Newspapers / The Charlotte Labor Journal … / Aug. 9, 1945, edition 1 / Page 1
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Tkm ONLY REALLY INDEPENDENT WEEKLY la Meekfcnbqrg Co—ty For » Weekly Ito R—dm Ropro—t tba L ARGEST BUYING POWER i» Cb—lottt ' p™ cbartotte Jtaboi* Journal Endoreed by the N. C. State AND DIXIE FARM NEWS Official Organ of Central Labor Union; Standing _ Federation of Labor _ _ _'or F' ~' —: :-_ VOL XV. No. 12 *— emmenemmn « th. ~ . — CHARLOTTE, N. C„ THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 1945 J~“t **- •“ ~ $2.00 Par Yau v • *•**• Irtir ' % Of f 1— * H*»**«F . Back Up The Boys itH BOND5 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. - - - ■ - . — \ J Tobin Warns Democrats-G. 0. P.; Says That Congress Should Not Even Consider The B-B-H Bill By DANIEL J. TOBIN The new bill introduce! in the United States Senate by Sena tors Ball, Burton and Hatch should certainly be a warning to the men and women of labor as to what is in the minds of our legis lators, who believe that they are expressing, or endeavoring to put into law, the thoughts .and ideas of the masses of the American people. This bill, if enacted—which it will not be, this time at least _would destroy all the progressive work and the humanitarian laws that have been enacted since March, 1933. If the Republicans in the Senate and House favor this legislation they will destroy themselves for the next 25 years. If the Democrats outside the South, favor this legislation they will destroy themselves. They will be lay ing the ground work for a third party which may be based on extreme radi calism. That third party would not get anywhere for a while, but it might control, in a few years, sufficient votes to hold the balance of power between the two parties. I have always been opposed to a third party in the years past, but after 38 years as an* International labor official, I have reached the con clusion that something must be done by the men and women of America to show to the bosses in the state and nation—or the would-be bosses— that they are digging their own graves by even seriously considering the Ball-Burton-Hatch Bill. I have repeatedly said in the last 20 years that the unjust actions of the big monopolies in their attempt to crush the working men and women of America, brought about the passage of the Wagner Act and several other legislative acts that gave a semblance of freedom to the working people. The more employers go to the right in endeavoring to shackle labor, the more they will drive labor to the left. f History has proven Jthis — the French Revolution, our own Revolu tion, the Bolshevik movement in Rus sia, which crushed oppressors. There is a handful of large industrialists in America who are just as stupid today blinded by their bitterness and bigo as they were 40 years ago. They are try, which many of them inherited, and they don't seem to change. Of course there is some improvement and some decent employers have seen the light. Men like Stetinius and a host of others. And they have had intelligence enough to know that if they want to preserve themselves, their class, and the American system of allowing honest capital to continue in our country, they must change from the old system of crush and i crush and make more money, even at the expense of the blood of the work ers. t Is there any man more forgotten to day in our country than Andrew Car negie, who crushed the steel workers for years, who died and left over one hundred million dollars, and who was repudiated even in the country which gave him birth, Scotland? I want our American system to pre vail. That means decent, honest cap ital should be allowed to continue and should have a fair return on its in vestments. But the labor-hating poli ticians, backed by the money, indi rectly in many cases, of labor-hating employers, are endeavoring and will eventually pull down our systeam of government. I am not afraid of the Communists taking over control un less the employers drive the masses of God-fearing workers into the ranks of the Communists. Senator Hatch is a pretty decent fellow: usually he is right with labor; and why he should tie himself up with Ball and Burton, two employer-mind ed Republicans, is something that it is difficult to understand. Surely Sen ator Ball will not help the candidacy for the presidency of the man who helped to make him senator, Mr. Stas sen. Surely the Democrats should know that it was the masses of the people, the workers, organised and unorganised, that returned them to office successfully for the past 14 years. Surely they know that if they sway or backtrack themselves into the old conservative, extremely labor hating Democratic policy, they will be wiped out for another 12 or 15 years, as they were after the passing of Woodrow Wilson. If the Democratic Party, honeycombed by some reac tionaries, cannot learn anything from experience, then they are com mitting suicide. One thing alone is certain and that is that labor in all its branches will unify in one solid mass against even serious consideration of the Ball-Burton-Hatch reactionary, destructive, hateful bill. —:-v CUTBACKS—Did you know that the large French order for American freight cars, as well as a smaller one for India, has been suspended? And that Russia’s order for 500 locomo tives has been cut so that fewer than 26 Owill be taken? The trade winds * say Belgian and Cxechoslovakian rail , equipment makefs offered like pro ducts at better terms. — Observer Trade Winds.” N. C. BUILDING TRADES MAKE GAINS IN RATE SALISBURY, N. C.