TW ONLY REALLY INDEPENDENT WEEKLY in Mecklenburg County rutmo in chablott* amo waunnrac For « Weekly Its Renders Represent the LARGEST BUYING POWER in Charlotte
COUNTT IN ITS ENIIUIT.
Che Charlotte labor Journal
Official Organ of Central
Labor Union; standing for
the A. F. of L.
Truthful, Honest, Impartial
Patronise oar Advertisers.
They Make TOUR Paper
possible by their
co-operation.
Endorsed by the N. C. SUte
Federation of Labor
AND DIXIE FARM NEWS
Tenth Year Of Continuous
Publication
Endeavoring to Serve the Masses
APVUtlSMINT |« TNC JOyftsfAi. IS A
INVI
CHARLOTTE, N. Cn THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1941
JOURNAL ADVERTISERS DESERVE CONSIDERATION OF
tns Readers
VOL. X—NO. 39
$2.00 Per Y<
PRES. GREEN PREFERS LABOR BOARD
SYSTEM - WORLD WAR METHOD
HE SAYS IS “LESSER OF THE EVILS”
___——_- i
MIAMI, FUu, Feb. 12.—^The American Federation of Labor |
Tuesday sharply criticized “anti-strike or compulsory arbitration” ■
proposals pending in Congress and urged instead that the Presi
dent re-establish the National War Labor Board of World War
days.
The federation’s executive council unanimously agreed on a
statement to be sent all congressmen denouncing attempts to regu
ulate by the law the relations of labor and industry on defense
ulate by law the relations of labor and industry on defense work.
President William Green of the
A.F.L. said the proposed labor board
was used, and labor disputes were
operated durin gthe World war with
great success, although no coercion
was used, and labor disputes were set*
tied entirely by persuasion.
John P. Coyne, president of the
Building and Construction Trades
council, announced that his depart
ment had decided to:
(1) Abandon—on defense projects
only—collection of double time for
overtime and accept a maximum of
time and a half.
(2) Give up the six-hour day es
tablished in some cities and work
eight hours a day on defense projects
without overtime.
(3) Establish limits on the initia
tion fees charged worxers. joining
unions engaged in defense work.
Coyne said carpenters had set a
maximum initiation fee of $50, the
first such limitation in the council’s
history, to replace fees that had run
as high as $300. He said the common
laborers’ limit was set at $25, and
maximum figures were being estab
lished for engineers and bricklayers.
Coyne warned, however, that the
present peak period of work would
end by mid-March, when construction
of cantonments will have been com
pleted. He said the building and con
structions trade expect again to have
370,000 unemployed.
Coyne said the council had arranged,
without cost to the government, to
transport workers wherever they were
needed most in the nation.
NATION-WIDE CAMPAIGN AGAINST
“TIME” AND “LIFE” MAGAZINES
CHICAGO, 111.—The Chicago print
ing trades unions have inaugurated
a nation-wide campaign against Time
and Life magazines which are printed
by the notoriously anti-union printing
concern of R. R. Donnellv & Sons.,
Co. (Lakeside Press), Chicago. The
campaign will be similar to that which
was carried on against National
Sportsman and Hunting A Fishing and
which brought about the unioniza
tion of those two magazines.
The fight against Time and Life
magazines is an offshooot of the na
tionwide campaign against the Don
nelley concern which has been en
dorsed by the American Federation of
Labor as well as all state federations
of labor throughout the country.
Members and friends of organized
labor who have been subscribing for
or purchasing Time and Life, unaware
of their nonunion status, are requested
to switch to a union publication. News
week and United States News are
union-printed magazines and they
have features similar to those found
in Time, Click, Friday, Look, and Piq
have features similar to life. If your
doctor, dentist or barber is patroniz
ing Time or Life magazines ask him
to switch to a union publication such
as those mentioned.
Time and Life and all of their ad
vertisers have been placed on the “We
Don’t Patronize List” of organized
labor.
. . .■■■ ■ ii y
UNION LABELS 't
Let's nake 1941 a Union year. Let’s call for LABELS
on Skirts, Clothing, Shoes, Hats, Ties — (and everything
else) where a Union Label is not obtainable, bay from a mer
chant fair to organized labor. Boy America first, last and
always. Lay off of “Made in Germany," “Made in Japan,"
— BUY MADE IN AMERICA.
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
7KE MARCH OF LABOR
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Building Trades Not After Strike
At Air Base — Only Asking For
Wage Rates Commensurate With
Work Performed By The Crafts
February 12, 1941.
[Statement to the Charlotte Labor Journal, by M. E.
McGrath, of Carpenters; H. W. Houston, of Teamsters; S. M.
Keyser, of Teamsters, and James C. Turner, of Engineers.]
First, we wish to make it very clear that a strike fat the
last thing we wish for at the Air Base. As patriotic Amer
icans we realize that the Air Base is an integral part of the
Defense Program, and that it must be completed as rapidly
as possible in order to insure the safety of all Americans.
Nevertheless, this mutually desired end must not obscurethe
fact that certain laws have been passed by the Federal'gov
ernment for the purpose of aiding labor in its battles to
secure universal Union conditions.
