Newspapers / The Charlotte Labor Journal … / June 3, 1943, edition 1 / Page 1
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BONDS She Charlotte labor Journal 12 YEARS OF CONSTRUCTIVE SERVICE TO NORTH 'y CAROLINA READERS Endoreed by the N. C. State Federation of Labor AND DIXIE FARM NEWS Official Organ of Central Labor Union; Standing for the A. F. L. JOURNAL AOVKHTIfKM DESERVE CONSIO ▼ME READERS $2.00 Per Year VOL. XIII—No. 3 YOUR ADVERTISEMENT IN TNE JOURNAL IS A QOOO INVESTMENT CHARLOTTE, N. C„ THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 1943 ION or Labor Is On the Job For Victory The ONLY REALLY INDEPENDENT WEEKLY In Mecklenburg County mSS^wSG^cown l«CHmL«m^??For » Weekly Ita Readera Represent the LARGEST BUYING POWER in Charlotte TREASURY DEPARTMENT WASHINGTON Headquarters Area No. 2 A. F. of L.—U. S. Treasury Joint War Bond Campaign 416 Hurt Bldg., Atlanta, Ga. A JOB WELL DONE, BUT NOT COMPLETED ATLANTA, Ga., May 31.—No other activity or enterprise in American life has rendered greater service to the government in the promotion of the sale of War Bonds than the labor press. No other group of people have bought War Bonds with greater consistency and enthusiasm than the members of the American Federation of Labor Unions. Yet the labor press and the men and women of labor will be called upon to render -still greater service in the months and years to come. Every day, and every hour in each day, brings more and more American boys into the armed forces of our country. New battle fronts are formed each day, and the war activities expand by the hour. As the number of men in the armed forces grows daily, and the war efforts expand to new fronts over night, the nation’s need for more and still more money grows in proportion. Perhaps many citizens are growing weary and tired of reading and hearing appeals made for greater purchases of War Bands. .Unpleasant as this continuous story of the War Bond Campaign may be, there are some things, however, more unpleasant. As the number of men in the armed forces grows daily, and the war efforts expand to new fronts over night, the nation’s need for more and still more money grows in proportion. Perhaps many citizens are growing weary and tired of reading and hear ing appeals made for greater purchases of War Bonds. Unpleasant as this continuous story of the War Bond Campaign may be, there are some things, however, more unpleasant. Americans are fortunate in that they have not been forced to hear the drone of an enemy airplane sailing over this great land. All of us should he thankful that in America we have not heard the bursting bomb dropped upon our soil, nor the anguished cry of the mother whose baby had been blown into atoms. The records show that while a big majority of members of all Local Unions of the American Federation of Labor have supported the War Bond Campaign in magnificent manner, there are some in almost every Local, however, who have done nothing in this great essential work. The labor press and the officers and active members of the several labor unions are the only ones who can contact those who have not responded to the govern ment's appeals, and persuade and induce them to fall in line and take their rightful places in the great civilian army, without whose support the armed forces will fail. The labor press and the officers of the A. F. of L. Unions have done a swell job in promoting the War Bond Campaign to an unprecedented success. Yet the failure of the minority group in labor to voluntarily line up with their brothers and sisters who are doing their part can destroy the effectiveness of the efforts of those who have so readily and loyally supported the War Bond Campaign through voluntary action. .It is highly important, therefore, that the labor press, union officials and the active members redouble their efforts and bring into this army of support the whole of the membership of each organization. The ready response on the part of those workers who have been sup porting the War Bond Campaign is the one reason why there has been no compulsory savings plan adopted by Congress. In event a compulsory savings plan is ever adopted, it will be due entirely to the failure or refusal of this minority group to do their part as the others have done in voluntary manner. There is no more important work on the order of business of any Local Union of the American Federation of Labor than that of promoting and ex tending and expanding the purchase of War Bonds by the entire member ship of each Local Union. The part played by the labor press and the labor organizations of the A. F. of L.. has challenged the admiration of all government officials who have been informed of this matchless service. But the job has not been completed, and will not be complete until all wage earners have become en rolled as regular and consistent purchasers of War Bonds. GEORGE L. GOOGE JAMES F. BARRETT Consulting Expert Regional Representative War Savings Staff War Savings Staff BUY WAR BONDS OUT OF EVERY PAY ENVELOPE ^ 7/HO GOES IN THE ARMED FORCES # Km Arm*d >*rvl<«» ml ho»« 3,>00,000 mar* i MANPOWER ARITHMETIC riwri*9 W4J Thar* or* only 22,000,000 m*n in th* 18-37 (ind.) 09* group 8,000,000 or* unfit for military service... leaving 14,000,000 physically fit On Jan. lit, 7,000,000 war* already in mnm the Armed Forces ... leaving 7,000,000 fi 1,500,000 able-bodied farm workers must I deferred during this year ...leaving 5,500,000 Only 1,700,000 can be deferred trial workers, family hardship cases, ...leaving 3,800,0 ^ - N. \. /\J K I 2~ 18 37 Out Of w inclusive >1M0U 0* MAtftf 0 with or witKoul children iVHG Aftf PHYSKAUY HT - NOT f ARMING - AND N0? N rH| ARMfD SfRVKfS )AN Is! 61 IN uNtFOKN* BY TH| IND 0» 1943 STATE FEDERATION OF LABOR PRESIDENT, C. A. FINK, MAKES REPORT ON WORK DURING MEETING N. C. GEN. ASSEMBLY [The Journal is in receipt of the following interesting re port on the activities of the A. F. of L.’s representative in Raleigh, President C. A. Fink, during the recent session of the General As sembly. and it should be read by every worker in North Caro lina.