—Organizer A. E. Brown, of the State Federation of Labor, reports great gains made in wage rates by the building and con struction trades of Tarheelia. For several years wage rates in many trades have been lower in North Caro lina than in adjoining states. At the 1944 convention of the State Federa tion of Labor a survey of wage rates was ordered made. Organizer Brown was assigned to the task, and with the representatives of numerous Interna tional Unions, the survey was com pleted and presented to the Wage Adjustment Board in Washington. A panel hearing was held in March, at which time the unions wop a most favorable decision. The Associated General Contractors appeared before the Wage Adjust ment- Board and made strenuous ob jections to the granting of any in creases. The Board, however, recom mended increases and the WLB okey ed the panel report of the Wage Ad justment Board. Increases for the Trades in East ern Carolina were far greater than in the other sections of the state, due to the former small wage rates in ef fect. For illustration, the minimum rates for carpenters throughout the state were set at $1.12Mi an hour. Heretofore, the rate had been 90 cents in Eastern Carolina, Common labor in the Eastern tier of counties for building and construction labor had been 40 cents an hour. This was increased by the Wage Adjustment Board to 60 cents an nour. The new rates are state-wide, and cover both Federal and non-Federal jobs. 374,000 Vets Placed In Civil Service WASHINGTON —More than 16,000 veteran placements were made in the Federal civil service during June, the U. S. Civil Service Commission an nounced. More than 96,000 such place ments have been made during the first six months of 1945. The total for the last 2& years is more than 374, 000. The monthly veteran-placement av erage is steadily increasing, the Com mission said. During 1943, a total of 136,665 veteran placements were made. This was an average of 11,389 a month. During 1944, the total was 142,438—an average of 11,870 a month. The monthly average during the first six months of 1945 was about 16,000. _ “FIGHT - WORK - SAVE” OUT OF EVERY PAY ENVELOPE BUY WAR BONDS THE A. F. OF L. STANDS WITH AND FOR THE FUG Equal-Pay Principle Of Women Workers Brings Union Praise; 18000,000 Are To Be Released WASHINGTON.—Women do the job but are they paid rates based on the job? Not often enough, says the Women’s Bureau of the U. S. Department of Labor, in its new leaflet, “Rate for the Job.” Substantiating its statement that women too frequently receive “fe male” rates instead of rates for the job, the leaflet states that in 25 se lected industries studied by the Na tional Industrial Conference Board it was revealed that men’s average hourly earnings in all occupations were 50 percent higher than those of women and that in unskilled occupa tions men’s average hourly earnings topped those of women by 20 percent. Bright spot in the whole pay situ ation as it relates to the Nation’s 18, 000,000 women workers, however, is the significant work being done by organized labor to make the equal pay principle effective, according to the publication. Concerning this, it says: “All international unions sur veyed by the Women’s Bureau sub scribe to the policy of rate for the job, and during the war period have given increasing attention to imple menting this policy.” Of 80 union contracts covering 75, 000 women workers, one-half were found to have provided for equal pay in the contract, one-half called for the same automatic progression for men and women, and one-third stipulated that the entrance rate for men and women should be, the same. -Ly-: ALL WASHED UP Conditions seem about the same all over. A Briton complains to his fav orite newspaper that the laundry re turns the right buttons but he can’t | find the shirt. ^r n ■' .... — , , M n ■ ■■ ■■■ RAILROADS IN NEED OF 100,000 NEW WORKERS WASHINGTON. — One hundred thousand experienced workers are needed at once in railroad work; 66, 000 are needed on western lines. Act ing WPB Chairman J. D. Small said in a statement issued in connection with an order placing 17 western railroads on the National Production Urgency List. In additipn, WMC has accorded priority 1, hitherto reserved for military programs of highest ur gency, to interregional orders from these railroads. This permits them to recruit labor outside their own man power regions and authorizes local WMC offices to refer qualified work ers in 22 occupations to the roads without requiring certificates of availability. "American railroads last year did the biggest job in their history to move our armies and supplies to ports for the climax of the two-front war,” Small said. They must do an even big ger job to fill the pipelines for the final offensive against Japan. We have achieved tremendous production for this war. Now we must deliver the goods. “To speed final victory, we must mass all of our power in the Pacific," Small said. NEW LABOR SECRETARY ENDORSES INDUSTRIAL PEACE CONFERENCE GREEN SAYS A.F.L. READY TO HELP WASHINTON.