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- _SEP 211978 * I
♦ VOLsMrm ’ ^_ ._
--- CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA 28208-THURSDAY. SEPTF.MRRR 9i iqth
miAmHi it _ price 30c
Union members tight for better wages at
Thonet-A Simmons Company in Charlotte:
Karen Cure ton, Cecila Adams, Chuck Wilson,
Harvey Bogan, and supporter Dione Adams.
Their strike lasted 6 weeks,
(photo by Eileen Hanson)
naren i.ureion says:
“These Northern Companies Are
Trying To Break Our Union”
by Eileen Hanson
Special To The Post _
"These northern companies
come down here, pay us half
'As much and now are trying to
break our union.” This was
the opinion of Karen Cureton
of 500 Cama St. after being
fired September 14 from
Thdhet-~A~StnniKnia-Company,
where she has worked for 8
mooty
Cureton has a perfect re
cord. Accoring to fellow em
ployees she was a hard work
er. She was never late add
had missed only one day when
her sister was hospitalized.
“They really fired me for
union activities,” said Cure
ton. She was a leader in the
recent 6-week strike of the
Upholsterer’s International
Union against Thonet-Sim
mons that began in mid-July
when the company refused to
negotiate with the newly elec
ted union. (see The Charlotte
Post Aug. 3, 1978).
The firing ot two black
employees sparked the strike
that eventually led Charlotte’s
Thonet employees to picket
two of the company’s northern
plants. Union members shut
down plants for three days
in Sheboygan, Wis. and York,
Pa. when they refused to cross
picket lines set up by the
Charlotte strikers.
Thonet-Simmons is a subsid
iary of a national company
that makes Simmons matress
es and other furniture. It is
based in Pennsylvania and
owns 22 plants, including ano
ther Thonet plant in States
ville and a Simmons matress
plant in Atlanta.
■A year ago the company
doped its Munster, Indiana
pMfht jlpd moved to Charlotte
OH Ora Steele Creek Road.
Employees complain that up
north the wages were $6 to 12
an hour, while in Charlotte the
company starts $3.25 and top
pay Is $4.07 an hour.
was making $3.75 an
hour,” said Cureton. "Up
north the same Job is paid
twice as much."
Union members believe
they would be able to earn
more money if they had a
union contract with the com
peny. Unionised employees
generally have better w 2S?
and more benefits.
The union called off their
strike on August 28 and asked
to return to the bargaining
table to negotiate a contract.
The company refused.
Since then the company has
fired 5 more employees, most
of them active union mem
- _bers. Four are black._
“They think they can scare
us. Other blacks believe they
have no place else to go and
feel intimidated if one of us
gets fired,” said Cureton.
Cureton was fired after re
fusing to work overtime on the
days she attends classes at
Hamilton College where she is
studying business administra
tion.
She brought her shcool sche
dule at the company’s request,
and added typing, which was
actually a private tutoring
session to help her qualify for
the schools's data processing
-program. The company fired
her for allegedly giving false
information.
‘‘They said my job came
before school,” said Cureton.
"But to me, school comes
before the job. It’s my
future.”
Cureton was elected financ
ial secretary of the local union
two weeks ago.
Reginald Harris, a memDer
of the negotiating team for the
union, was fired Sept. 6 alle
gedly for poor work perfor
mance.
Bobby King was fired the
week before for reporting to
work late after the strike
ended.
Chief Steward and negotia
tor Willie Parker were fired
for refusing to come in an
hour early every day.
“I told them when I started
that I have a heart condition
and could not work overtime,"
said Parker.
“It’s against the law to
change conditions of -week
without consulting the union,"
said union vice-president Har
vey Bogan. “They are just
trying to find the weakness of
every strong union supporter
and fire them to intimidate
the rest.”
The union has filed a num
ber of unfair labor practice
charges against the company
with the National Labor Relat
ions Board. The Board found
merit in several charges and
has issued complaints against
the company which will be
heard by an administrative
law judge on Nov. 2.
The company has also filed
charges against the union, but
refused to comment.