The Administration has continually reiterated that the
social gains of the last nine (9) years are not going to be lost,
or departed from through the strains and stresses of the
Defense Program. To this end, the Defense Board put a
clause in aU Defense Contracts specifying that all Federal
Legislation in regard to Labor must apply in those contracts.
Despite this safeguard by the Administration, the con
tractors at the Air Base have refused to recognize the rights
of labor ot organize and to be bargained with collectively
without interference or discrimination by the contractors, as
'is provided under the National Labor Relations Act. Fur
thermore, the contractors have persisted in working their
operators of caterpillar equipment sixty (60) hours per week,
a violation in itself, plus paying these men time and one
half for only twelve hours, whereas they are required under
the Walsh-Healy Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act to
pay overtime for twenty hours.
All we seek at the Air Base is that our rights as Trade
Unionists be recognized, and that the contractors enter into
a legitimate agreement with the Unions, which agreement
must contain wage rates commensurate with the work per
formed by the crafts.
Charlotte Central Body Takes Hand
In Firemen Legislation, And Sends
Letters To Representatives
MINUTES OF THE REGULAR
MEETING, February 12, 1941:
The meeting was called to order by
President Scoggins, and after the in
vocation, the minutes of the previous
meeting were read and approved.
Various regular and special com
mittees reported after the roll call of
officers. The meeting was the largest
in many years of the Central Body,
showing the continued growth of the
A. F. of L. in Charlotte, with still
another union reported ready to affili
ate with us. The organisation com
mittee reported 53 locals with 4 aux
iliaries now chartered, with two more
without charters, the largest in his
tory affiliated with the A. F. of L. in
Charlotte. The fset that another meet
ing of the Builfing Trades was go
ing on at the sane time, later found
to have a packed house, with many at
tending who usually are attending
the Central Body representing these
crafts, also showed the real interest
in collective bargining in Charlotte.
Another Carnival for fall, was author
ized, the money for some to be put
in a special building fund, handled by
the officers of the organization, this
to be in September. The retirement
bill for the firemen was gone into at
length, and motion to place the two
heads of the Fire department on the
unfair list of the American Federa
tion of Labor was considered at great j
length, and was finally temporarily
withdrawn by the maker and second
er, with a substitute motion which
passed, to have the secretary write a
letter to Chief Palmer, acquainting
him with the two bills passed by the
Firefighters and approved by the A.
F. of L. in Charlotte, namely the Civil
Service bill, and the Retirement bill,
send him copies of same, as well as
one for George Richardson of the Fire
Fightrs in Washington, special de
livery addressee only, and ask for a
definite answer as to approval or
disapproval of same. It was brought
out that some city councilman had
spoofed at the civil service bill, hon
estly offered by the A. F. of L. pigeon
holing same, without discussion, to be
buried without consideration. Copies
of the endorsed Firemen’s retirement
bill are to be sent the representatives
in Raleigh, the Senator and President
Fink, legislative agent of the A. F. of
L. in North Carolina.
Credentials from the Bakery and
Confectionery Workers union were re
ceived for Joe Butler, E. R. Kendall,
and R. H. House. A special commit
tee of three was authorized to be ap
pointed to attend the meetings of the
council of Social Agencies, at their
request. Various other correpondence
was handled, and the meeting ad
journed, with many of the delegates
going to the Building Trades meeting
in their hall.
Wm. S. GREENE, Secy.
DONT QUIT
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When th* road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
funds are low and the debts are high,
t to smil,e but you have to sigh,
pressing you down a bit,
must—but don’t you quit.
When t
And you
When
Rest, if
Life is qnegr with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many A failure turns about
When h« night have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow—
You might succeed with another blow.
Often tie goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the srtuggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup.
And he learned too late, whtff the night slipped down,
How close he was to the cpun crown.
Sutifess is failure turned inside out—
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt—
And you never can tell how dose you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to* the fight when you’re hardest hit—
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.
Journal Readers Co-operate With Those
Who Advertise In It
PRES. WM. GREEN DENIES INITIATION
FEE “RACKET” IN THE A. F. OF L:
REQUESTS A “RULE OF REASON”
ATLANTA, Feb. 9.—William Green, president of the Amer
ican Federation of Labor, said last night the charges of “racket”
hurled at unions collecting initiation fees from workers on de
fense projects “make me indignant, and there’s not a word of
truth in them.”
Interviewed before his address at the banquet celebrating
the 50th anniversary of the Atlanta Federation of Trades, he
said the fees for national unions “have not been raised since the
emergency program started.”
"In view of the disturbance which
has been raised over initiation fees,”
he announced, “I will recommend to
the executive council of the American
Federation meeting next week that
the council request the national unions
to apply the rule of reason in the
; initiation of new members in their
unions.”
' He explained that in the national
'unions, local chapters fix initiation
dues with the approval of the national
Organization, but that the A. F. of L.
has no jurisdiction over these fees.
He said he would not recommend that
the A. F. of L. assume this jurisdic
tion.
