Field, Gas Well & Refinery Workers. Laborman Fremming was not delivering an ultimatum to Harry Ford Sinclair's big company. Even if Mr. Fremming had a labor case against Consolidated, he would not go in for ultimatums. A husky, one-time footballer from the University of Washington, Laborman Fremming steps softly until he is sure of his ground. After C. I. O. announced its drive for a million oil workers last spring, Governor Allred of Texas indulged in considerable breast-beating about how his great oil State was not going to be another "Michigan." Shot back by Laborman Fremming was a shrewd invitation to Governor Allred to help purge the oil workers' union of "any member subversive to American institutions."

Meantime C. I. O.'s organization drive has netted 100,000 members without civil commotion. But so far the only major company that has signed a national contract with Mr. Fremming's union is Harry Sinclair's Consolidated. That contract, curiously, was originally signed in 1934 and renewed several times. Other companies have bargained collectively with individual units of the Oil Field, Gas Well & Refinery Workers but Consolidated's contract covers all union members employed by the corporation.

No more than routine was Laborman Fremming's call at the Consolidated offices last week. After a few minutes chat, Director Pierce apologized for having to hurry off to Consolidated's annual meeting, asked Laborman Fremming if he would like to go along. Said Mr. Fremming: "Sure. I've never been to one— always wanted to."

What his reaction to his first stock-holders meeting was, Mr. Fremming did not reveal. Harry Sinclair reported that "unless something unusual happens during the year, I feel that the earnings will be very satisfactory." As to labor conditions, they were "satisfactory to the company." When a stockholder requested amplification of the company's labor relations Director Pierce outlined the history of its contracts, then had the happy thought of introducing Mr. Fremming, who made a nice little speech about how Harry Sinclair's labor policies were outstanding in the oil industry. Before he finished buttering Consolidated, its officials and stockholders, Mr. Fremming pronounced relations of Consolidated and its workers "ideal."