Newspapers / The Charlotte Labor Journal … / Jan. 7, 1937, edition 1 / Page 1
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' J The ONLY REALLY INDEPENDENT WEEKLY in Mecklenburg County Official Organ Central Labor Union; standing for the”A. F. of L. For a Weekly. Its Readers Represent the LARGEST BUYING POWER in Charlotte — - «■ che Charlotte labor Journal Patronise oar Adver tisers. They make YOUR paper possible by their co operation. Intthful, Honest, Impartial AND DIXIE FARM NEWS Endeavoring to Serve the Masses Vol. VI—No. 34 ▼OUR AOV KRTIRIMIMT IN TNI JOURNAL !• A INVUTMKNT CHARLOTTE, N. C., THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 1937 UAL AOVBRIIRKRR DniWI OONRIORNATKHI OR ▼NS I $2.00 Per Yesr A Fight on Unionism Is Being Made ByTobacco Steel and Auto Groups By CHESTER M. WRIGHT WASHINGTON, D. C.—The year-end holiday week brought to light one of the most amazing industrial situations ever re corded in national history. Approximately 100 southern textile mills have declared their need for machinery to fix standards, as NRA did, declaring this necessary to their life and stability. ‘ . Meanwhile the great steel and automobile industries have made it clear that they are determined to re sist any “interference” with their “right” to do exactly as they please, which is primarily a declaration of resistance to unionism. '•>£ automobile industry likewise has made clear a similar position. Though doing a record-breaking business, both of these giants of in dustry have declared their determin ation to stick to company unionism. Tobacco In Same Group But another giant has been ignored in this casting up of the situation. The great tobacco group that has fought labor as hard and bitterly as steel and automoibiles have fought it, stands today in exactly the same po sition. The big cigarette group, known as the Big Four, are united solidly against unionization. With the clever and astute Clay Williams as chief diplomat, they seek to keep out of the front row in the contro versy, evedently preferring to cover their warfare under a cloak of si lence while steel and automobiles “take the rap” of public discussion and condemnation. But they occupy the same position as the more open opponents of labor in the nation wide line of conflict. While in steel and automobiles there is no outstanding recourse for consumers, in che field of to bacco ane iLigarettes there are fully unionized brands. In the field of automobiles, the La Follette Senate committee is prepar ing for a thorough investigation of important revelations. Lined up with these union-hating giants there is a portion of the oil industry, notably the Rockefeller, Mellon and Pew interests, with Standard, Gulf and Sun. But here also there are the companies across the line, unionised, led by Sinclair, with the best agreement of them all. Never before has the struggle for unionization taken in, over such a wide sweep, the giants of industry in all fields. Big Developments Coming A notable break in the anti-union line came with the election in Gen eral Electric, with the company an nouncing in advance that it would abide by the results of an election under NLRB auspices. In the elec tion the company union was badly beaten. The coming two or three months will see tremendous developments, without doubt, in this battle of giants. But those giants that have dealt with unions know that the com ing of unionism brings into industry a fairness and a spirit of co-opera tion that is of inestimable value, with all of the fruits so often proclaimed by the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, pioneer in labor-management co operation and marked as an out standing road, largely for that reason. No‘Dictator’Says Sloan Shall Run Gen. Motors In Referring To Labor NEW YORK, Jan. .5—Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., president of Gen eral Motors Corporation, said last night in a message to employes, “Have no fear that any union or any labor dictator will dominate the plants” of the company. He made public a notice to be posted today on all bulletin boards in all domestic factories of the company saying the “real issue” in General Motors’ current difficulties with labor was “will a labor organization run the plants of General Motors corporation or will the management continue to do so?” “You are being told that you had better join a union,” the statement went on. “ . , . You are being told that if you do not join now it will be impossible for you to work in General Motors plants came up from a worker’s bench. You know them. You see them on the job every day. "Wages, working conditions, hon est collective bargaining, have little if