Th< ONLY REAJLLY INDEPENDENT WEEKLY in Mecklenburg County. For a Weekly Its Readers Represent the LARGEST BUYDfG_^OWER_fa CWlntto
Charlotte labor Journal g^*
Truthful, Honest, Impartial Endorsed F#d*r*' AND DIXIE FARM NEWS Endeavoring to Serve the Masses
VOL. VIII—No. 3 VOW* ADVIRTIHMINT IN TMB JOURNAL II A OOOl CHARLOTTE, N. C., THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 1939 *.»»«•«. Bu«. «, ts mi Par
INWTMKNT _ y_TW« KUBIM_ fR*W iW 1W
ATLANTA FEDERATION OF TRADES
THROWS ITS POWERFUL SUPPORT IN
TEAMSTERS FIGHT AGAINST BRINSON
ATLANTA, Ua., May 29.—The
powerful Atlanta Federation of
Trades formally threw its support to
the cause of striking truck drivers of
Wilmington, N. C., last Wednesday
night when the following resolution
adopted: »
“Whereas, on October 30, 1938, R.
L. Brinson of High Ponit, N. C., presi
dent of the Southern Oil Transporta
tion company, forced the members of
Local No. 391 Teamsters and Chauf
feurs on a lock-out, and since that
time the said Brinson has defied the
, National Labor Relations Board and
all constituted authority, and in addi
tion thereto has used underhand
' methods of every description in his
efforts to break the spirit and morale
of these union men, and
“Whereas, This same Brinson is the
head of the Atlantic States Motor
Lines operating between Atlanta and
Baltimore and other eastern points,
and when drivers on the trucks of the
Atlantic States Motdr Lines decided
recently to leave Brinsons’ company
union and join Local Union 391,
Teamsters and Chauffeurs, the com
pany officials fired every one of these
men who had joined the legitimate
labor union, two-thirds of the drivers
having been initiated into Local No.
391, and
“Whereas, The Labor- Movement
throughout America is being called
upon for- moral and financial support
of the Wilmington Truck drivers to
the end that they may emerge vic
torious in resisting the effort of
Brinson and his associates to smash
their union, therefore .
“Be It Resolved, That the Atlanta
Federation of Trades in regular meet
ing assembled #nd in accordance with
this Federation’s time-honored policy
of supporting trades unionists in their
struggles everywhere, pledge the sup
port of Atlanta labor to our brothers
in Wilmington and to those employed
by the Atlantic States Motor Lines in
their every effort to organize and
advance their interests. It is further
“Resolved, That the president of
the Atlanta Federation of Trades is
hereby empowered and instructed to
appoint a committee to confer with
shippers of cartage freight from At
lanta to withhold their business from
the Atlantic States Motor Lines and
to Horton Motor Lines, its affiliate,
until the managements of these com
panies recognize the rights of their
| employees to organize, and then deal
■ with such organization, and we fur
ther.
“Resolved, That the Atlanta Federa
tion of Trades Will now extend, and
as long as the members of 391 may
need it, such financial aid as is cus
tomarily given in such cases.”
J. T Odum, business agent for Lo
cal 450, presented the case of the
Wilmington men and that of the
drivers on the Atlantic States Motor
Lines to the Federation meeting, and
made strong plea for immediate sup
port. Others appearing in support
of the resolution, which was unani
mously adopted, were F. B. Bussell,
business agent for Local 728, W. H.
McCollum, R. A. Smith and B. Warr.
A check was ordered sent immediately
I to the Wilmington Local Union.
