Newspapers / The Charlotte Labor Journal … / Nov. 22, 1945, edition 1 / Page 1
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r labor Journal* -.g , Dept- uW.rt (AND DIXIE FARM NEWS) l Charlotte t entral Labor Union and Affiliated Crafts—Endorsed By North ibor and Approved By The America i Federation of Labor. t _— __ ^ 'TiimtSD.W, NOVEMBER 22, 1945 Price 5c Per Copy Subscription Price $2.00 Per Yw Workers Spurn Job Offers Because V Take-Home Pay Is Cut In Half WASHINGTON, D. C.—Ameri can workers who have lost th*ir jobs since V-J Pay are refusing to accept new employment offered them because the wages are from 34 io 53 per cent lower than they earned before. This was announced bf die United States Employment Seryitp after a sWvey of cor 'three “typical" cities—Atlanta, Co lumbus and Trenton. . ^ Labor surveys also disclosed that many discharged servicemen also are refusing to take jobs at cat rate wages, preferring to get along on unemployment compen sation until a better break turns up. The Employment Service said there was no mystery behind the fact that available jobs are going begging while more than 1,500,000 persons jtre looking for work. The jobs now being offered, its studies disclosed, would mean a cut in take-home pay averaging from 34 to 49 per cent for men and from 49 to S3 per cent for women. Explaining, the USES said the lower-skilled jobs available paid lower wages,, and a further cut resulted from reduction of the work-week from 48 to 40 hours. The USES gave these other rea sons in answering the question, HOI CARRIERS All COMMON LABORERS 1 6ET WA6E INCREASES ATLANTA, GaJohn S. Tur ner, representative of Hod Car riers and Common Laborers, an nounces the folowing wage in creases from the Wage Adjustment Board for Building and Construc tion Work, U. S. Department of Labor, for Clayton, Fulton and Do* Kalb counties, -Georgia, on the fol lowing classifications: Air Tool Operators from .75 to AO; Laborers, unskilled 50 to .65; Mason Tenders A7 1-2 to .75; Mor tar Mixers from .57 1-2 to .75; Pipe layers, concrete and clay, .70 j to .75; Plasterers' tenders .57 1-2 to .75; Carpenters’ tenders .57 to .70. The above adjusted rates are authorised for members of Con struction and General Laborer* Union No. 438, to apply on non Federal building, heavy and high way construction work. It was also the decision of the Board to rec ommend recognition of the above authorised rates in the next wage determination issued by the Sec retary of Labor pursuant to the amended. Da vis-Bacon act, with re spect to Federal building and heavy construction work in the above counties. “why are there large numbers of workers seeking employment when there are also large numbers of job openings?**: 1. The labor market was inflat ed during the war by inclusion of many workers who had learned only a single skill. 2. There are few, if any, peace time jobs calHng for these limited skills. 3. A sharp redaction In the num ber of jobs available in fee skilled categories, 4. Most available jobs are for men while most of the job seekers are women. The USES's last check, made several weeks ago, listed some 700,000 job openings for the coun try as a whole. The report said that more than half the Atlanta men seeking un employment compensation had earned more than $50 a week on their latest jobs, “but such wages can be earned on only 12 per cent of the jobs open to men in Atlanta at the time of the survey.” In Trenton, more than 60 per cent of the male applicants earned $60 a week or more on their last jobs, but 95 per cent of the avail able jobs paid less than this, while two out of three paid less than |40, according to the USES. The report said that in Colum bua, a majority of male applicants had recent earnings of 955 or htre, “but now only 7 per cent of the jobs pay this much.** ■ - - — ■ DECATUR TEXTILE LOCAL OBTAINS TOP AGREEMENT DECATUR, Ala.—Local Union No. 88, United Textile Workers of America, AFL, has signed an agreement with the Goodyear De catur mills which is said to be the only textile local union in the South to obtain the War Labor Board’s textile peg points, either by agreement or through WLB or der. R. O. Ross, regional director for A. F. of L. in charge of the Birmingham office, assisted the local union officials and commit tee in negotiations with the com pany and before the WLB. Mr. Ross has sent a letter of commen ds ton to President William P. Lee and the local committee of No. 88 for their united efforts in obtain ing this top flight agreement for their membership. UNION GIVES CARDS TO SERVICE HOSPITALS Chicago. — Earl W. Jimerson, president of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Work men of North America, announced that the union has presented 5,000 decks of playing cards to 60 army and navy hospitals for the diver sion of convalescing servicemen. AFL Unions Propose Parley To Promote Better Government WASHINGTON, D. C.