'Open Books' HUERA Members Ask Mulvihill

Charges of mismanagement in the University Employees Representative Association yesterday forced leaders of the union to grant petitioners an open meeting on November 3 in Langdell Hall.

H.U.E.R.A. president Daniel G. Mulvihill, who represents University maids and janitors, said he will offer an auditor's report at the meeting. The Taft-Hartley Act requires union officials to have their books available for inspection once a year.

Asked when the union had last opened its books to members, Mulvihill would only answer, "We know what the Taft-Hartley is, and we abide by it."

Union members are split roughly into two groups: those who supported the petition and those who accuse the petitioners of trying to sabotage the H.U.E.R.A. for the American Federation of Labor.

A spokesman for the petitioners, who asked that his name be withheld, said, "There are so many rumors going around that we're going to try to air them out. Half of the rumors are coming from the other unions. I don't know what they're trying to do--ruin the union or what?"

A Mulvihill supporter accused the petitioners of spreading the rumors themselves, and said the spokesman above had once held a post in the A.F.L. Two years ago A.G.L. supporters in the H.U.E.R.A. tried unsuccessfully to swing members to the national union.

Union Has Lost Members

In the last two years the H.U.E.R.A. has lost University maintenance employees, police, and engineers, all of whom broke with the union because of dissatisfaction with Mulvihill. The latter was re-elected to the presidency in February of 1951, and will be up for office again this February.

The spokesman for the petitioners said he cannot predict his group's strength, since the petition only required the support of 10 percent of union members. He refused to comment on whether he expected a union deficit.