I QUESTION
BY WM. S. GREENE
u |)i 0 i rr irrrrr -^ L
ECONOMY! The writer of this
column made up his mind to talk
about unions in this column exclusive
ly, when hejbegan to write same. I
am uot Htkjapni' from this path when
| ; -led Government^eeon
orayr Union “labor is aided tremend
ously by WPA. It takes a great many
men out of the competitive field,
where unemployment is still a buga
boo, thus helping the man who is still
in the wide open market. We had
many Senators, etc., yelling for econ
omy,’ and the cutting down of Fed
eral expenditures. Strange as it may
seem, I was with them, as long as
it still provided, for care of the un
fortunate, who might otherwise go
hungry in this land of ours, where we
are cutting down the supply of food
stuffs to .be raised, artificially. But,
I differ from the present Senators,
in that they have gone over the re
quests of the New Deal themselves,
spending more than our President
asked, of course because they are
thinking about re-election. When you
hear about budget balancing from
certain Senators in the future, remem
ber their actions in this Congress. If
a business builds a building, such a
building is capitalized, and not con
sidered an expense. But because the
government builds the building, then
it is written off, as an expense of that
moment. I would like to see si real
accounting “statement, showing what
has actually been spent on improve
ments, at a fair value rather than ac
tual expenditure, with all water re
moved, if there is any. It has always
ben my experience that the U. S. Gov
ernment were extremely careful about
the manner of expenditures, and never
forgot to find someone who had
thought he had gypped the same gov
ernment. If there has been much of
■ that in expenditures, I am sure the
long, long hand of Uncle Sam, will
some day catch up with it. And econ
omy doesn’t mean to starve. Hungry
people don’t produce as much wealth,
as those who have enough food to
give them strength. That’s good econ
omy. *
MORE? The skilled worker, be he
machinist, bookkeeper, musician,
bricklayer, government worker,
plumber or any other craft must at
all times do his best to get better and
better on his life work, A school
♦eaeher in Charlotte,.with no pension,
a mere pittance of a salary for their
required skill, must go to summer
school at his or her own expense, to
improve themselves. Off hand I do
not know whether the Social Security
legislation helps the teacher in North
Carolina, but that is beside the point.
What I want to bring out, is that
nothing should stand in the way of
the worker doing his best to improve
his knowledge, even though it hurts.
Make your local meetings a place to
talk over better ways of doing what
ever work you are doing. I once knew
•t very fine engineer, who was so avid
for more knowledge in his life work,
that he always read engineei ing mag,
azines during his lunch hour. While
this is carrying things too far, still
the is what I want to bring out. Im
prove, improve, and improve more.
COMPARATIVE? See if you can
get the connection to what follows: ,
We have two kinds of fish in our back
lot fish pond. One is the ordinary
gold-fish, and other fish are growing
fish we caught as minnows up in the
mountains a few summers ago, one of
which looked like a sunfish, another a !
perch, and still others bass. If you 1
throw a crumb into the pool, the '
mountain fish get there first. If you
throw a lot of crumbs in at once
the mountain fish get most of the
feed. It is only when the mountain
fish are full up, that the gold fish
are as a rule regulated by the same
principle. Sometimes, it is possible a
job goes non-union because of gold
fish speed being the gear of the
union, rather than mountain lightning
like darts of native fish. And it doqs
not pay the gold fish to run to the
master for help. The crumbs are all
come in for their share. Union jobs
gone. By the way this story is true
and not by Aesop,
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Journal Readers Co-operate With Those
I Who Advertise In It
; '. . • '
1, _ _ [ ._ I
Facing' the Facts 1
With PHILIP PEARL J
This column is something new—
new for us, new for this paper and
new in the business of columning.
President Roosevelt, Secretary of
the Interior Ickes and lots of other
people have it in for the columnists.
Their complaints are sometimes justi-i
fied. It seems to us the columnists.
Their complaints are sometimes justi
fied. It seems to us the columnists
are: victims of high pressure sales
manship. Their business is highly
competitive. They are always trying
to beat the other fellow. All they
have for material is a smattering of
fact, a strong dose of rumor and a lot
of highly seosoned opinion. By the
time they cook these ingredients to
gether, the finished dish is made to ap
pear as though it were all fact,. To
a certain extent this may result in
misleading the public, no matter how
well-intentioned the particular col
umnist may be. And that is why some
of our leading citizens object.
Well, we’re in a more fortunate po
sition than our fellow columnists.
We’re not selling this column. We’re
giving it away free to anyone who
wants to use it. And, furthermore,
we will not hesitate to label fact as
fact, rumor as rumor and opinion as
opinion. We don't have to pose as an
oracle of wisdom and we don’t want
to, because we’re not
But we do learn a little about a lot
of things that are of interest to the
millions of workers who make up the
American labor movement—items that
do nk>t make headline news, signifi
cances that may escape those not on
the inside, background material that
clarifies the news and adds light to it.