National unions, numbering 106, in
clude the carpenters and joiners,
1 metal workers, and other skilled
groups. Primary attention has been
focused here on the carpenters union,
due to debates in the Georgia General
Assembly where Stat$ Senator H. B.
Edwards of Valdosta has inaugurated
a fight for a bill making it a felony
for any union representative to col
lect irtoney from a worker on a project
financed in whole or in part by tax
money.
Edwards referred particularly to
the $2,800,000 general hospital at
Camp Gordon, a defense project now
under way. The initiation fee for
carpentdfs there is $50.
Green said he was not well acquaint
ed with the local situation, and di
rected his remarks to the general sit
uation without specific reference to
Georgia conditions.
In explaining the “rule of reason” |
to be recommended, Green answered
the direct question of whether a $50
initiation fee came within his defini
tion of reasonableness by saying:
“I would consider $50 unreasonable
if the worker were required to pay
this amount down before starting to
work. I would not consider it un
reasonable if he were allowed to start
to work without a down payment on
the initiation fee, but were allowed to
pay it in installments as he worked."
Pacing the floor of his hotel room,
and raising his voice, Green saidr
“Just consider the local union which
has already 100 members, each of
whom has paid his $50 initiation fee.
These fees have gone into the trees*
ury of the union to keep up pension
benefits, death benefits, sick benefits,
and retirement benefits. Each of
these men has an equity in the fund
that has been built up.
“Now, just because a new job opens
which needs 200 men, in come 100
more who want to join the union and
not pay their initiation fee. But the
minute they join, they get an equity
in the fund which the other 100 men
have built up.
“They call it a racket when we ask
them to pay the same as the others.
They say the money goes in the pocket
of the business agent. There’s not a
word of truth in it. The money they
pay goes into the treasury, not of the
national union, but of the local union,
and each man has a vote on what’s
to be done with it. That’s what they
call a racket. It makes me indig*
nant.”
Green quoted figures from the re
search department of the A. F. L.
estimating a reduction of 2,000,000 in
the ranks of unemployed by by Decem
ber, 1941, the statisticians figuring
that unemployment ranks would drop
from 8,000,000 to 6,000,000. The re
searchers held there would be 3,500,
000 new jobs, but that 1,000,000 would
come from present part-time workers,
and 500,000 from ranks of persons
not normally seeking employment,
leaving a net reduction of 2,000,000.
Green said he believed the estimate
too conservative, and that by the time
the defense program reaches its peak
in the latter part of the year, unem
ployment should be reduced to 4,000,
000, which will “be just about the
1929, level.” His personal estimate,
he said, counted on the continuance of
WPA.
MASS MEETING AIR BASE WORKERS
NAMES COMMITTEE TO MEET WITH
ARMY EXECUTIVES - CONTRACTORS
Around 300 interested parties, in
cluding labor leaders in the Building
Trades, and other crafts met last night
at the Carpenters’ Hall, at which time
a committee was appointed to negoti
ate with the project contractors, and
scheduled another meeting for Friday
night, at which time reports as to
progress will be made.
J. C. Turner, supervisor in North
Carolina for the Operating and Hoist
ing Engineers, presided. The speak
ers were of one accord as to organi
zation, so that negotiations may bt
brought about with the contractors.
C<dlective bargaining cards were
signed in large numbers, and speakers
urged the necessity of a solid front.
Various crafts were represented and
President Scoggins, of Central Labor
Union, led the discussion by members
of the different crafts.
Mr. Turner announced following a
telephone conversation he had with
Yates Heafner, conciliator of the Fed
eral department of labor, that Mr.
Heafner will arrive here today and he
is expected immediately to get to
work on the dispute.
The effort toward unionization,
with a closed shop cohtract at the air
base, is aimed at organizing the ma
jority of the workmen at the air base,
then demanding negotiations looking
to a contract and agreement, with the
prospect of higher wages. The ne
gotiations committee expects to confer
with executives of the contractors Fri
day. This committee met immediately
after the adjournment of the meeting
last night and conferred on steps re
garded as necessary.
The committee, as nominated from
the floor, consists of Mr. Turner, S.
M. Kiser, and H. W. Houston of the
Teamsters’ union, W. M. McGrath of
the carpenters, Alex McMillan of the
engineers, W. M. Gibson of the paint
ers, B. L. Henry of the lathers and
E. D. Farris of the plumbers.
In a discussion of wage scales, it
was said that 50 cents per hour
would be asked for unskilled labor
;with skilled labor proportionately
higher. Truck drivers’ suggested
wages range from 70 cents to one dol
lar and hour, depending upon the size
bf the truck. No definite statements
Were made as to wages to be sought,
other than that for unskilled labor, ex
cept that speakers were unanimous in
saying that the wages paid on the air
base job are too low.
C. “Curly” McMillan, who partici
pated in negotiations at Nantahala
dam, where labor trouble developed
several months ago, made a talk,
urging the men to get together. Or
ganization of even 51 per cent means
negotiations and a union agreement
with the contractors, it was said.
Fly the FLAG
THE A. F. OF L. STANDS WITH AND FOR 1KB FLAG