—Secretary of Labor Schrwellenbach Indorsed last Friday a suggestion that he sponsor a general industrial peace conference, but it may not be held until his contemplated depart mental reorganization is accomplished. The proposal came from Senator Vandenberg, Republican of Michigan, who wrote the new cabinet member a recommendation that leading repre sentatives of industry, labor, and gov ernment be called together to seek a program for avoidance of strife in the reconversion period. Schwellenbach, in an immediate re ply, assured his former Senate col league that he has “been thinking more and more during these last few weeks about the desirability of call ing a conference of industry and la bor.” Other government officials con cerned with labor said the Secretary is sold on the idea and probably will carry it out. But they pointed out that Schwellenbach is deeply immersed in the job of streamlining labor af fairs. They indicated they will ad vise with him to postpone any such major project as the proposed confer ence, until that job is done. Schwellenbach had hoped to have his labor reorganization plan blue printed by August 1, including a de cisionu on proposals that all such agencies as the War Labor board, Na tional Labor Relations board, and other divorced divisions be integrated in the single department. He had planned if possible to have the pro gram actually in operation by Sep tember 1 except for any such parts of it as might require legislation. Present indications are that the best Schwellenbach can hope for now is to have an outline of the plan ready by the time President Truman re turns from Potsdam, with effectuation still at least weeks away. Vandenberg, who was a delegate to the San Francisco conference which set up the United Nations organiza tion, urged that top men in each of the nation’s economic divisions follow the example set on the west coast, when delegates from 50 nations sat together and “frankly faced” their problems in a “triumph of the council table.” Industrial peace, the Michigan sen ator wrote, cannot “be dictated by summary legislation.” But it can be set up by law, he asserted, “by the common recommendation of all con cerned if they can meet together, un der proper auspices, to face a chal lenge which cannot swered." f Asking “is it impossible to apply this (San Francisco) formula at home,” Vandenberg said he was spe cially concerned lest “needless strife” interfere with reconversion “and per manently jeopardize the country and all its citizenship.” The senator wrote that there al ready is a sturdy base of common agreement among the industrial, la bor, and governmental interests in volved. In that category he placed indus trial acceptance of collective bargain ing as an integral part of labor rela tionships to be supported by law, la bor realization that “irresponsible strikes and subversive attacks upon essential production" threaten labor's own interests, and government know) edge that “social 'Statutes are futile except as they largely stem from mu tual wisdom and mutual consent.” GREEN’S STATEMENT. William Green, president of the American Federation of labor, said in a statement on the Van denberg proposa I: “The American Federation of labor has always been read y to sit down with representatives of industry for the purpose of pro moting more co-operative rela tionships and establishing indus trial peace. “1 shall, therefore, be glad to submit the specific proposals of Senator Vandenberg and Secre tary of Labor Schwellenbach to the executive council of the Amer ican Federation of Labor at its meeting next week in Chicago.” LOCAL HELPS TO RECRUIT SHIP WORKERS WASHINGTON.—Adding its voice to the campaign to recruit merchant seamen from shore employment, is Local 6, of New York, Hotel and Club Employes Union, AFL. A recent issue of Hotel and Club Voice, official pub lication of the local, carries a plea by M. J. Obermeier,‘president of the lo cal, pointing out that seagoing cooks, bakers, butchers and Others are ur gently needed, and asking for volun teers among his membership to ship out if only for one trip bring the vet erans home. “The War Shipping Administration asked the union to help man the steward’s department of more than 300 ships,” the article says. “Failure to recruit enough men for this work promptly would delay scheduled sail ings. Among those urgently needed are men with ratings as stewards, stew ard-storekeepers, chef-chief cooks, cooks, former Army cooks, butchers, bakers, pantrymen, dskistant store keepers, linenkeepers, messmen, and utility men for bakers, pantry and galley. Men with shore experience in restaurants, bakeries or butcher shops also will be acceptable.” , -.—V Ration Book No. 5 Is The Size Of $1 Bill WASHINGTON.War Ration Book Five, “smaller than a dollar bill” and containing just half as many stamps as the last book issued, will be dis tributed through the public schools in December, OPA Administrator Chest er Bowles, announced. At the same time, the new "A” gasoline ration book will be issued. Distribution will take place from December 3 through December 15. The new “A” gasoline books will go into use December 22, and War Ration Book Five will be used soon after the first of the year. HWTf MAVSS ASWCU AS MACK meMtvt AMERICA OHLf JQE WORKER CA, -HTUKED 5ERWWrE* AMO . cRM HUM «>A AV* TO TS* YEARS INSTEAD Of L,fS. RUT ITEM SLAVERY JUST TUE SAME IT TOOK A LOR© TIME EERORE WHITE *INDENTURES- WERE A*© USNED- IT TOOK A LONG** time to oer Rio of negro SLAVERY- AND IT TOOK STILL LONGER IP WEE THE RAC row WORKER, WHITE OR.... gtACtl, FROM INTOLERABLE Sweatshop CONDITIONS. we FOUGHT FOR FREE' ■ DoMlNISTS AND IN 1961 i WE are still fighting <« A COUPON WHARF IN IATH. ye don't Y RAVE TUR ^ WORRY. MATSV. JES' SIGN | tws m*kb « I DENTURE, AH' rrs r& per AMERICA Ah' YER FORTUNE1 . BUT WHEN THEY LAMPED IH VIRGINIA rwgy found things o/ffwcw ... what ami offered ^ FOR mis FINE FAMILY* SEVEN YEAR INDENTURE. HB MMS WROH&' WHITS AMO BLACK IWKe BOTH SLAVAS.... PABJWft, re LAZY 1 POOS! TOBACCO SPOILS QUICK! F * 1 1' JOE WORKER WAS RIGHT... EOR WHEN BACON TOOK SiCK, THE WHOLE MOVEMENT COLLAPSED I'M SOAXY, MEN. \ you'll have ro &O OM WITHOUT MB
The Charlotte Labor Journal and Dixie Farm News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Aug. 9, 1945, edition 1
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