This is called in newspaper parlance
“the dope,” or inside stuff. We’re
going to let you in on it.
This column will be written in the
interests of the American Federation
of Labor. Emphatically this does not
mean that it will be used as an ave
nue of propaganda, except when the
facts themselves can be considered
propaganda. For instance we may
say:
“The door to President Green’s of
fice on the seventh floor of the Amer
ican Federation of Labor Building in
Washington is always open. Visitors
waiting in the anteroom to see him
can usually hear every word being
said next door. Nothing secret can
go on there.
“The door to John L. Lewis’s office
is sealed and sound-proofed. The
windows are made of bullet-proof
glass.” .
Those are facts. C. I. O. sympa
thizers may regard them as propa
ganda. But they can’t deny their
truth.
Just one more bit of introductory
explanation and we’ll get down to
business. It is not our purpose here
to vent venom and viciousness. We
:an hate just as strongly as anyone
else, but we’re afraid if we keep on
lating all the time and at the top of
>ur lungs it will spoil our disposition,
it’s our hunch that the constant
stream of denunciation and abuse that
mianates from headquarters of the
I. O, has already soured the pub
ic’s disposition toward that outfit.
We’re going to try to be good-natured
»nd retain our sense of humor even
f it hurts.
OUR SOUTHERN NEIGHBORS
Item No. 1 on today’s agenda is an
inpublicized dinner given recently by
eaders of the American Federation
>f Labor in Washington for Luis Mo
ones, head of the committee on inter
lational relations of the Mexican
Federation of Labor.
It was revealed at this affair that
the American Federation of Labor is
taking steps to revive the Pan-Amer
ican Federation of Labor. The first
step was a meeting of the executive
council of the P.-A. F. of L.( composed
of President Green, Morones, Vice
President Matthew Woll and Santiago
Iglesias, Resident Commissioner from
Puerto Rico. The council directed
President Green to make a prelimi
nary survey of the status of the labor
movements in South American and
Central American countries.
Speakers at the dinner told a
shocking story of what is going on in
these countries today The Nazis are
colonizing Brazil and the Facists are
worming their way into the Argentine.
Meanwhile Communist influence over
the Government of Mexico is growing
apace. And the labor movements in
this and other countries to the south
are veering further and further to
the left.
What can be done about these dan
gerous trends? Morones said a re
vitalized Pan-American Federation of
Labor could be of inestimable value
in teaching the benefits of democracy
in government and in labor. The two
dozen American labor leaders at the
dinner appeared to agree with him.
President Tracy, of the Brotherhood
of Electrical Workers, pointed out
that workers can be taught in South
America and Central America to buy
goods only from countries where a
free labor movement exists. This, he
said, would retard the spread of Nazi,
Facist and Communist propaganda
and promote trade with the United
States, thus strengthening this coun
ty s good-neighbor policy. Mr
Tracy declared Secretary of State
Hull would like to see thetPan Amer
ican Federation of Labof, re-estab
lished on a firm footing and he should
know because they were fellow-dele
gates to the Inter-American Confer
ence at Lima, Peru.
Significance—Secretary ■ Hull"”has
frowned on any official encourage
ment by this country to the left-wing
labor movement in Mexico led by Vin
cente Lombardo Toledano, who is try
ing to line up all the extremist labor
organizations in North and South
America into an economic and politi
cal alliance, or a '‘united front” The
only American Government official
who attended and spoke at Tolenda
nos bull ring fiesta in Mexico City
last summer, along with John L
Lewis, was Edwin S. Smith, of the
National Labor Relations Board. Two
Government observers attended the
Morones dinner, Conciliation Director
Steelman, of the Labor Department,
and Jimmy Wilson, American liaison
officer to the International Labor Of
lice.
