t
Prh>w fa. curwet. iuAWBfa«»For. a Wfekfar Ita Beadara Ropraaapt the LARGEST BUYING PO
countr is M
Official Orgaa Coatral
Labor UaiMi; etaaRv fat
the A. F. a( L.
Che Charlotte labor Journal
Truthful, Honest, Impartial
hr the N. U State
don of Labor
AND DIXIE FARM NEWS
Tooth Year Of
Endeavoring to Serve the Mi
VOL. X—NO. 38
VOVA ASVMfltlMINT IN VMS JOURNAL •• A OOOR
Investment
CHAKLOTTE, N. C„ THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1941
JOUOMAI. UvuTitm Duim con»idi«atk>n or
TOO »».».
12.00 Par Yaar
TENANT FARMERS’ UNION ASKED
BY SOUTH. A.FX. REPRESENTIVE
GOOGE TO SEND DELEGATES
LITTLE ROCK, Ark„ Feb. 2.—George L. Googe of Atlanta,
southern representative of the American Federation of Labor, last
week asked the Southern Tenant Farmers’ union to send delegates
to future A. F. L. conventions. .. . . . '
Commending & T. F. U. officials
for "cleaning house and getting rid
of those Communists and the C. I.
O.” Googe said S. T. F. U. repre
sentatives would be seated at A. F.
L. conventions as “fraternal dele
gates.” The 8. T. F. U. has no di
rect affiliation.
Googe and H. L. Mitchell, mem
ber of the S. T. F. U. national coun
cil, were principal speakers at to
day’s sessions of the union’s seventh
annual convention.
Mitchell urged the union to “aban
don its present policy of pure trade
unionism and return to the principle
upon which it was founded and ‘put
the man oi tne iana dock on uw iana
. . . He asserted there was “no basis
for trade unionism in southern agri
culture with conditions nsch as pre
vail"
The convention, which doses to
morrow, adopted resolutions:
Urging the Agriculture department
to permit use of idle lands for sub
sistence crops by farmers unable to
obtain land for general farming;
Requesting Congress and State Leg
islatures to outlaw the plantation
commissary system;
Asking the Agriculture Adjustment
administraiton to allow minimum al
lotments, of seven acres to producers
insetad of five.
AGE LIMIT IS
BEING LIFTED
BY INDUSTRY
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3.—Sec
retary Perkins reported yester
day that demands for skilled la
bor had resulted in many national
defense industries lifting bans
against older workers.
In a letter to Senator Mead,
Democrat of New York, the Labor
secretary commented, however,
that “there is no doubt whatever
but that many private industries
still hold to a relatively low hir
ing age limit.”
Miss Perkins said that a Cali
fornia aircraft company “put on
several hundred men in the age
group 50 to 65” when she suggest
ed this solution for a lack of
skilled help. She said a Balti
more aircraft company obtained
“300 badly needed machinists
by modifying its previous hiring
policy.”
The New York senator has
asked a Senate investigation of
“discrimination against older
workers in employment with the
government and with defense in
dustries.”
Mead said spokesmen for the
railroad industry had informed
him that “age limitation will not
be permitted to interfere in em
ployment” during the present
emergency and that other private
corporations engaged in defense
work informed him they were
“liberalising age policies and pro
pose to hire skilled middle-aged
and older workers.”
How could Mary’s little lamb ever
keep up with her in going to and from
school in these speedy days?
WAGE AND HOUR BILL LEGISLATION
GAINING MOMENTUM; TO CREATE
MINIMUM PAY, MAXIMUM HOURS
RALEIGH, Feb. 5.—A momentum-gathering Gen
eral Assembly yesterday received a bill to establish
minimum pay and maximum hours in intrastate indus
tries, while its committees were busy considering meas
ures to provide a ninth month for the school term and
to set punishment to be meted out to fifth columnists.