It is illegal to fire employees
for union activity or for a
company to refuse to bargain
with a duly elected union.
Thonet-Simmons General
Manager Randy Marks refus
ed to comment on the recent
firings. He asked Andy Ander
son of the Central Piedmont
Employers Association to
make a statement to the [ness.
But Anderson, whose organi
zation represent Thonet-Si
mons in negotiations, also re
See NORTHERN on Pg. 12,
Funeral Directors Respond
To Regulations Proposal
19-Member
Committee Tc
Advise ESC
A 19-member committee
comprised mostly of loca
business executives has beer
named here to advise the
North Carolina Employment
Security Commision on how te
improve its services tc
employers and workers
Heading the Charlotte ESC
office’s Employer Advisor)
Committe as co-chairmen are
Frank Mansfield of Goodwil
Industries and John Gray ol
Cummins Carolinas, Inc.
Organization of the commit
tee was announced by Claudie
Lewis, Jr., manager of the
ESCT’s Charlotte office. Othei
officers are Mrs. Sue Garcu
of First Union National Bank
vice chairperson, and Bill Hill
a personnel specialist witl
Mecklenburg County, secret
ary.
Other members of the com
^fflluee- are' Dr Met^Gray
vice president for student ser
vices, Central Piedmont Com
munity College; Jim Gernhc
fer, Sheraton Center; Ms
Frankie Graves, Harris Tee
ter; Ms. Michele Hagan, Rex
ham Corp.; Ms. Norma Kale
Piedmont Plastics, Inc.; Ms
Catherine MacPherson, Flori
da Steel Corp.; Ms. Alb;
McClain, KMW Jonshon, Inc.
Ms. Diane McClain, J.A
Jones Construction Co.
Also, Ms. Peggy Matheny
Kemper Insurance; Ms. Edna
Norwood, First Union Nation
al Bank; Ms. Louise Pickens
Celanese Corp.-; Bill Veeder
president. Greater Charlotte
Chamber of Commerce; Char
lie Wheeler, Leaksville Wool
en Mills; Mrs. Dillie Winches
ter, Mercy Hospital, and Al
ton Wright, Belk Store Servi
ces.
Formation of the local com
mittee and similar ones acrosi
the state are part of the ESC's
Employer Service Improve
ment Program. The commit
tees will make suggestion;
and recommendations 01
ways the ESC can improve it;
services to both employer
and job seekers
LOVELY DORIS L. STARKS
....Waiting For Right Break
Doris L. Starks
i
Is Beauty Of Week
by Monica Brown
Post Staff Writer
_“Natural is best” says Doris
L. Starks, the Post's Beauty of
the Week. Doris, an 18-year
old charmer from South Carol
ina is very interested in the
aspects of becoming a model.
Doris says, “I first became
interested when I met some
professionals during a show
when 1 was in High school.
They said I had the features
and possibly the making for a
model if trained. So with that
kind of encouragement in
mind, Doris enrolled in the
! Barbazon School of Modeling
’ and is very confident that she
will be a success.”
“1 knnw that Ihp cuctpm ic
unfair, but that's life," she
stated. To be black trying to
crack the system is even
harder, huLXknow. \yithjime
the right breaks will come
Doris has coal black hair
that is shoulder length which
she likes to wear in various
styles. “The trick to having a
good looking hairstyle is a
good haircut and of course
proper hair care, if not you
lose a lot of hair,” she
explained.
As far as makeup, she wears
not even a dab "Why hide -
what mother nature gave
you?,” she asked Oh yes, asa
model I wear a minimum and
that's all. If one is naturally
photogenic the makeup be
comes secondary, always."
