Newspapers / The Charlotte Labor Journal … / Jan. 21, 1943, edition 1 / Page 1
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Che Charlotte labor Journal Endorsed by the N. C. State AND DIXIE FARM NEWS Official Organ of Central Labor Union; Standing Federation of Labor _—_/or the A. F. L. To- *oy”T,,,“";v,;,;"jou,,,,At *• *0000 charlotte, n. c„ Thursday, January 21,1943 JOU"MAL D„l”o".V.CON*,D'"*T,ON ~ 12 YEARS OF CONSTRUCTIVE SERVICE TO NORTH CAROLINA READERS $2.00 Per Year Labor Is On The Job For Victory The ONLY REALLY INDEPENDENT WEEKLY in Mecklenburg CountyS^uS»»omCoowitt *?wCBiTaLENiTa^?For a Weekly Its Readers Represent the LARGEST BUYING POWER in Charlotte DECLARATION OF SOUTHERN WAR1 LABOR CONFERENCE CALLED BY THE OFFICERS OF 12 SOUTHEASTERN STATE FEDERATIONS OF LABOR - I ATLANTA, Ga., January 16, 17, 1943. The Southern War Labor Conference held in the city of At lanta on the 16th and 17th day of January, 1943, provides an op portunity for labor, government and the public to devise ways and means whereby more intensive prosecution of this war against the enemies of freedom can be attained. To this conference have come more than 3,000 representatives of the American Federation of Labor Unions, from Virginia. West Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Arkansas. Meeting with the repre sentatives of labor from these twelve states came the national leader of the American Federation of Labor and the Executive Officers of numerous affiliated National and International Unions and the Railway Brotherhood. Conferring with these representa tives of labor and participating in the conference, were men from the Army and Navy, and all government agencies connected with labor, except the National Labor Relations Board. While the dominant thought of the conference was given to the study of our war efforts, the question of the welfare of labor during this war and the conditions to prevail after the war were given considerable at tention, and on which there was an enterchange of ideas that resulted in a clearer understanding of the im mediate needs for organization and education of both labor and the pub lic of labor relationship to the com mon welfare of the country. A policy committee having been appointed to represent the twelve South Eastern State Federations of Labor, herewith submits a report on the determinations of the conference, arrived at as a result of the enter change of ideas by those duly quali fied to attend the conference and speak on the subjects here below men tioned. This report is offered for the consideration and adoption by the conference. “NO-STRIKE” policy approved (1) The Southern War Labor Con ference re-emphasizes its whole heart ed support and approval of' A"e0A TIfrM ican Federation of Labor No-Sti ike Policy that was announced long be fore Pearl Harbor and which has been maintained in such splendid man ner as to challenge the admiration of all right thinking people. There has been no strikes on any defense jobs in any of the twelve states here rep resented where the Local Unions of the American Federation of Labor were recognized as bargaining agencies for the workers. In reiter ating continued observance of the American Federation of Labor s No Strike” Policy, this conference asks that employers do not take advant age of this patriotic stand and under take to impose upon the workers be muse our members are observing the “No-Strike” Policy. (2) In order that the officers, rep rosentatives, and members of Labor Unions may act in accordance with Executive Orders and decisions rend ered by the various government agencies and boards, this confeience requests the American Federation of Labor and its affiliated National and International Unions to adopt a plan whereby interpretations of such rul inirs. executive orders, and decisions may be sent to the Local Unions with th ■ least possible delay. In this way, officers of State Federations with the Central Bodies and Local Unions may be kept immediately and fully informed on such rulings, executive orders, and decisions rendered by gov ernment agencies and boards. (3) Labor can render its greatest possible support to the government only when labor is properly repre sented on government boards and agencies. It is therefore the desire of this conference that this government of ou**s give labor full representation on all government boards and in all government agencies. In some states and in some sections, labor is fairly well represented on many boards. Yet, it is stated by those