Newspapers / The Charlotte Labor Journal … / June 14, 1945, edition 1 / Page 1
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*hs ONLY REALLY INDEPENDENT WEEKLY In Mecklenburg County *5.'ff* For • Weekly Ite Render* Represent the LARGEST BUYING POWER In Charlstte f™® CbF ChaFlottF lab of Journal I Endorted by the N. C. State AND DIXIE FARM NEWS Official Organ of Central Labor Union; Standing Federation^of^lMbor_^ for the A. F. L. VOL. XV. No.X, ' "** " * **** CHARLOTTE, N. &, THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 1945 *»—•*>* p....*. “....watk.. ». $2.00 Per Yen* THE CHARLOTTE LABOR JOURNAL ADVOCATES LOYALTY TO THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR; PROMOTION OF INDUSTRIAL PROSPERITY, AND CO-OPERATION OF ALL WORKERS ALONG EVERY LINE. . .V.'' '■ ' " A DIFFERENT STORY AS TO ARTICLE! OF AMERICA’S MEN IN UNIFORM CARRIED BY MONOPOLISTIC PRUjS WASHINGTON, D. C—What do America’s men in uniform think about strikes? We are all familiar with the propaganda that returning soldiers will crack down on labor because of wartime strikes. Labor leaders hare been concerned by this propaganda and hare entertained fears that the men in the armed forcmi hare not been sufficiently informed on labor’s constructive efforts to help win the war. Two letters from soldiers. Just received by the American Federation of Labor, cast some interesting light on these questions. The first, written by Pfe. Edward Galowitz and published in the Medi terranean edition of the Stars and Stripes, is of the familiar, anU union type. The second, written by Pfe. Martin A. Watkins to the editor of Stars and Stripes, tells a different story. Here it is: Editor, Stars and Stripes: Pfe. Edward Galowitz’s request that the Stars and Stripes f.iro an editorial stand against “present and potential strikes at home reveals a lack of information about labor’s role in the war. It also shows that he has been unduly influenced by certain re actionary newspapers in America, who, in headlining every strike, no matter how small, attempt to give the impression that work ing people and their chosen union leaders are striking or lingering in washrooms most of the time, but seldom work. The result of this newspaper campaign is to sow disunity. In attempting to thus discredit the efforts of our relatives and friends in the war plants, certain newspapers which are owned or controlled by big business, pursue a two-fold purpose: (1) driving a wedge between soldiers and the civilians at home, and (2) con cealing from the public eye the exces sive profits which have accrued to in dustry during the war. The March 24, 1946, Information and Education “Army Talk” pamphlet properly describes such attacks against labor unions as one of the methods of native, as well as foreign fascists. To offset the reactionary drive to split the soldiers from the civilians, Chief of Staff General Marshall last year ordered that soldiers be informed through Information and Education posters of labor's record on the home front. Labor is proud of its record. The enemy envies and fears the pro duction record and the loyalty of American labor. It is to be regretted that Pfc. Galowitz has fallen victim to some of the most biased and anti union newspaper reporting in the his tory of our country. The facts are that workers on the home front—your brothers, fathers, sisters, wives, and mothers have lost one tenth of one percent of man days worked during the war because of strikes (involving non-union as well as union workers) according to J. A. Krug, chairman of the War Produc tion Board. The record of American labor has never been equaled in peace or in war by the workers of any country. It is a better record than the AWOLs and other Army law breakers have unhappily established for the Army—not including the time lost by “goldbricking.” When one considers that the cost of living since 1941 has risen approx imately 42 percent while wages have been allowed to increase only to a maximum of 15 percent one must ad mit that an injustice and a cause for employer - employe disputes exists. During the same period the profits of big business (to come out of your pocket and my pockets in the form of taxes) have increased more than 250 percent. • In a review of any employer-em ploye dispute (strike) a person devot ed to the principles of democracy will recognize that at least two parties are always involved — management and labor, with the cause resting at least as much with management as with labor. Unfortunately, however, about 95 percent of American newspapers present only management’s side. Consequently, when Pfc. Galowitz requests, in effect, that the Stars and Stripes join forces with the reaction ary newspapers in their efforts to dis credit labor and its leaders, he speaks only for himself. . . .. He does not speak for the majority of soldiers or for the mote than ten million union men now in uniform who are well aware of the magnificent role that working people at home have played in supplying us soldiers with the tools of victory. Respectfully yours, Pfc. Martin A. Watkins. mmwwwwwvmvwwwwssMw I THIS WEEK WITH THE WAR LABOR BOARD ATLANTA, Ga.