Clothes are very casual for
Doris, but she always rises to
the occasion by dressing the
part, whatever the event
Dori6 stands 5’8" and
weighs 110 pounds She says
she has always been slim, and
that she is proportionately
built considering her height,
body build and , above all,
professional objective
Doris is a graduate of Inde
pendence High School and
CPCC where she was a student
nf mmmprrial Hpcion At
present, she is employed by
Hydro Print In her spare
time, she may be found in the
kitchen preparing barbecue
ribs, one of her favorite
dishes, or performing modern
dancing for relaxation
"One should try to get a
head, no matter how stiff the
oppositon," she said. “Today s
Black woman is on the rise to
even greater heights and they
are going to achieve the im
possible," she concluded
East Mecklenburg
East Mecklenburg High
School was among 3+4 schools
in the country to receive a
elution from the SCHOLAS
TIC MAGAZINE art awards
program The school was
rvpr*»enie<i in tne 51st annual
national High School Art Ex
hibition last summer in New
York City
New Rule Would Increase
Cost And Hinder Consumers
The nation's black funeral
directors authorized a formal
•esponse to regulations pro
posed by the Federal Trade
Commission that would alter
he way the undertaking in
dustry operates The action
vas taken at the forty-first
mnual convention of the Nat
onal Funeral Directors and
Morticians Association
SFDMA) that was held in
Philadelphia in August.
Charging that some ot tne
lew rules, if adopted would
ncrease costs and hinder in
stead of help consumers, the
SFDMA named a committee •
to draft its objections as deter
mined from the delegates
Assigned to formulate..the .
association's position were
Herlis Tillman and Larry Will
iams, NFDMA legal counsel,
both of Washington, D.C., and
Robert H. Miller of Chicago,
the association's executive se
cretary. The committee has
and file the association's
statement with the FTC that
proposed the regulations after
a study of the industry for two
years during which it received
comments from consumers
and other segments of the
undertaking industry
How the other decisions,
reached during the convenuon
are to be implemented will be
determined at an unpreceden
ted meeting of the Board of
Directors and the Executive
Committee at Atlanta. Ga..
November 3 and 4. The
meeting has been called by
John R. Steward'ofKicTi'mbnd,
Calif., who succeeded James
R Couch of Chicago as the
Association's new president
Couch was elevated to chair
man of the executive commit
tee
Other new officers are Her
bs Tillman of Washington, 1st
vice president. Mrs. lxiis I^ee
Dorsey of Pittsburgh. Pa.,
secretary; Ixiuis T Perry of
Battle Creek, Mich , trea
surer; Gerome Primm, New
York City, 2nd vice president.
William S Hutchings. Macon.
Ga.. board chairman. J C.
Scarborough, Durham, N.C.,
vice chairman, board of direc
Pfcakienl Carter .
Names lilack To
Railroad Group
President Carter has nomi
nated m Alhalie Ranee ni
Miami, Florida where she
became the first black ever
elected to th Miami City Com
mision -■ to be a member of the
board of directors of the Nat
lonal Railroad Passenger Cor
poration
Ms Range would replace
IVlAn/ HhqH iiiknoA L_
expired, and would be one of
the eomsumer represents
fives on (Tie Board tier term
will expire July 18, 1981
Range became involved in
public service as president of
the Liberty City PT A ,
where she led a building drive
for schools in black areas She
served as a local and county
P T A president for 16 years
In 1965 Range was elected to
the Miami City Commission
She was the first black and the
second woman elected to that
commission She introduced
ordinances including more
stringent handgun controls
and updating housing and fire
codes
tors; William H. Jefferson,
Vicksburg. Miss., financial se
cretary; James Winston, Las
Angeles, secretary of the
board; James J. Pilgrim.
Hendersonville, N C., chap
lain, and Herbert C. Barker,
Chicago, sergeant at arms
Miller was re-elected execu
tive secretary.
The forty-second annual
convention of the association
will be held in Atlanta in
August 1979. The climax ot
that gathering will be dedicat
ion of the monument that is to
be a tribute of Martin Luther
King and those who accom
panied him in the march from
Selma to Montgomery, Ala. in
.1965._
The association, that is en
gaged in a campaign to raise
$30,000 to underwrite the
monument that will be erected
in Selma, has selected the
march as the most significant
of all civil rights demonstrat
ions- during—the-Siirtiea- -be
/•Qlicn i( la/4 rli «i ■ md l« I 4m n
federal law that extended the
ballot to millions of blacks
who had been denied their
right to vote.
