JOURNAL’S POLICY
The Charlotte Labor Journal
welcomes suggestions and con
structive criticism. Its objec*
in to promote organisation of
the unorganised, to help bring
. about a better understanding
between employer and employe,
thereby gaining a better stand
ard of living for the worker.
Progreso shall always govern
The Journal’s opinions.
VoL XV; No. 28
She Charlotte
(AND DIXIE FARM NEWS)
A Newspaper Dedicated To The Interests of Charlotte Central Labor Union and Affiliated
Carolina Federation of Labor and Approved By The American Federation of Labor.
Price $2.00 Per Year
Published Weekly
CHARLOTTE, N. CM THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29. 1945
Price 5c
Billion Dollars In
Victory Bonds Sold
By American Legion
Indianapolis, Ind. — The 12,739
post of The American Legion
were responsible for the sales of
at least 11,130,000,000 worth of
War Bonds during the sixth and
sevqntl^ /loan drives.
This is the estimate of Past Na
tional Commander Daniel J. Do
herty, Boston, Mass., who served
as chairman of the Legion’s War
Bond sales campaigns.
Chairman Doherty also an
nounced that a survey of 6,923
Legion posts disclosed a total of
$22,265,792 of post funds invested
in War Bonds.
Prisoners To Be Removed
From Jobs In The State
Raleigh, Nov. 28. — Alter per
forming nearly two million man
days of labor in North Carolina
agriculture and rural industries,
Prisoners of War will be removed
from farms and plants by the end
of this year.
Dr. J. S. Dorton, who, as Stave
director of the War Manpower
Commission and recently of the
United States Employment Service
in the State, has sent letters to
industrial employers of prison
labor notifying them that, due to
availability of more labor for such
work, certificates of need will be
withdrawn as of December 31, and
before that date as civilian labor
becomes available, unless the War
Department withdraws the prison
•era earlier.
Reasons given for this with
drawal of prison labor include: I
return of about 33,000 veterans
each month; about MOO people I
are filing claims for unemployment
benefits; farmers and farm labor
ers are over the peak in emer
gency crop harvesting and mar
keting; many workers have re
turned from war jobs in and qut
side the State; and many new en
trants into the labor market from
many sources.
In addition to more labor be- I
coming available locally, it is the
the known policy of the War De- I
partment to return Prisoners of j
W'ar to their homelands as rapidly J
as possible, depending primarily
on shipping space.
Prisoners of War were first
AGRICULTURAL JOB
OPENINGS DEGREASE
Raleigh, Nov. 28—A decrease of
non-agricultural job openings in
North Carolina in October from
444121 at the beginning of the
month to 37,942 at the end is
shown in the reports of openings
filed bv employers with local of
fices of the United States Employ
ment Service, Dr. J. S. Dorton,
State director of the USES, re
ports.
This decrease of 6.279 job open
ings developed in spite of the fact
that local USES offices in the
State actually placed in local non
agricultural jobs only 9,506 work
ers during October, 287 less than
in September.
In October, 121.687 reception
contacts with the public were made
in local USES offices, the largest
number in any month so far in
1946, except in January, when
164,-759 contacts were made. Of
these, 113,248 were given addition
al service. A total ^of 22,123
were referred to local non-agricul
tural jobs, 9,505, were placed on
local jobs and 120 were placed on
jobs in other areas of the State.
| brought into North Carolina in the
second quarter of 1943, and later
became available for work. At
first the majority were It: Mans,
but these gradually were with*
drawn, and during the past year
only Germans and the natives of
their satellite countries, all in
German armies, were included.
War prisoners were made avail
able for work only when civilian
labor could not be found. Local
USES managers recommended
certification of need and Dr. Dor
ton approved certificates of need.
Certified needs reached as high as
12,000, but the peak of prisoners
employed, reached in October,
1946, was about 6,100. The Agri
cultural Extension Service han
deled certification of prisoners for
farm work after October, 1944.
agreement, war prisoners were in
terchangabie between agriculture
and industries and were used in
•boat equal numbers In these ac
tivities. In agriculture, they
worked primarily in harvesting
peanuts, peaches, hay, silage and
other food and feed crops. In
rural industries, chief work was
in logging, lumbering pulpwood,
fertilizer, and in tobacco and food
processing.
school -Teachers
ORGANIZING LOCAL
UNIONS IN LOUISIANA
New Orleans, La. (SLP) —■
Organization among school teach
ers in many cities of this state in
dicate early establishment of a
state-wide teachers organization
which will add much strength to
the Labor movement in the Pelican
state. School teachers throughout
the South learned a better lesson
during the war, when they had to
either quit the profession or try
♦o live ur*on a pittance. Organiz
ing activities are especially not
able in Baton Rouge, West Baton
Parish, Evangeline Parish, Manou,
Livingston Parish, Albany, and
numerous other cities. Louis P.