in authority that not more than 10 per cent of govern ment boards and agencies have labor rept escntatives on such boards. This is not only an injustice to the work ins whose welfare and lives are at st"k» in this crucial time, but it is detrimental to the nation’s whole war effort, Regional, State, and Local, and this condition should be remedied at once. NO ADVERSE LABOR LEGISLATION NEEDED (4) Labor has met every test of the govciiiiuciits needs and requirements. With but very few exceptions every defense project has been completed before the time limit set for each job. To do this, labor has faced many difficulties and endured many hard ships. Our members have lived in trailers and slept in automobiles and doubled up in rooming houses in 21 or 3 shifts that the workers might have a place to sleep and then vacate his bed fo rthe man working on the alternate shift when his day’s work was done. Rules and regulations of all Unions have been suspended vol untarily in order to increase the war production. Labor has, of its own accord, accepted conditions of longer: hours as the government needs re-! quired and manifested its willingness ; to add other hours as occasion might ^ demand. In addition to providing an army of production, labor has made its full contribution in its sons and its members to the army in uniform. This conference respectively sub mits and offers the record of labor in substantuation of its position that no adverse labor legislation, either Na tional or State, is needed in the Unit ed States of America. Free labor is a nation’s strongest asset in winning a war for freedom.. This conference therefore appeals to the public and to the press and to the law makers of the States and the Nation to the seriousness of the useless and need less insults and injuries to labor when considering adverse labor relation. It has not been needed, it is not needed now, and it never will be needed as long as America remains a land of the free and the home of the brave. NO COMPULSION NEEDED (5) On February 22, 1942, William Green, President of the American Federation of Labor, speaking with Secretary of the Treasury Morgen thau over a nation-wide hook-up, pledged to this government that mem bers of the American Federation of Labor would invest one billion doltafs of its hard earned wages in war bonds and stamps during the year 1942. That pledge was more than fulfilled, and labor in the twelve states here represented in this conference de lighted in assuming full responsibil ity in these respective states in mak ing that pledge good. At the Toron to conference of the American Fed eration of Labor, in the closing weeks of last year, our parent body devot ed much time to a discussion and study of the voluntary pay roll de duction plan, adopted by the Treas ury and approved by the labor move ment. It was stated in that confer ence that the members of the Ameri can Federation of Labor had demon strated, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the voluntary purchase of war bonds through regular Democratic method of procedure is all that is necessary as a means of raising money from the masses by the gov ernment. In the beginning of this new year, j President Green made another pledge to the government of the United States, and to the boys in the uniform of our country, that labor would dou ble its efforts of 1942, both on the production line and in the purchase of war bonds. In view of labor’s rec ord already made for keeping the faith with the government and mak ing good its pledge to our nation, our government may in the greatest of assurance depend upon labor in UNION CIGARETTES GO OVERSEAS TO OUR BOYS IN THE SERVICE; MILLIONS HAVE ALREADY GONE WASHINGTON, D. C.—President Will'am Green of the American Federation of Labor urged all AFL unions to take advantage of the geenrous offer of the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. to send Raleigh cigarettes to American troops overseas. “Under a special arrangement,” Mr. Green said, “any union organization can buy ten cases of Raleigh cigarettes, including 500 cartons, for $250 for shipment to our men on the fighting fronts. With each order for ten cases, the com pany contributes an extra case on its own account, thus bring ing the cost of these highly appreciated gifts down to 45 cents a carton. “Many AFL unions already have taken advantage of this offer and have sent more than five million cigarettes to our boys overseas. It would be a splendid idea if every one of our organizations did likewise.” In