75 Persons
Demonstrate
In Siler City
Seventy-five persons de
monstrated in Siler City on
Saturday, Sept 16, demanding
the local schoolboard release
Paul Braxton School for com
munity programs and calling
for an immediate stop to the
N C. Competency Test pro
gram The marchers were
joined for the rally by a
number of senior citizens from
the Siler City area.
The committee to Save Paul
Braxton School for the People,
orgainzer of the march was
formed of citizens and comm
unity groups who have been
fighting for over two months
for use of the school The
near-empty school building is
controlled by the local school
board and partly used by the
Central Carolina Techincal In
stitute 'The Hoint
i.nuinarn tommuimy Action
Agency has requested use of a
kitchen and six classrooms for
programs for preshcool child
ren i Headstart > and for its
senior citizens' nutrition pro
gram, seriously threatened by
the present cramped facilit
ies The School Board has
repeatedly refused to grant
the request despite wide
spread community support in
cluding a mass meeting of
over 200 persons The request
ed space will stand empty this
year while a " Facilities
study" is being planned
The Chatham County Com
mittee for Human Rights, with
other groups and individuals,
has been orgainzing opposit
ion to the Competency Test
Program since June The
Human Rights Committee has
been actively involved in the
Save Paul Braxton campaign
and the Test Campaign was
taken up as focus of the Sat
march
According to a committee
spokesperson, "The Paul
Braxton School and Teh Com
petency Test issues are close
ly linked
uy dfienow mcivuy
Post Staff Writer
Bernard W. Douglas, a 43
year-old native Washington
ian has been living in Char
lotte for two and « half years
while working as a Commun
ity Services Speicallst
for the U.S. Department of
Commerce, Bureau of the
Census.
Presently he is the Charlotte
Regional Coordinator for the
Census Community Service
program. The Charlotte re
gion will hire 12 Community
Services Specialists before
19W and he is responsible for
seeing that the program is _
run smoothly.
• Black people in America
have never been accurately
counted in the U .S. Census for
a number of reasons," Doug
las explained "Census taker*
were reluctant when it came
to going into many black
communities and actually
• counting people, and many
, black people thought that they
were cheating the government
, by not being counted in the
■
♦
I
Charlotte Region Will Hire 12
Community Services Specialists
census, but we may have been
cheating ourselves for not be
ing counted in the past Census
The Census is not only used to
see how many peoplethereare
in this country but is also used
to determine congressional re
presentation as well as the
extent to which a community
can qualify for available fede
ral funds for housing commun
ity development and Senior
Citizen . Programs.”
Douglas stated that blacks
were undercounted by at
aa two million people by offic
ial estimates. "These esti
mates could be far short of the
real number of Macks and
minorities who were not
counted in the 1870 Census,"
he said. "More plainly stated,
every black person who was
not counted in the 1870 Census
coat America's black com
munity in this country a
chance of having enough peo
ple to jbe declared a congress
ional Tnstric and electing a
black congressman to send to
Washington."
ists to work in certain areas of
communities to prepare the
residents for the 1980 Census
They will form the liason
groups in the communities to
spread literature about the
census and help prepare min
orities for the 1980 Census
The Community Services
Office is located in the North
western Bank Building at 230
South Tryon Srteet in Char
lotte
Douglas has worked in srvr
ral U.S. and District Govern
ment Agencies in Washington,
D C. which included the
Department of the Army,
Navy and Air Force, the Trea
sury Department, Depart
ment of Public Welfare and
the District Unemployment
Compensation Board, mostly
in the Personnel Offices He
was also the Assistant Direct
or of the Uplift House, Work
Experience Program, Ban
quet Sales for LaFont Plaza,
an American Federation of
Musicians Booking Agent,
manager and disc jockey. He
is married and has one child.
Bernard W. Defiglas
....Regional coordinator
The Community service
Program Is hiring minorities
to go into thetr communities
and lecture about the benefits
that one can receive from
being counted in the Census.
Dou£as Mid that the twelve
Census Regional Offices will
hire a total of about 200
Community Sendees Special