—Army seizure of three Southern firms with in a ten day period as the result of the companies refusing to com ply with War Labor Board orders was followed this week by a peaceful solution of a labor dispute at American Enka Corporation, at Asheville, N. C, where the Army has been in control since seizing the plant last February 18 under Presidential direction. - Chairman M. T. Van Hecke announced that tha fourth regional War Labor Board June 4 had approved a joint voluntary application by American Enka Corporation and the United Textile Workers of America (AFL) for a 4 cent an hour across-the-board wage increase. Approval of the joint application by the company and union concluded a labor dispute which had caused the company to defy a WLB otter to isubmit the language of its contract to arbitration, and had caused some 8,000 work ers to strike last February 8 in protest against the company s non-compli ance with the WLB decision. The Army, which uickly reestablished produc tion of rayon cord for tires after taking over the plant, will now return con trol of operations to the corporation. . _ rhyrm.n Van Hecke commended both officials of the company and union on ther abiUty to work out by collective bargaining a peaceful settle ment of their problem, and urged that they continue harmonious relations after the Army relinquishes control of affairs at the plant. Meanwhile, the Army, acting on Presidential war-time orders, had seised three other Southern plants as the result of the companies refusingtocomply with War Labor Board orders, and Chairman Van Hecke aimounced that cases involving 13 additional Southern firms has been sent during the past year to the National War Labor Board for action because .the companies had refused to comply with regional Board orders. "BACK —WHEN?" (THE FIREMAN) The stillness of a peaceful night Enshrouds the Shephards fold, As nature gently fades the light And rest restores the soul. We’re safe at home from harm and fear On slumbering beds of down, While firemen wait with listening ear The sirens screaming sound. When blinding snow and bitter cold Fill all with fear and dread, The fireman is then a soldier bold Who fights the flames so red His thoughts alone for others then His brave heart in the task,, He’ll give his life to save a friend Unselfish to the last. Brave firemen never fight for pay Their love is not for hire, But gladly serve both night and day In waier-wind-and fire. —THOS. H. WILLIAMSON. Treasurer, Aiken County, N. C. Labor k 100%Loyal [radio stars join letter CARRIERS IN RADIO APPEAL FOR HIGHER WAGE RATE WASHINGTON, D. C.—Radio stars joined with organized labor in a nation-wide appeal over the air to the U. S. Senate to adopt the House approved postal employes pay bill The National Association of Latter Carriers, which sponsored the an usual program over the Mutual Broadcasting System, enlisted the services I?dio/ two co"ic postmen, Jerry Dingell and Mel Blanc, who did their stuff before a Hollywood studio audience. Then William C. Doherty, president of the AFL union, speaking from i Washington, told the radio audience: “The men who carry the mail have asked me to drop this note to you. TJe increased cost of living is pinching them Just as severely as all other citisens. They are shouldering a work load made much heavier than normal by the war. All they ask is this legislation which would give them a weekly pay increase of less than «8. They would be happy to carry a million letters from you to your Senators urging them to approve the Burch-Mead bill before Congress adjourns for the summer.” , Mr. Doherty pointed out that the House had passed the bill by a vote of 361 to 1 but he warned that the measure may be buried in the Senate in the rush for adjournment. If that happens, he said, postal employes wiU kme the temporary wartime bonus they have been getting, which expires June 30, and suffer a $6 weekly pay cut beginning July 1. This will reduce the pay of top grade letter carriers to $30 a week, after withholding tax and retirement contributions have been deducted from his pay check. Enactment of the Burch-Mead bill, he emphasised, will offset this loss and give the nation’s postal employes their first increase in basic pay in more than twenty years. WLB VOICES FAITH IN UNION BARGAINING —V— WASHINGTON.