anyming to uu wan uuucujuib situation. They are simply a smoke screen to cover the real objective.” General Motors, Sloan went on will will not recognize any union as the sole bargaining agency of its work ers, to the exclusion of all others. General Motors will continue to recog nize, for the purpose of collective bar gaining, the representatives of its workers, whether union or non-union." As Sloan issued his statement Col lins and Aikman corporation, manu facturers of upholstery fabrics of Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, announced through Arthur Kudner, Inc., here that 4,000 of its employees would go on a short time basis “due to labor troubles in the automobile industry.” SUMMARY OF THE AUTO SITUATION On Tuesday the Federal agencies took a hand in an effort to conciliate labor-management differences in plants of the General Motors corporation and affiliates. A general stoppage is said to be under way by Homer Martin, president of the United Auto mobile workers, while Mr. Sloane refuses “dictatorship,” or col lective bargaining, yet a conference between industry forces is being sought, with probably success, by Secretary of Labor Perk ins, to which the workers are agreeable. The special Senate committee on civil liberty violations at Washington announced it has subpoenaed records of General Mo tors, and that “high officials” of the corporation may be called to testify at hearings beginning January 14. (Samsung up the strike situation as of Tuesday night the Associated Press gave out the following): The spread of United Automobile Workers' strikes to General Motors corporation plants at Janesville, Wia„ raised to 44,590 the number of corp oration employees idle. < By cities, they inculded: Flint, Mich* Fisher Body plants No. 1 and 2, Chevrolet and Buick assem bly lines, 15,500. Anderson. Ind., Guide Lamp and Delco-Remy, 11,800. Cleveland, Fisher Body, 7,000 Kansas City, Fisher Body and Chevrolet, 2,500. Janesville, Wis* Fisher Body and Chevrolet, 2.500. Norwood, Ohio, Fisher Body and Chevrolet, 2,200. Atlanta, Ga., Fisher Body and Chevrolet, 1,300. Toledo, Ohio, Chevrolet, 1,000. Harrison, N. J-, Hyatt Roller Bearing, 700. In addition to these, several hundred were idle because of strikes in other automotive plants called by U. A. W. members, and estimated thousands were out of work in factories supplying automobile manufacturing plants. “Ramona” At The New Criterion .. ■ In no detail did Director Henry King compromise with the historical records in filming “Ramona/’ 20th Century Fox picture produced in the new perfected technicolor currently at the New Criterion Monday-Tuea day. This beautiful picturixation of Hel en Hunt Jackson’s famous novel of the California of yesterday carries the full conviction of realism. Many of the articles of jewelry worn by Loretta Young, featured as Ramona, are genuine antiques. Many of the “Ramona" Indians, en gaged from neighboring reservations, wear ornaments handed down by their forefathers, natives of this part o fthe country. I CHATTING »Y HARRY BOATS HAPPY NEW YEAR! A new year is beginning, and it will likely be several days before we become accustomed to writing it 1937, but gradually it will become as nat ural as did 1936, and henceforth we will keep the dates right. This is being written the day after Chritsmas, and the temperature is very mild, has been all day long, and really seems more like late summer than near the end of the year, and there comes to mind thoughts of some winters of years ago in the northern country in boyhood days. In those days of long ago, about the time of Thanksgiving, cold and ice and snow were already there, and if skating was not in order on that day the weather man had slipped up on his job. The marshy lands were all frozen over and fairly good skating was to be had. By Christmas time the rivers usually were frozen from shore to shore, the ground covered with snow from several inches to as many feet in depth, and ice strong enough to bear hundreds of skaters at all times, and there was no question of the people taking part in that delightful winter sport. The shallow rivers usu ally froze to the bottom, and there was no danger of breaking through the ice on them, but the deeper rivers were not always so safe. Air holes would sometimes ■ appear, later freezing over much thinner than was the balance of the river, and unless properly marked one was in danger of going through, which was always dangerous, as there was no certainty one would not come up under heavy ice and drown. .... . . ... As for snow, it was always plentiful enough for sleighing and sledding and many times rain would come, then freeze again, making a