Personals—Robert J. Watt, repre
v th£W\ F' of L‘ and Amer
n»LW|0rrerk Delegate to the Inter
national Labor Organization, sailed
this week to attend the next meeting
n=^t,bodi'n Geneva. President
!0b,n* o£ the Teamsters,
also sailed to attend a motor trans
port conference at Geneva. President
rece,7ed congratulations from
J, members of Congress on his
recent radio address pointing out
Federation ^hy the American
°,£ Lab?rs amendments to
-ho„ua£0n?LxL?bor Relations Act
should be adopted at this session. The
(Released by the American Federation of
Labor Weekly News Service)
D.C. Carpenters Vote
Washington Strike
For Monday, June 12
WASHINGTON, D. C.-^L T. Oak
ley, secretary of the Carpenters Dis*
trict Council, affiliated with the
American Federation of Labor, an
nounced that a strike of approximate
ly 2,000 carpenters engaged in con
struction of Federal, municipal and
private buildings in the District of Co
lun>bia will begin on June 12.
The strike announcement followed
negotiations extending over three
months with the Master Builders As
sociation for a work day of seven
hours at $13 instead of the present
eight hour day at $12.
The District Council originally
voted to strike on May 15, but the
walkout was postponed pending an
investigation bv international officers
of the United Brotherhood of Carpen
ters and Joiners of America
Subscribe for The Jeoraai
OUT IN THE FIELDS
[“I have told you of the Spaniard who always put on his spec
tacles when about to eat cherries, that they might look better and
more tempting. In like manner I make the most of my enjoyments;
and though I do not cast my cares away, I pack them in as little com
pass as I can, and carry them as conveniently as I can, and never let
them annoy others.”—Robert Southey, English poet (1774-1843).]
The little cares that fretted me,
I lost them yesterday
Among the fields above the sea,
Among the winds at play, * j
Among the lowing of the herds, i
The rustling of the trees,
Among the singing of the birds.
The humming of the bees.
The fooling fears of what might be,
I cast them all away
Among the clover scented grass, 1
Among the new mown hay;
Among the hushing of the corn
Where the drowsy poppies nod,
Where ill thoughts die and good are born,
Out in the fields with God.
—Charles M. Berkheimer.
I
SOUTHERN GOVERNORS DID NOT
DENOUNCE THE FAIR LABOR
STANDARD ACT; BUT TOOK A
SHOT AT ITS ADMINISTRATORS
Appearance of American Federation
of Labor representatives before the
meeting last week of Southern gov
ernors kept the chief executives from
drafting a scathing denunciation of
the Fair Labor Standards Act, it was
reported to the Trades and Labor
Council last night by President L.
G. Loring. Accompanying George L.
Googe, A. F. of L. Southern repre
sentative, Mr. Loring and others at
tended the closed hearing before five
of Dixie’s chief executives who, ac
cording to previous reports, had
gathered here to condemn the law
which regulates wages and hours in
interstate commerce.
Instead of the denunciation, how
ever, thd governors issued a state
ment criticizing the administrators of
the act (no names were mentioned)
and suggested that Congress investi
gate the men who guide the destinies
of the legislation.
“TO PERVERT JUSTICE”
“It _ is the inescapable conclusion
that it is the purpose of the pres
ent pei^onnel (of the administrators)
to pervert the purpose of this law
from the accomplishment of social
justice,” said part of the governors’
press release.
Mr. Loring reported to the Council
last night that labor’s represcentatives
were given a hearing before the chief
executives drafted their opinion. Ac
cording to Mr. Loring, it was because
of the facts presented by union in
terests that the state officials modi
fied their criticism.
Labor’s representatives included
Mr. Googe, Mr. Loring, E. H. Wil
liams, Shreveport, president of the
Louisiana Federation of Labor; and
Holt Ross, Regional representative of
the Common Laborers.
SAID MR. GOOGE
Said Mr. Googe when he saw the
governor’s recommendation:
“The governors conference gave
representatives of Southern labor
sympathetic and courteous hearings
and apparently from their press re
lease gave consideration in their ac
tions to the interests of Southern
labor.
“The position of Southern labor is
quite emphatically opposed to geo
graphical differences in wage rates.
Wage rates should never be set be
cause of sectional districts.
“KEEP THEM UP”
“Wages of necessity should be
based on the highest possible basis
consistent with the preservation of
a fair and reasonable profit system to
the investor. Social justice compels
minimum wage standards necessarily
sufficient to sustain a decent stand
ards of living for all wage earners in
all sections of the United States.”