—-WLB has “put its chips on collective bargaining to do the job" of determining appropri ate wage structures for plants con verting from war production to civil ian goods, said Chairman George W. Taylor in a press conference following a statement on this subject issued by the board. “We have great confi dence in the strength of the collective bargaining process and in the ability of both employes and employers and | trade union representatives to work out this highly technical job of saying what wage structures are going to be utilied to make refrigerators instead of tanks," he said. “It is important that such sched ules be developed quickly that (1) jobs can be made readily available for people who are displaced from war jobs, and (2) that we might promptly get civilian production backk in the channels of trade. We think this problem is one the parties themselves can do better than the War Labor Board, and quicker. 52 Million MikT Of Transportation Saved On Ban Of I5i g umventions —V— WASHINGTON. — An estimated saving of more than 52,000,000 pas senger miles in three months as a re sult of the convention ban was an nounced by the War Committee on Conventions. The committee received 1,088 applications for the holding of conventions and group meetings in February, March and April. Of this total 69 were approved, 684 were denied, and 336 were for meetings not covered by the restriction. The anticipated attendance at the cancelled gatherings is set by the committee at 806,000. On the basis of the use of rail transportation by 65 percent of those attending and an average round trip of 810 miles each, this would mean a saving of 52,000, 000 rail passenger miles owing direct ly to committee action during the three months. The committee further pointed out that “if the pent-up convention de mands were to be released at the same time military requirements are ex panded (in accordance with the Army’s redeployment plan) the effect upon the railroads and the hotels would be cataclysmic.” WOMEN WANT TO CONTINUE IN INDUSTRY —V— WASHINGTON. D. C.—The Wom en’s Bureau of the Department of Labor has just released the first of the surveys it is making in war pro duction centers to see how many women want to go on working after the shooting stops. It shows that three out of every four in the Detroit area plan to con tinue and that with 86 per cent of them it is a matter of necessity, rath er than choice. They have families or others dependent upon them and “hub by” doesn’t get enough to meet the family budget. ---V— The health-wealthy-wise affirm That early birds obtain the worm (The worm rose early too!) —Frederick ^Locker- Lampson. Mistress: “This food tastes terrible. Did you salt it?” New Coolc: “Yes’m, but I never used that brand before. It was called Ep som Salts." When Children Get Old-Age And Sur vivors Benefits Old-Age and Survivors Insurance benefits are now being paid every month to about 1,506 boys and girls, under age 18, who live in the Char lotte, N. C. area. In the whole State of North Carolina there are some 13, 500 youngsters who receive these monthly payments as provided by the Social Security Act for children, un der age 18, of deceased wage earners. In many cases the mother also gets benefits. Lone T. Proctor, manager of the Charlotte, N. C. office of the Social Security Board, aaid today that the widow of an insured workers, regard less of age, is eligible for benefits if she has, m her care, his children, step children, or adopted children, under age 18. She may apply for her bene fits at the same time that she claims payments for the children. Monthly benefits are payable, also, for the children, stepchildren, or adopted children, under age 18, of a retired worker who is receiving month ly payments of Social Insurance. Ap plication for the children’s benefits may be made at the time that the parent Hies his own claim. 150,000 WORKERS ARE NEEDED IN TEXTILE MFG. WASHINGTON. — To meet textile production goals, 160,000 additional workers are necessary, and of these 50,000 are needed immediately, WPB Chairman J. A. Krug said in a report on the textile and leather situation. Military requirements for cotton tex tiles for the third quarter of 1946, one a one-front war basis, are at new record highs, above the level that the textile industry had been supplying for a two-front war, and require ments for wool textiles and knot goods remain high, Krug said. Supply of these materials has been declining steadily for two years, the report points out, and in the third quarter will be some 20 percent below the record high of 1942. A DESCRIPTION OF “BIG INCH” TRANSPOTTION —V— it requires 6,706,000 barrels at crude oil and petroleum products to fill the “Big Inch” (24-inch) and the “little Big Inch” (20-inch) pipelines according to the Petroleum Admini stration of War. About 3,836,000 barrels of crude oil fill the ‘Big Inch” line, and 2,870,000 barrels of products fill the “Little Big Inch.” Three 1, 600-horsepower centrifugal pumps, de veloping in excess of 800 pounds pres sure, are required to moe the “Big Inch's” load 50 miles. To moe crude oil from Longview, Texas, to New York, 26 pump states, each with three such pumps, are necessary. The “Lit tle Big Inch" line has 29 pumping stations. BUY WAR BONDS OVER $750,000 PRESSMAN’S HOME, Tenn., May 5.