—Ed.] Spencer, N. C., June 1. To the Central Bodies and Local Unions of the State Federation. Greetings: As it is impossible for me to attend the meetings of all Cen tral Bodies and Local Unions and make a personal report on our work during the recent sessions of the North Carolina General Assembly, I am taking this method of informing you of our tirif ioa Speaker Kerr appointed the Com mittee on Manufacturing and Labor, naming Hon. W. E. Horner as chair man. This committee means more to the working people than any other committee on the Legislature. All members of the committee, generally speaking, were men who seemed anxi ous to do the right thing at all times. It was a far different Committee on Manufacturing and Labor from any other that I have had the opportun ity of working with in our Legisla ture. Early in the sessions I was invited to attend a joint meeting of the Pour Brotherhoods. They assur ed me that they would cooperate and work with me, and their chairmen certainly did as if we were all mem bers of one Union. These chairmen were: Captain J. D. Carter of Spen cer, H. E. Withers of Salisbury, J. E. Baumberger of Asheville, and Mr. A. M. Thomas of Raleigh. I am sorry to report that on the following Tues day after the Legislature adjourned I was notified that Mr. Thomas had passed ori suddenly. This was a shock to all of us and to the people through out the state. He was one of the best men I ever knew, and was held in highest esteem by all who knew him. I stayed in Raleigh throughout the session of the Legislature, with the exception of the few days spent in Atlanta, attending the Southern War Labor Conference. I worked as faithfully as I knew how, and was on the job day and far into the night of each day. The first Labor bil lintroduced was one to increase the work-week for male employees from 55 hours a week to 56 hours. I opposed this bill, of course, and when I saw it was going through, I asked for an amendment that the extra hour be paid at the rate of time and one-half. The bill and the amendment were given hear ings before the committees of both houses and both passed. Now, for the first time in the history of the state, North Carolina law provides payment of time and one-half for overtime work. We made another gain when the Workmen’s Compensation law was amended, raising the benefits from $18 to $21 a week, and weekly bene fits for injured workers were increas ed about 10 per cent by extending the weeks for payment of such benefits. House Bill No. 45 introduced by Uzzell of Rowan. The purpose of which was to propose a Constitution al Amendment to make the Commis sioner of Labor, Commissioner of Agriculture and the Commissioner of Insurance members of the Council of State. We supported this Bill and it was adopted and we urge the mem bership in North Carolina to vote for this amendment in the next General Election. And now for some of the anti-La bor bills. The first such bill, known as House Bill No. 127, was present ed by Burgin of Henderson county and Cook of Cumberland. It was re ferred to Judiciary Committee No. 1, and given a hasty favorable report, as was intended when it was refer red to this committee instead of the proper committee on Manufacturing and Labor. Because of the hasty ac J. A. SCOGGINS APPOINTED LABOR-MEMBER CHARLOTTE “PLANNING COMMITTEE” On Tuesday of this week, at a meeting of the committee, Labor was given representation on the Charlotte Planning Com mittee, raising the board membership from seven to eight. This was done in accordance with a request from the general committee at a recent meeting. J. A. SCOGGINS Pits. Charlotte Central Labor Union, Vice-President State Federation of Labor, Chairman of Mecklenburg County Rationing Board, “etc.” Coleman W. Roberts, chairman, pre sided. One of the principal actions taken was the decision to ask Gov ernor J. M. Broughton to fill vacan cies on the State Planning board, so that it may be in a position to co-op erate with plans of the Federal gov ernment in a bill now in Congress, which would appropriate $85,000,000 to be used in making grants to states and local government units for the purpose of preparing postwar plans. Mr. Roberts pointed out that North Carolina already has a state planning board comprising capable men, but a number of them have been called to the armed services, and so far as his committee knows their places have not been filled. The executive board then author ized creation of nine committees. They would be industrial, park and recrea tion, vocational training, public works, area development, airport, city and county relations, public health and santation and public buildings. The activities of the boards covers every sphere of local activities from parks, recreational training, co-opera tion between schools, colleges, indus tries, labor, business in general, pub lic works, habitation of marginal areas, low-cost housing projects, etc., etc. A.F.L. PROGRESSIVE MINE WORKERS OF AMERICA TO FIGHT MERGER LEWIS’ UNITED MINE WORKERS SPRINGFIELD, III., June 1.