The wage-hour proposal.sent forward as it was
learned that a special commission on that subject
might report Thursday—came from Senator Gregory
of Rowan, whose similar measure was killed by the
1939 Legislature.
The bill would fix a minimum wage of 40 cents an
hour and a maximum work week at 40 hours with regu
lar pay, both to be attained gradually. Minimum pay
would be 25 cents an hour for the first year the law
is in effect, 30 cents the next six years, and 40 cents
thereafter.
The standard work-week would be 44 hours the
first year, 42 the second, and 40 hours beginning the
third year.
A wage-hour bureau would be established in the
Labor department to make adjustments dealing with
handicapped workers. Exemptions would be granted
all agricultural and domestic workers and bona fide
executives. Violations would be punishable by fines of
from $25 to $2,500 and imprisonment from 10 to 90
days.
MWMMMWMWVWMW
THE MARCH OF LABOR
union wages
nw seen cons/sftnrir
Hi&HIR rUM NoW-u+ow
WA6ES SINCE COIOWAl
T'*1ts '[wnMUTV:HUim
4M-N.S MUM Of
uaoa swinnl
fWl
■
AS l AT I AS ISSO
MOBS TMAM 8,000.000'
CHILDREN BETWEEN 10 AND 17
WORKED TOR WARES.
f
union nun.’ wn nun nwnv, i
AMD THt CAVSt tf MOA IV MtUTMH
•MS MU m VMM MtWHAt
tis- ®
CENTRAL LABOR UNION
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING, FEBRUARY 6, 1941
The Meeting wu opened with prayer by Brother Witter, the pledge of
allegiance to the Flag taken, and the minutes of the previous meeting were
read and approved. The Parka and Recreation committee member, Brother
Hanainger, reported a special committee formed to consider a recreation
hat for the soldiers coming to Charlotte, and a motion passed giving Brother
Hunainger the right to act at his own discretion on the committee, represent
ing us. The Special Civil Service Bill for the firemen was discussed at
length. A letter of the Secretaries re Slate credit unions, written at the
request of the P. O. Clerks was OK’d by the assembled delegates. Various
other regular committees reported much work being done to get locals affili
ated with State and Central bodies. The Legislative Committee reported
their meeting with Councilman Albea, and that they had achieved a satis
factory understanding for their legislation, as well as protection for any
city employees unions.. The civil service for both firemen and city employees
was discussed at length, and a fuller report will be made at the next meet
ing. Rupert’s Brewery have signed an agreement with the Brewery Workers,
after long negotiations. Brother Rickenbaeker of the Electrical Union made
a report for his local, although a visitor, in the absence from town of one of
the regular delegates. Machinists are reported to be in great demand. The
roll call of locals and delegates was very good for this time of the year,
with employment on the increase, except in spots. Various correspondence
was handled, and after the legislative committee were notified to uphold
the National Legislative policy of the P. O. Clerks, Upon a motion duly
passed, the meeting adjourned.
W. S. GREENE, Secretary.
Ford Employees Rumored Organized
By The A F. of L Int. Federal Unions;
Lincoln and River Rouge Plants
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3.—President William Green said last
night the American Federation of Labor had organized “a ma
jority” of the approximately 60,000 production employes in the
Ford Motor company's Lincoln and River Rouge plants in Mich
igan.
Officials said the A. F. L. had con
ducted a “quiet” organisation drive
and that all details had been com
pleted and charters issued. The locals,
simply given numbers, are what the
A. F. L. designates as “federal labor
unions,” chartered directly by the A.
F. L. rather than by its affiliated
United Automobile workers.
"The next step to be taken,” Green
said in a statement, “will be to es
tablish collective bargaining and the
recognition of these American Fed
eration of Labor unions as collective
bargaining agencies,”
The C. I. O.-United Automobile
Workers' union long has endeavored
to organize the Ford employes, and
claims a majority at present in thq
Lincoln plant. A request from it for
a colective bargaining election In tb*
Lincoln plant is pending before the
Labor Relations board.