—The International Printing Press man and Assistants Union of North American have already purchased $244,193 in War Bonds during the Seventh War Loan drive and will probably reach a drive figure of over $760,000 before June 30. The union’s complete total of War Bond invest ments to date is over $8 million, ac cording to a report recently received by the U. S. Treasury’s War Finance Division from Joseph G. Orr, Inter national Secretary-Treasurer of the union. NEW HAVEN ADOPTS MODEL ORDINANCE PERMITTING CITY WORKERS TO UNIONIZE NEW HAVEN, Conn.—The New Haven Board of Aldermen passed a comprehensive ordinance which protects city employes in their right to join unions. The ordinance was described by Harold V. Fein mark, secretary-treasurer |>f the Connecticut Fed eration of Labor, as “one of the broadest la^of its kind passed by any municipal legislative body in the country.” The Connecticut Federation of Labor was especially active in working for the passage of the bUl which, it is expected, will be copied in other cities. * -1 ■•••■ as a result ol organizing work by the New Haven Central Labor Coun cil in conjunction with the American Federation of State, County, and Mu nicipal Employes, locals of the police, fire, and school custodians have been set up in New Haven, and a teachers local is now being planned. The ordi nance will give great impetus to the dnve to organise all city employes. Because other cities will be interest ed in this progressive new law, the text of the New Haven ordinance is published herewith: “Be it ordained by the Board of Aldermen of the City of New Haven: “1* , il i* hereby affirmed that all municipal employes shall have the right to form or join organizations of. their own choosing, for the purpose] of their mutual aid and benefit. “2. No city official or his represen tative, and no city board or member thereof, shall interfere with, restrain, or coerce municipal employes in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in Sectiop 1. “3. No eity official or his represen tative, and no city board or member thereof, shall interfere with the ad ministration of any organization which municipal employes may form or join, nor shall he contribute financal sup port to any such organzation. “4.. Whenever formed, such orgah izations of municipal employes shall prohibit any employe from partici pating in a stoppage of work or in a strike against the city of New Haven. “6. All departmental administra tive heads of the city of New Haven shall formulate and establish in their respective departments or agencies, effective machinery whereby griev ances, complaints, problems or sug gestions may be presented by the said organizations and/or their duly au thorized representatives. “6. It is hereby affirmed that no employe shall be punished, disciplined, or discriminated against, nor shall his status, position, salary advancement, or any other rights be affected in any way by reason of his membership in any such organizations, or his lawful activities therein. “7. The mayor shall have the right to intervene in any dispute be tween any such organization and any department of the city, if he deems it desirable or necessary in the inter est of the city.” FLORIDA ANTI-UNION LABOR LAW DSCLARED VALUD BY STATE COURT; WILL GOTO U.S.SUPREME COURT TOn uita. wiJkeST"8810" b*‘ " makes possibl. a -fret-iW for tk.t ^.“25213 2*2 ZtL • that the vear-old «m»»d«L»? lth “• national labor relations act. It held power; * “ d t ma *" •PP«,opriate exercise of the state’s police be prSo^Suy“.epwaleihtotaTirhr Fed<ratl°" « said the ruling would had refected tP££?,2f , «• «• *• ■■prenie court, which in another case today £e stita. ^ “ **W re<,U,r,nK UB,OM *** ^eir agents to be licensed by and Ik. rifkt. of „p~rf.. ss±3vs A*SS?a aMSByrt! «k, wlSrfSSJSS? wt,T£2r “w-kw*. k.,. .ii o~ f- O, 52 KrtT 252, *5fiT2«£ ok|“u“ — -’ __ FQQP RATION STAMPS GOOD I FEa | MUt. I APR I MAY I JUwT JUUf AUG. I JMD STAj “ I—.-I*.' - — ■■■ ■— THRU JUNE 2 | FROM MAT I THRU AUtt 3> qqqA lift JuM WWW vwvv^P BUI! STAMPS THRU JUNE 2 -1-1 1 i i I FROM MAY I __I THRU AUG. 31 N«xt stamps bacoma good in June I I I I SUGAR STAMPS • I t I — I I - I 1 ■ I 1 SII«A*J THRO JUNE 2 T.. I i-r1 , ^ pas cup nm cm apt pop nrrum pcnpemct
The Charlotte Labor Journal and Dixie Farm News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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June 14, 1945, edition 1
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