—The executive board of the Progressive Mine Workers of America served notice yesterday it would refuse to relinquish its American Federation of Labor charter in order to pave the way for the readmission of John L. Lewis and his United Mine Workers to the AFL fold. Lloyd A. Thrush, president of the Progressives said the action meant that his union would fight against acceptance of the Lewis bid for reaffiliation “unless our rights under the AFL constitution, as the AFL union for employes in the mining industry, are sustained.” Action on Lewis’ application to return to the Federation is scheduled to be taken by the AFL executive council in a meeting in Chicago in August, Meanwhile, a three-member AFL subcom mittee is studying the question. Thrush said the PMWA board had, by unanimous vojte in a meeting today, instructed him to notify President William Green of the Federation that the Progressives would stand firmly on its jurisdictional claims. The PMWA affiliated with the AFL five years ago, and claims about 18,000 members in Illinois and Kentucky. tion taken on the bill, I appealed to the chairman and members of the Judiciary Committee to have the bill referred back to the committee, that I might be heard on the proposed measure, and the bill was referred, and a public hearing was held.” I opposed the bill with the best I had, and was given wonderful assist ance and cooperation by our people and friends from all over the state. The committee again gave the bill a favorable report by a vote of 8 to 6. Cook and Burgin made strong pleas for the bill, and when the bill came to the House we got busy and got our friends to have the bill referred back to the Manufacturing and Labor Committee, and again Mr. Cook charg ed that this was a move by Labor leaders to have the bill killed, but our friends were in the majority and No. 127 died in the committee. Then came House Bill No. 396 un der the disguise of a “Labor Peace” bill, which was nothing more than an injunction bill to be used to crush our Unions. For a time many of; them were looking upon this pill with, some favor, due to the fact that the captain of the bill was misleading. It was introduced by Mr. Richardson from Union county and others. At the first public hearing we strongly opposed this undemocratic and un needed bill for the workers of our state. No vote was taken by the committee at this time. It was agreed that another meeting would be held to continui hearings. At this time messages again came in from our Central Bodies, Local Unions and friends from all over the state to the Representatives, Senators, Governor Broughton and the chairman of the Democratic party, strongly opposing the bill. Some of our most able speak ers from some of our Central Bodies and Local Unions appeared for the second hearing, but our friends in the committee were on the job and tabled the bill indefinitely, before Labor could be heard this time. Senate Bill No. 266 to amend our State Laws relating to the establish ment of maximum working hours so as to provide relief for persons, firms or corporations engaged in the pro cessing of dairy products in Caldwell county got through the Senate, but we were able to get it killed in the Com mittee on Manufacturing and Labor. This bill, if passed, would have been a wedge in our State Labor Laws, permitting such persons or firms to work labor longer hours than the law now permits. This was the end of the anti-Labor bills. Senate Bill No. 154 giving the Governor and Council of State extra war-time powers passed the Senate without debate, but when it came to the House it caused a lot of comment and heated discussions. This bill cer tainly gives the Governor and Coun cil of State unlimited powers for the duration of the war, and six months thereafter, which could be very harm ful to our organizations if the board wanted to use the powers now given them by this law. I am truly grateful to the Four Brotherhoods’ State Legislative Chairman and for our entire mem bership of .the State Federation of Labor for the fine and effective work done, which enabled us to have all anti-Labor bills killed. Many news papers of the state lent their strong influence in the battle against en actment of these anti-Labor bills, and as a citizen, and as president of the State Federation of Labor, I have -the deepest appreciation**. fbr .this \ splendid aid from fie press in North Carolina. I am proud of our Legislature, our Governor, and our friends among state officials and the public of North Carolina. I am especially proud of the officers and members of our State Federation of Labor who worked so faithfully with me, and am grateful for the fine support given by the Central Bodies and Local Unions. There is a finer understanding now than ever before between the Labor groups and other citizens of this good state, and I hope we have witnessed about the last effort in the Legisla ture of this state to place its working citizens in irons—which would have been the result had not the better thinking group in the Legislature nullified the attempted acts of men like Burgin of Henderson, Cook of Cumberland and Richardson of Uni on. These men, I am glad to state, do not represent the real citizenship of North Carolina, as evidenced by their defeated attempts in the Legis lature. From time to time I shall write about outstanding men who ably stood by us in the Legislature, for to them Labor owes a big debt of gratitude. Fraternally yours, C. A. FINK, President N. C. State Federation of Labor. @VERTHV>E j6r[£ ERCV. AY ROOMS IN ARMY CAMPS CAN II furnished IN COOPERATION WITH THE red • CROSS CAMP AND HOSPOAL'n>*NOL 'Demote to tie I VKTWWSOOgs CAMMIGNTti HIM U i > » i" >-^r 11 T KITBAGS FOR EMBARKING SOLDIERS MADE AND FILLED BY RED CROSS VOLUNTEERS-OFFER TOUR LOCAL'S COOPERATION ....
The Charlotte Labor Journal and Dixie Farm News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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June 3, 1943, edition 1
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