a letter to I. M. Ornburn, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL Union Label Trades Department, Mr. Green compli mented him on working out the arrangement with the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corp. Raleigh cigarettes are union made and bear the union label. [Mr. H. E. Tatum, 617 Mutual Building, Richmond, Va., is Zone Manager for the Brown Williamson Tobacco Corp., covering Virginia West Virginia, North and South Carolina, and he was in Charlotte last week placing the proposition above referred to. Charlotte Central Labor Union placed an order for cigarettes for shipment to our boys in the Armed Forces and the locals are all taking a like step to see that the fighting members are looked after in the cigarette line. This is a fine gesture on the part of Brown & Williamson people, as every product of theirs bears the Union Label—the print ing is union, the engraving is union and the manufactured product is union in every department. Of course theirs is not the only Union made tobacco product, but it is the gesture of wanting to show some appreciation of Our Boys Over There that causes us to willingly give this publicity. Ed.] Labor unions may simply send their orders to The Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corporation, Louisville, Ken tucky. The union may designate the fighting front to which it desires to have the cigarettes sent. The Army or Navy takes fuU responsibility for-transportation from the respec tive ports. 1 '_" '_' ._•_• _ • •: MILITARY CHARACTER Military character is different from the character which will make a man outstanding in civilian life. It goes deeper than that. It not only includes the qualities of a gentleman, but it also in cludes the fundamental characteristics of promptness, discipline, responsibility, courage, honesty and sacrifice, without which no military organization can successfully function. America to keep its pledge in 1943 of doubling its effort to win this war. Therefore, this conference appeals to the public and to the Congress of the United States to discontinuance and discourage all efforts made by any one or any group in Congress to enact a compulsary savings plan for the purchase of war bonds. The fact that 27 million wage earn ers in America today have voluntarily signed the pay roll deduction plan authorizing their employer to deduct from their wages each pay day reg ular sums for investment in war sav ings bonds representing more than 8 per cent of the total payroll of these 27 million wage earners, should con vince anyone that American workers and wage earners do not have to be placed under any congressional com pulsion in order for the government to obtain loans from their wages. (Continued next week) WAGES HAVE GONE UP PROFITS HAVE GONE UP TOO Despite the heavy increase in taxes, profits of war con tractors have risen steadily, in the same proportion that wages and the cost of living has risen. THE OFFICE OF PRICE ADMINISTRATION revealed that a survev of 100 war contractors made TWICE AS MUCH PROFIT ON THEIR INVESTED CAPITAL IN 1941 as they d:d in 1939. That these profits have been large is proven also by the fact that the Government has been able to squeeze ONE BILLION DOLLARS OUT OF PROFITS on new contract renegotiations. The survey of INDUSTRIAL PROFITS BELOW: INDUSTRY’S PROFITS By OPA Survey PERCENTAGE RETURN ON INVESTED CAPITAL OF 100 MAJOR WAR CONTRACTORS No. of Com panies Industry 1939 1941 16 Aircraft ...._.__22.4 42.4 13 Automobiles _15.0 18.1 13 Auto Parts__ 15.0 21.6 2 Building Machinery_10.4 23.2 5 Indl. Machy. (elec.) _10.9 14.5 10 Indl. Machy. (other)_7.2 12.9 9 Iron and Steel_ 3.8 8.7 2 Mi sc. Metal Prods.__ 9.4 26.6 6 Non-ferrous metal prod. _6.3 11.0 6 Railroad equipment_1.1 10.0 4 Shipbuilding _13.3 30 7 4 Chemicals _ 13.8 14.0 4 Petroleum _ 3.7 6.3 4 Rubber products_7.1 12.3 2 Textile fabrics. 4.6 14.1 100 —Totals— 7.9 12.9 HELP WIN THE WAR—INVEST IN WAR BONDS EVERY PAYDAY. -V MAKE PAYDAY VICTORY DAY | PRES. GREEN ATTACKS ANTI-STRIKE LEGISLATION—BUT “GUN” PUT UP FOR THE DURATION OF THE WAR ATLANTA, Jan. 16.