—A pro- , posal for a labor-management conference to promote better gov ernment was submitted to Presi 1 dent Truman by the Government Employes Council of the American Federation of Labor. In a letter to the President, Fos ter J. Fratt, secretary-treasurer of s the cotkncil, said: "In the past, various ‘experts,’ many of them actually subsidised by large corporations, have man aged to set themselves up in the center of governmental operations and to radiate their assumed influ ence to the best advantage of themselves. Now, that the war is over, it seems entirely possible that this same influence will be to bear to take over the influen tial sons of government. It is the fervent hope of this council that if there now are plans or if any plans poon are tq be unfolded m this direction that the leaders of V . "v ■ __ this council may have the cour tesy of a consultation before they are adopted or announced. “We believe the subject of bet ter government is of such vital in terest to the President of the Unit ed States that you may want to consider the announcement of and convening at an early date of all leaders of whatever persuasion to general conference in Washington to torn their attention to sugges tions to be submitted to you to bring abou| efficiency in all phases of executive government. “Certainly the Government Em ployes Council of the American Federation of Labor stands pre pared to bear its portion of respon sibility of any assignment which you determine as result of setting up such conference. If you will be good enough to indicate your de sire to call such a conference at a convenient date, rest assured this council will remain on call.” HI mm . ■ , V . V V-For Victory and Vindication Ho ten Ex-Prisoner of War Camp, Mukden, Manchuria, * August 19. 1946. Dear Mom, Dad and Gram: At the present moment I am sitting here in a quandry at. a complete loss at how to begin. ; After 44 months it’s all over. 1 j Today is Sunday. I have just come back from a Thanksgiving Mass, at which I received Com- 1 munion. Needless to say I of- ' fered it up in thanksgiving for bringing me safely through. Yes, I am safe and well. Safe for the first time in three and one half years. There are not many of the “Boys of Bataan” left now. But through battle and prison (which tnakes battle seem like a Sunday Schbol picnic) somehow I have been spared. You must have been busy with your prayers. I The details of my experiences can wait until I see yea. How ever, a rough idea . . . Daring the fighting in Bataan I served with and. eesanumded goad eld Company “I" 4fith Infantry (PS). Oar Battalion participated in three engagements — Abacay, Quinaaan Point and the Pantigan River. After the surrender (at which I cursed like a trooper and cried like a baby), I was in the Death March out of Bataan. (I’ve been in all the main acts). Then to O’Donnell P. O. W. Camp (1,600 , died in two months of starvation, 1 disease, etc.). Next to Cabana tuan Camp (over 2,000 there). Then by Prison ship to Davao { Penal Colony, Mindano where we worked like coolies in jungle and rice paddie Back in the hold of a prison ship to Manila. (Only one (Please Tara to Page 4) Great Need For Co-operation Labor-Management Stressed; Government Is Asked To Aid Maternity And Child Health Bill Endorsed WASHINGTON, D. C.—AFL President William Green in formed Chairman Murray of the Senate Committee on Education and Labor that the AFL Social Security Committee has en dorsed the Pepper bill providing a program for maternity and child birth. In a letter to Sen ator Murray, Mr. Green said: “Our membership, which has al ways concerned itself with the broad social needs of the nation, has - been profoundly shocked by the report that 40 out of every 100 men examined by Selective Service were found unlit for mili tary service because of physical and mental defects, many of which could have been corrected or pre vented in childhood. “This startling fact demands prompt and drastic action by the Federal government to put within reach of every one of its citisens food medical care and health services. We believe the passage of the Wagner-Murray-Dingell bill will achieve this urgent objective and are giving unremitting support to that measure. “Without relaxing our efforts to obtain the passage of that bill, we are persuaded that action must be taken without delay on S. 1318 which would be a first step in building a comprehensive national health program by placing medical care and welfare services immedi ately within reach of all mothers and children. "Two emergency situations make immediate action on S. 1318 neces sary. One is the imminent termi (Please Turn to Page 4) — THANKSGIVING FOR ALL — k p Washington, D. C. — Harry C. Bates, chairman of the Housing Committee of the American Federation of Labor, warned that “the housing shortage is about to become the number one threat to the American postwar standard of living with homelessness a reality for American families in thousands of communities within a year.” Speaking before the meeting of • the National Association of Home builders at the Statler hotel here, Mr. Bates called for “close and positive working co-operation among homebuiiding enterprise, homebuiiding labor and the gov ernment toward achieving a long tange goal of unified national housing policy , which would enable private enterprise and local initia- i tive to make a maximum contri bution to the welfare of the en tire people.” A summary of Mr. Bates’ statement follows: "Intolerance overcrowding is al ready a reality most of our com munities are witnessing today. Tomorrow holds a real threat of actual homelessness to many American families. Over 1, 500,000 married veterans are al ready in immediate need of homes. More than 1,500,000 returning veterans are expected to marry and establish new homes within next year, but will find no place to set up new households. Some 3,000,000 new homes will there* for# b* sought in the course of next year by veterans alone, with a prospect of not more than 400, 000 to 500,000 built next year and most of them at prices out of reach of the veteran. There is no blinding of the fact that the hous ing shortage is about to become the number one threat to the American post-war standard of living. That threat must be met with promptness and courage through a co-operative effort of building business, labor and the government. "Among the immediate prob lems facing us now, the foremost is that of an inflationary price boom. We must avert the danger of (I) a large mass of our fam ilies being priced out of homes; (2) the homes to be built being priced out of reach of the mass market; and (3) the homebuilders being priced out of investment op portunities with workers being priced out of jobs. “Real estate and home-price in flation cannot talk ourselves into price stability. Nor can the prob lem be equitably solved by snap judgment. The American Federa tion of Labor and the Building Trades department are now mak ng a careful and searching study of ways and means to meet , this complex and challenging problem. “The building trades are doing their full part to assure an ade quate supply of labor in all classes of skills to meet the demand for an expanding homebuiiding pro gram in all parts of the country. (Please Turn to Page 4) WEYLER POINTS TO DANGER AHEAD UNLESS LABOR ACTS XT ONCE PADUCAH, Ky,—Secretary E. H. Weyler, of the Kentucky Fed eration of Labor, aaya our “econ omy cannot stand another depres sion without winding up with a military dictatorship.” He spoke here in completing a whirlwind campaign, which has taken him into every principal city of thi State, sounding as the keynote of his masterful appeal the follow ing. “A job for every man and wom an who wants to work should be the primary objective of Congress in the months ahead. It's up to us, the members of organised labor, to see that Congress really represents the will of the people and votes through a vigorous pro gram of full employment. Our economy cannot stand an other depression without running the risks of getting a military dic tatorship inside of 10 years. If we have- to go through another period like we did in the M’s, with our citisens standing in bread lines and our veterans selling ap ples on the street corners, our economy will collapse and reaction ary elements in the country will rise up to take over. Our people will be so desperate they will be willing to follow and demagogue who promises them jobs. Brothers and sister, it is up to us to get our representatives in Washington to see the folly of their do-nothing attitude toward the Hurray Full Employment Bill or worse yet, the sabotaging of the bill through at tempting to kill it with crippling amendments. We must act; we must act fast: we must let our Senators and Congressmen know that the only alternative to full employment is economic disaster.” TALLAHASSEE PRESSMEN OBTAIN INCREASE OF $12^0 TALLAHASSEE. Fla. — Local union No. 193, Printing Pressmen and Assistants Union, AFL, nego tiated a renewal of union contract here with the Rose Printing com pany which provides for an in crease in wages of $12.50 a week. George O. Baker, representative of the Pressmen’s International, assisted the local’s president* Robe. W. McCreary, and the scale com mittee in the negotiations. Clothing Industry’s Strike Forces New Price Boost WASHINGTON, D. C.—The clo thing industry has pulled a suc cessful strike against the govern uent and the nation’s consumers. Refusal of maufacturers to pro luce lower-priced garments finally orced the Office of Price Admin st ration to grant the industry an tther 15 per cent increase in ceil ig prices for such merchandise as jnderwear, pajamas, hosiery, shirts and handkerchiefs. When labor strikes, the newspa pers and Congress go into connip tion fits—but apparently it’s per fectly all right for industry to em ploy the same tactics because or ganised labor was forced to carry on a lone light against the price increases. For the past two years tho OPA has tried to keep cheap clothing prices at about their 1943 levels, which were M course, marked away ap from prewar standards. The OPA excused its eluu** of policy by pointing out that amst of the affected items had dias* peared from the market, leaeiiig only the highest-priced merehan lise available to purchasers. Un der the revised order, the OPA said, the lower priced garments will again become available, al though the retail selling prices will be “slightly” higher.
The Charlotte Labor Journal and Dixie Farm News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Nov. 22, 1945, edition 1
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