Part of the statement by the chief
executives contended that wage differ
entials should be established to favor
employers of Southern Districts. It
is such differentials as these that the
American Federation of Labor is
opposed.
When Mr. Loring had completed his
report last night, Polk Byrd, presi
dent of the Electrical Workers Union,
made the motion that the Council
commend formally the A. F. of L.
officials who had foresight to at
tend the conference.—Memphis Labor
Review.
Pa. Unionists Attack Action
Solons Regarding ‘Sit-Downs’
T ... -.. .
HARRISBURG, Pa., May 30.—A
bill setting up sharply-defined limits
within which employes and labor
groups can carry on union activity in
Pennsylvania was passed Monday by
the Legislature.
Sit-down strikes would be outlawed
as “an unfair labor practice” and “an
illegal act.”
The measure, making extensive re
visions in the State labor relations act
passed during the preceding Demo
cratic administration, was sent to
Republican Governor Arthur H. James
for his signature.
Employers are given the right to
petition the State labor board for a
collective bargaining election, under
the measure.
The “checkoff” of union dues—a
clause contained in many labor con
tracts—is prohibited unless author
ized by a secret, majority vote of the
employes and written individual au
thorization from each employe.
“The State labor act now is really
a criminal code,” protested James L.
McDevitt, president of the Pennsyl
, ■
vania Federation of Labor, (A. F. of
k)«
“The new bill just about nullifies
the labor relations act. Certainly
there was no justification for these
sweeping changes.”
Patrick T. Fagan, a district presi
dent of the United Mine Workers (C.
I. O.) and a member of the State
board that administers the labor act,
declared:
“The bill destroys every vestige of
advantage that has been made by the
worker in this state. Labor would be
betetr off if the entire (labor rela
tions) act were repealed.”
But Senator Weldon Heybum,
chairman of the Senate labor com
tnittee, asserted that “this measure
is a long step toward recovery. Em
ployers should have the same breaks
as employes.”
Spokesmen for industry contended
at hearings that the old act drawn
up along lines of the national labor
relations act during the Democratic
administration of former Governor
George H. Earle, was “one-sided.”
RALEIGH, N. C.—“Speedy co-op
eration with law enforcement authori
ties will be undertaken by the Brew
ers and North Carolina Beer Dis
tributing Committee,” Col. Edgar H.
Bain, the Committee’s State Director,
said today.
Organization of the statewide unit
of malt beverage wholesalers and
shipping brewers was completed re
cently in Charlotte, when a “clean up
or close up” policy was adopted to
ward the small minority of licensed
retail beer outlets in which condi
tions are permitted which are objec
tionable boht to the industry and the
public.
Col. Bain, former State Senator,
one-time Mayor of Goldsboro, and a
World War veteran with two decora
tions, will direct this new self-regu
latory movement, whose aims and pur
poses have been lauded by high State
officials headed by Governor Hoey.
While firm in the expressions of his
intentions,, toward those retailers
whose business conduct is subject to
censure, Col. Bain made it clear, that
the vast majority of outlets surveyed
are conducted reputably. He said, in
part:
“Our purpose is to co-operate whole
heartedly with the law enforcement
agencies to the end that there may be
wholly effective self-regulation within
the State’s $15,000,000 beer industry.
“We propose to go even beyond this, „
by embarking on a policy of clean
ing up or taking proper action to close
up those scattered offenders who use
their legal beer retail licenses as a
masquerade for breaking the law.”
J. P. Price, Greensboro distributor,
was elected chairman of the organi
zation’s Executive Committee, which
consists of six distributing and six
representatives of breweries whose
products are sold in North Carolina.
Lewis Named To
Nat’l Mediation
Bd. By Roosevelt
WASHINGTON, D. C.—President
Roosevelt sent to the Senate the nom
ination of David J. Lewis, former
member of the House of Representa
tives, to be a member of the National
Mediation Board, which administers
the Railway Labor Act
When confirmed by the Senate, Mr.
Lewis will succeed William Leiser
son, who was appionted to the Na
tional Labor Relations Board to take
the place of Donald Wakefield Smith,
whose re-apopintment was opposed
by the American Federation of La
bor.
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