heavy crust of ice on top of the snow strong enough to bear the weight of men and boys, and that is the time boys would take their sleds to the hill tops and ride to the bottom over fields, and many times over fence tops. Occasionally a soft place would appear unexpectedly and the sled may disappear from under the rider who many times would be cut and scratched from broken ice on top of the snow. But little things like that made slight difference to the youth of that day, who usually was hardy and accustomed to hardship. He cheer fully began the task of digging out his sled and trying again the same thing, sometimes missing supper so he could take another ride. Many miles were traveled in this way. The boots frequently had red or blue decorations at the top, and the toes had a sheet of copper covering them for protection, but they would wear through, as the sled was guided by the toe as the rider lay flat on its top. If a thaw came during the day, it generally froze again at night, making the roads solid ice, such roads as existed at that time. Automobiles were unknown in those days, and horses were hitched to heavy bob-sleds for general use, as wagons were of little use. They were hard to pull and would slide all over the road. Horses were shod with heavily spiked shoes, the better to grip the ice and pull. No matter how low the thermometer, horses would sweat pulling heavy loads. And what fun it was to fill the bed of a large sled with hay or straw, load it with happy, healthy young people, well clad, cover them with woolen blankets, and start out for the next town, where dancing or feasting would be in order for several hours, then the return ride home, arriving early in the morning, it perchance the driver did not lose the road, which many times ..appened when the snow was deep enough to cover the rail fences and packed hard cnoug to bear the weight. And if a snow storm was raging at the time, such danger was great and frequently occurred. _ And now a few words about homes of that day. These homes were not so well built as are those of today, as science was not so far advanced. The conveniences of the present day were unknown. Wind blew in under the door bringing snow with it, and many times it was necessary to sweep out quite a bit of snow before starting breakfast. Tbe~s were cellars many homes using fireplaces with logs as fuel, better homes having a heating stove, some ornamental, others built for heat only, no thougbt of ornamentation. Fires many times burned out during the m&bt, and a cold reception many times greeted the first person out °fbed- ITros^". an inch thick on the door hinges and knobs. Drinking water in the bucket frozn over as running water in houses was a rarity, and frequently it was necessary to take out * dishpan, fill it with snow, melt it on the kitchen stove then take it out in the yard and pour it down the pump m order to thaw’it out, before water could be drawn for daily use. Then perhaps, if we had coal, we walked several hundred feet from the house and carried it in buckets to keep the up_to_jate towns have little idea of the hardships endued by our parento and grandparents ** but hard work, and it was not'near so hard to them as this atncle would makFinaUvPcame spring and the warm sunshine. Wtih it came muddy roads and trashy^ yards, aPnd there was much work to be done before we had those beautiful lawns and flowers which appear so early now, apparently with lit 116 °Spendaa°few moments thanking those men and women of former days who put their heads to work thinking out some of the comeniences tntlav and look upon them as absolute necessities. These people did not have !hemy yet many'of*them lived quite a long time, as some tombstones will teU y°U Forgetting all ^'"hardships of former days, let me say again HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL! Spencer Mill, Spindale, Refuses-to Pay Average Of Other Mills; a iStriKe — SPINDALE, N. S.—(SFLNS.)—The weavers at the Spencer Mill went on strike last Friday when the management refused to grant their wage increase demands of “an average of the weekly rate being paid in other mills on cotton jobs in Rutherford Coun ty.” The strike was 100 per cent effective among the weavers, the second and third shifts refusing to work after the first shift had walked off the jobs. 1 Led by a committee of three, A. M. Wyatt, A. M. Crawford, and H. D. Guinn, the weavers demanded an immediate increase in pay, and when the officials declared they would not raise their warns the weavers stopped off their looms shortly after noon to start 1937. The workers are not organised and the stride came about because of the unusually low pay for the