Green's announcement that recogni
tion of the A. F. L. unions would be
sought was taken by labor men to
mean that the Labor board would be
asked to designate them as bargaining
representatives of the Ford employes.
The C. I. 0. has hurled bitter
charges of anti-union practices against
the Ford management, but Green said
of the A. F. L. organizing efforts:
“The right of the production work
ers to voluntarily become members of
a union of their own choosing, as pro
vided for in the national labor rela
tions act, was freely exercised, with
out interference by the management
of the Ford Motor company.”
“Thousands of members of Amer
ican Federation of Labor unions,” he
added, “have been regularly employed
by the Ford Motor company inside
its plants ever since it was establish
-None of these -employes was ever
diroiminated against Dy the manage
ment because of membership in Amer
ican Federation of Labor unions."
...
Keely Grice Gets
Acting P. M. Job;
As Was Expected
Under a Washington date line of
Tuesday the announcement is made of
the appointment of Keely Grice, as
Acting Postmaster of Charlotte dur
ing the absence of Paul R. Younts
who is in military service.
After Mr. Younts’ and Mr. Grice’s
visit to Washington last week where
a conference was held with Congress
man Bulwinkle there has never been
any doubt as to Mr. Griee rilling the
temporary vacancy.
Mr; Grice is a political war-horse
and one of our best known and most
highly respected citisens, having
served the community in many public
Firemen Benefits
On Sliding Scale
For Retirement
Plans for a new retirement system,
the ideas to be embodied in a bill to be
presented the county’s delegation in
the General Assembly, are being made
by the Charlotte Firemen’s associa
tion, who discussed proposed changes
in meetings held Monday and yester
The difference between tile present
firemen’s retirement plan and that
proposed is in a sliding scale of bene
fits instead of a flat sum as is pro
vided at present. The proposed
changes were explained to the fire
men at their meetings, and they are
expected to make a study of them.
Their recommendations as expressed
by a majority are expected to be made
at another meeting to be held Friday
or Saturday, and if the changes are
favored, they will be placed into con
crete form in a bill for presentation.
—Observer, Wednesday.
AT THE DANCE
She: "I simply adore that funny
step of yours. Where did you pick it
up?”
He: “Funny step, nothing; I’m
losing my garter.”
Patronize Journal Advertisers
NOT SMART TO BELITTLE PATRIOTISM
If «»r it VM "imwt" to belittle patriotism, that time la not
{■darken ^freedom WWW wore precious than ever to those
This magnificent Americanism has brought us all of the
things we enjoy today . .. our culture, our education, our liberty
to speak and set as we wish, our national quality of
ship in every kind of dealing.
But Americanism isn’t only in the attaining of
... it is in the holding of them at all costs, against an
even at the price of the greatest possible sacrifices! It_„
a word denoting the highest ildeasl of peace ... but equally it has
meant and must meant today a cause and an inspiration to right
those who would rob us of it—“Friendly Contacts ”
The LABOR JOURNAL
SERVING THE A. F. OF L. IN
PIEDMONT NORTH CAROLINA
STRIVING FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE WORKERS—
AND A FAIR DEAL FOR THE EMPLOYERS
QUERY RAISED BY COURT RULING “
ON CHILD LABOR; WAGE-HOUR RTT.T.
IS VALIDATED BY SUPREME COURT
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4.—A sweeping decision of the Su
preme Court Monday upheld the constitutionality of tho warn*
hour law in all its phases and went on to overrule a 1918 decision
whih had denied Congress the right to outlaw child l>Hm
The action raised speculation as to
whether a controversial constitutional
amendment, submitted in 1924 but
ratified so far by only 28 of the re
quired 36 States, would become a dead
issue. This amendment would en
power Congress “to limit, regulate,
and prohibit the labor of persons un
der 18 years of age,”
Officials at the Children’s bureau
said they would continue to press for
ratification of the amendment since
three-fourths of all child labor is em
ployed in intrastate industry, but the
court’s decision appeared to place at
least a large part of this within the
Congress, along with all
child labor in interstate industry.
lfJ0he wage-hour law itself passed in
1938 and known technically as the
fair labor standards act, prohibits the
employment of children under 16 in
mining and manufacturing and of
children under 18 in hazardous occu
pations, but its chief purposes are to
fix minimum wages and maximum
working hours for all workers whose
products enter interstate commerce.