—President William Green, addressing a southern war labor conference of the American Federation of La bor here today, assailed anti-strike legislation and asserted that the “right to strike is an inherent, God-given Democratic and personal right.” He added that “so long as the American Federa tion of Labor exists, we will fight to the death the right to strike, with all the energies and powers at our disposal. “On the other hand, we have volun tarily pledged to our government that we will call no strikes for the duration. The right to strike is the same to us as the right for men to invest their money in free enterprise. “Labor has made progress through the right to strike. The right to strike is the chief defensive weapon of la bor. It is our gun. But, we have agreed to place the gun behind the door for the duration. In other words, we have voluntarily agreed to do what we will not be forced to do.” Green deplored absenteeism in pro duction and added, “while the men on the front stand ready to die with breasts bared to the enemy, there is no absenteeism there. His safety to morrow depends largely on the goods you produce today. There is no ab senteeism in military service—there should be none among the soldiers of production.” Referring to the 40-hour week, Green said he was in accord with ef forts to keep “men on the job more than 40 hours a week. In fact, I think a 48-hour, or even a 56-hour week is all right, but when a man is called upon to work more than the 40 hours set down Dy law, ne snouid De paid accordingly. In conclusion, he said that efforts were underway to unite with the labor organizations of other Allied I countries, “to assure that labor will | be justly treated at the peace tables. | We hope to write into the peace treaties, the rights and privileges of labor for the entire world.” i Previously, Director Wendell Lund of the labor production division of the War Production Board, called on American labor for “unprecedented productivity,” and added that to I achieve this, “workers in many plants , must work longer hours.” He explained in detail that he did not think the 40-hour week should be abolished, but “should be used as a basis for the work week. I know that in some plants the maximum work week for production has already been reached. In other plants, the work week will have to be lengthened. | Prior to the address by Green, Sec retary I. N. Ornburn of the union label department of A. F. of L. flayed "certain bureaus in Washington,” and declared that he knew of “no institu tion in our government that has cre ated more distrust and unrest than the National Labor Relations Board.” WHAT WE WANT We, American Workingmen and Workingwomen, pledge ourselves to our first duty—to defeat and destroy Axis ty ranny. We of American Labor, realize that this conflict transcends all other struggles and that every possibility of social progress depends upon the victory of the free nations. We, American soldiers of production, who provide so much of the Material, Men, Mobilization, Money and Morale, vow that our country’s war effort shall be organized without regard for any vested interests. We extend warmest Labor solidarity to the suffering people under the heel of the brutal Axis conquerors. In tribute to their great courage in keeping the flames of free dom burning, we declare: No appeasement or tolerance will ever be shown to th Fascist hangmen. We appeal to the working people of Germany, Italy, and Japan to take matters into their own hands and settle scores with their savage Fascist rulers. This is our common path to lasting peace and justice. A.F.of L.UNION LABEL BOOTH At Women’s Show In New York AFL WORKERS'" HAVE ROUC«T MM ^1.OOOjOOO0(» : « WAR SfiNOS Mi WAR BONDS 'll* above photograph of the exhibit sponsored by the American Federation of Labor and the Ur** _abel Trades Department at the Nineteenth Annual Women's International Exposition of Arte and Industries recently held in Madison Square Garden, New York, shows the War Bond booth in which the figures show that A. F. of L workers have bought one billion dollars in War Bonds since Pearl Harbor and have pledged another billion for the next year. On the panels around the entrance and exit of the booth all Union Labels, Shop Cards and Service Buttons were displayed. Other panels in the interior and exterior of the booth chronologically depicted the progress and war activities of the American Federation of Labor and affiliated Women's Auxiliaries. A huge barometer attracted un usual attention. 'It portrayed the total number of man-hours worked in war industry, the appalling percentage of man-hours lost through preventable industrial accidents, and that only a small fraction of 1% of man-hours were lost due to idleness caused by industrial disputes.
The Charlotte Labor Journal and Dixie Farm News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Jan. 21, 1943, edition 1
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