type work required. There are some 300 Draper looms and more than 200 automatic Staffords. The product is fancy shirt goods. The weavers on the Drapers run 18 looms per set and are paid 29c per 109,000 picks, while 33c per 100, 000 picks is paid the Stafford weavers who also run 18 looms. Spokesmen for the weaver said top production would net only $16.00 but in view of the fact that top production was not at tainable, the average wage was only $12.00 to $14.00 per 40-hour week. The jobs are all “fancy” and above average weaving skill is required of the weavers. Various people in close touch with the Spencer Mill situation have been expecting a strike of this nature for some time. No other cotton job in the country is as fancy as the shirt ing produced here, most of the other mills producing more or less plain materials. Weavers in the other mills earn more than the Spencer employees though, making from $14.00 to $20.00 for a loom load less, considering the materials, than is the case here. The supposed average for the other weav-1 ers is about $18.00 per 40-hour week, - / 'i and the Spencer weavers demanded at least this average, an increase of more than 30%. Most of the weavers declared they would not return to work for less than $20.00 per week, however. .. . _ , A group of the strikers called Paul R. Christopher, Organiser for the United Textile Workers, of Shelby, to come in and help them out in this situation Saturday afternoon. On go ing there, Christopher went into con ference with a chosen group of the weavers and advised with them shout what plans and strategy should be fol lowed in their efforts to win the strike. It is understood that no at tempts were made to organise the strikers in the textile workers’ union, and because of lack of a meeting place no speeches were made to any meet ings of the workers. Most of the merchants and other business men in Spindale, and the workers in other Spindale mills sent the strikers word that they were be hind them and urged the strikers to continue the seige until victory was won. . . . . .The Spencer Mill is another of the group who recently announced wag* increases. They worked this publicity btunt as other mills have. Last spring the weavers were cut 2c per Hostile Labor Interests Use Favorite Methods To Discredit Unionism WASHINGTON, D. C.—Alleged violence in strikes is a favorite theme o nwhich anti-Labor employers, the police and daily newspapers are united in making public and deploring. Hard ly a day goes by in times of Labor unrest without the newspapers featuring headlines likes these: “Paint Thrown on Employer’s Home.” “Violence Flares in Transit Strike.” “Two KilloH no Cinnls Rottlo ” After reading such headlines and the articles written to bear them out, many readers are likely to blame striking workers and their friends for the violence. Bue the real source was disclosed in testimony before the L. Follette Civil Liberties committee in its in vestigation of Labor spies in indus trial disputes, with Railway Audit and Inspection company as its sub ject. Here is the summary of some of the testimony: E. J. Dade testified that he had been hired by the Railway Audit and Inspection company for the express purpose of creating disorder in .strikes and thus discrediting the strikers in the eyes of the public. There was a milk strike in Cleve land. Frank Tabor was the head of the Tabor Ice Cream company, whose employes had walked out. In order to stimulate resentment against the strikers and arouse sympathy for Tabor, who was the client of a spy service for which Dade was working, the latter and his strikebreaking as sociates daubed red paint on Tabor’s home. In the same strike, in order to make it appear that strikers were firing on the company guards, the guards fired on themselves. This emphasized the apparent necesity for more guards and more business for the concern that furnished these thugs. In the strike of the employes of the Pittsburg National Dairy com pany last year; guards were ordered to slug members of Trade Unions and thus induce a counter attack. Seven hundred strike breakers were recruited during the Wisconsin Light and Power company strike in Milwaukee. The company provided them with axe handles to slug the strikers and turned live steanr on the picket lines. Double dealing is the regular prac tice of these spy concerns. The Railway Audit and Inspection com pany sent one of its spies into a re frigerator strike in New York City. He posed as a friend of the strikers and became the Union’s publicity agent and at the same time, furnish ed the company daily reports on Un ion activities. The testimony also revealed the R. A. I. and other spy services