Another provision of the law, re
quiring employers to keep records of
their employes’ wages and hours to
ProTOCompliance, also waaspecifically
The decision, by Justice Stone, was
unanimous. _ The court became an
eight-man tribunal temporarily upon
the retirement Saturday of Justice
McReynolds, who celebrated hit 79th
birthday today.
In another far-reaching dtcfahn
‘“day. by a vote of 5 to 2, the Coart
held that unionists could not bo
cuted for conspiracy to rootri
state commerce under the
antitrust law for plrl«H»»g .mj w
cotting activities resulting from a
jurisdictional dispute
L. unions at the „
brewery in St. Louis.
The majority opinion, hr
Frankfurter, held that the
and the Norris-La Guardia
junction acts modified the <_
law so that a union might freely un
dertake such activity “so loan no n
union acts in its self-in tenet —d does
not combine with non-labor groups.1*
Justice Murphy did not participate
and Chief Justice Hughes >,ui Justice
Roberta dissented, while Stooe wrote
a separate concurring opinion. 1W>
erts, writing the dissent, termed the
majority's interpretation of the Clay,
ton and Norris-La Guardia acts "n&
cal’ 'and a “usurpation” of legislative
functions “fraught . . . with the most
serious dangers.”
The wage-hour law was —
1? two cases, involving the F.
Darby Lumber company of Statesboro,
Ga., and the Opp Cotton Mnu.
of Opp, Ala., the latter befatgJoteoS
by 10 other southern mtiit
Southern Cotton Manufacturing asso
ciation.
RIGHT THEN—RIGHT NOW;
TIME PROVES ALL THINGS:
GOMPERS WAS RIGHT
Twenty-five years ago, according to the New York
. ’ w„hose reputation in those days was wrifflrd
m the following words: “If you read it in the Sun. H in
true.” Samuel Gompers, president of the AFL, advo
cated “compulsory mUitary training and labor raro- 1
sentation in National Defense."^^-^’^^'^^^
In the light of national defense stress today, many
of us can span the twenty-five years in memoryss
though it were yesterday.
“National Defense” was “National Preparedness.’*
Every city was holding “Preparedness Parades." The
government even set a day aside as “National Pre
paredness Day.”
“Black” Jack Pershing was earning his reputation
chasing the bandit Villa over half of Mexico. The U.
S. Navy was in Mexican waters and labor was
urged to sacrifice hours and wages in the intercut
of National Preparedness.
Samuel Gompers, the head of organized labor, then
advocated compulsory military training in pure
times and labor representation in National Prepared
ness.
TodfJ\ tw*nty-five years later, labor's advice to
still good. In those days the world was wifarH by the
goose-stepping imperialism of the Kaiser.
Today the Kaiser’s successor, Hitler, menaces the
entire and diminishing democratic world as never be
fore. Wherever Nazism marches in, all free labor
unions are immediately crushed.
Then, as now, Gompers, of the AFL, is right.
A WORD TO ADVERTISERS
THE CHARLOTTE LABOR JOURNAL IS -l*
PRINTED IN ITS ENTIRETY IN CHARLOTTE AND :
MECKLENBURG COUNTY. Every dollar received far
subscriptions and advertising: is paid to
workmen, who spend their money in Charlotte. It la
well for advertisers to keep this in view, and remem
ber that Organized Labor spends over six aflha del*
lars a year with Charlotte merchants, and they always
keep in mind those who make their paper possible.
?
Fly the FLAG
THE A. F. OF L. STANDS WITH AND FOB IBB VUA