make a regular practice of using bribery and threats to persuade Union mem bers to become spies. Federal laboratories, Inc., is a sub sidary of the Railway Audit and In spection company. According to the testimony this concern sold tear gas bombs, machine guns and other wea pons to both companies and police for use in labor disputes. It was the practice of the company’s spies to stir up violence. Therefores, it is easy to see how one branch of the business helped the other. It worked like this. The more spies and com pany guards there were to create violence, the more gas bombs and guns were required—and the more workers killed. During the depression this un American business netted the spy concern a profit of $1,300,000, after paying its officers large salaries. The money was contributed by con cerns which refused to pay their workers even a living wage. Lewis Places Blame On - Empl’y’rs for Industrial Relations Now Existing WASHINGTON, Jan. 1.—John L. Lewis, chairman of the committee on industrial organization, declared last week indus trial relations problems are created, not by labor trouble, but by “employer trouble.” ‘That is something from which the wage earners are suffer ing,” he said. He said employers who talk about possible labor trouble interfering with industrial progress “ignore the fact that unless people have money with which to buy, the wheels of industry slow down, and profits, and likewise capital disappear.’’ ' Asserting “the stage is set,” the mine labor leader, who heads a drive to unionize mass production industries, said: “Industry can go forward with profit to its investors, and with security to our citizenship; or it can elect to destroy itself by blindly following its unreasoning prejudices, and refusing to conform to the modern concept of proper industrial relations.” Lewis said employers’ failure to deal with their employees through col lective bargaining and to grant "reasonable conditions” leads to tabor unrest. He blamed “employer trouble” for recent strikes, especially in the auto motive industry.” “Huge corporations, such as United States Steel and General Motors sxx have neither the moral nor the legal right to rule as autocrats over the hundreds of thousands of employees,” he declared. “They have no right to transgress the law, which gives to the worker the right of self-organi zation and collective bargaining, x x x.” 100,000 picks and recently when the increases were announced this prev ious wage slash was restored. Spipndale, known as “Scabtown” in union circles because of this refuge of what were called “scabs” in other textile labor disputes, is faced with another strike, but this time not be cause of alleged "union agitators”. It will be interesting to know the out come of this reprisal against the op pressive tactics of the Spencer com pany. MRS. HARRY BOATE RETURNS TO HOSPITAL As was necessary due to the seri ous operation which Mrs. Harry Boate underwent last month, she re turned to St. Peter’s hospital Sunday afternoon for a further operation, and a this writing is reported as do ing as well as could be expected. It is hoped by her friends that her re covery will be speedy. CENTRAL LABOR UNION SENDS GREETINGS The officers of the Charlotte Central Body and Organ ized Labor in Charlotte, wish everyone a Happy and Prosper ous New Year. J. H. FULLERTON, Pres. GILMER H. HOLTON, Secy. & Treas. Attest. t w m b * * v <* + w "#~l ' Central Labor i Union 1 The regular meeting Wednesday night, Jan. 6, was fairly well attend ed. One new delegate, H. C. Alex ander, of the Musicians Union, waa obligated. All crafts working capac ity. Organiser Shelly Walden, of the Int. Moulders Union, waa present, asking co-operation in obtaining new contracts. Parks and playgrounda for an increased tax levy was endors ed, and more attention was requested for the "forgotten areas” of Char lotte in this endeavor. The meeting was more of a lining up of affairs for work during the year than a bus iness one, and the prospects are bright for the accomplishment of much good for the masses in the days to come. It was reported that the Labor Non Partisan League will meet in Salis bury Sunday, Jan. 10, at 2 P. H. J. H. Fullerton presided. In Germany there are bee farms where the insects are raped for their poison. It is extracted and sold as a cur for rhematism. A balloon does not rise because it ih light, but because the air around it is heavier than the gas inside. The beaver became extinct in Eng land about 600 years ago.
The Charlotte Labor Journal and Dixie Farm News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Jan. 7, 1937, edition 1
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