S^huoue, AFL Organizer, and E.
H. Bourg, Secretary of the Louis
iana State Federation of Labor,
and many other union officials are
lending every assistance to the
♦eachers in their organizing ef
forts.
AMERICAN CAN COMPANY
RESUMING OPERATIONS
Savannah, Ga. (SLP) — The
American Can Company, closed
during the war, is re-opening and
resuming operations. George H.
McGee, AFL organizer, and of
ficers of the local union which had
contract with the company prior .
to its closing due to the war emer
gency, are negotiating a renewal
agreement with the company.
Boilermakers Affiliate With
Union Label Trades Dept.'
The International Brotherhood
of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Build
ers and Helpers of America re
cently became affiliated with the
Union Label Trades Department
of the American Federation of La
bor, according to an announce
ment made this week by I. M.
Ornbum, Secretary-Treasurer of
the Department.
Under the leadership of its In
ternational officers, President
Charles J. MacGowan and Sec re
tary-Treasurer Wm. J. Buckley,
the boilermakers, iron ship build*
ers and helpers' union has made
unprecedented gains in member
ship and has becdine one of the
larger unions in the American
labor movement.
Its official Shop Card is only
exhibited in shops which have a
signed agreement with the Inter
national Brotherhood of Boiler
makers, Iron Ship Builders and
j Helpers of America.
TELEPHONE WORKERS
IN 19 GEORGIA
CITIES IN UNION
Monroe, Ga. (SLP) — Charter
was installed here last week for
a local union of the IBEW cover
ing: employes of the Georgia Con
tinental Telephone company in 19
Georgia towns. Officers were
elected and a contract approved
for presentation to the company
by the negotiating committee. Mrs.
Julia O. Parker, AFL organizer
assigned to the IBEW assisted the
workers in the organizing cam
paign, presented the charter and
obligated the officers.
STAY AWAY FROM MIAMI.
SO SAYS CENTRAL
LABOR UNION
Miami. Fla. (SLP) — The' fol
lowing timely advice is being sent
out to workers everywhere by the
Miami Central Labor Union, signed
by Roy W. Singer, President and
Clyde Foster, secretary.
"There are hundreds of work
men coming into the Greater Mi
ami area each week seeking em
ployment in all types of industry
who are forced to turn around and
return to their home on account
of lack of housing facilities avail- j
able.
The building: program in the
Greater Miami area has not gotten
under way on account of the short
age of materials and various gov
ernmental restrictions. There is
absolutely no available living space
in Greater Miami for workmen and
their families. Houses and apart
ments are completely filled and it
is rare indeed if one is able to
secure a sleeping room.
“We respectfully advise all
workmen and their families to
stay away from Miami daring the
next five or six-month period on
account of the foregoing.
"We are not sending out his bul
letin endeavoring to scare folks
away from our city, but so that
they might be intelligently in
formed as to the true condition
prevailing here, and so that they
may govern themselves accord*
ingly. Again, we must urge you
not to come to this area, as there
is absolutely no housing facilities
available.”
ROME PLOW COMPANY
SIGNS PACT WITH
BOILERMAKERS
Atlanta, Ga. (SLP) — Union !
-•hop agreements were signed here !
last week by the Boilermakers j
'oeal union and the J, J. Finnigan j
Co., Inc., and the Bridwell Boiler |
Works, the Horace G. Poss Boiler i
Works and the East Point Boiler :
& Welding Company. The Union j
was able to procure numerous ad- j
vancements for the workers in the j
negotiations which were carried j
on in most co-operative manner, j
T. M. Hillis, International repre- 1
sentative, assisted the local union
officials and committees in the
negotiations.
Chicago. 111.—A total of 262,827
members for The American Legion
was secured during 1945 by the
Forty and Eight, the Legion’s fun
and honor organization.
This was one of the highlights
of the annual report prepared by
Spence S. Eceles, of Ogden, Utah,
chef de chemin de fer of the Forty
and Eight, for the 27th annual Le
gion c-jnvention in Chicago.
Chef Eccles reported that the
voyageurs in many states used
their locomotives and box cars
with telling effect in Legion mem
bership drives.
During the year the Forty and
Eight also sponsored the training
of nurses; shipped 1,800,000 decks
of cards to overseas members of
the armed forces; sponsored a
vast program of Christmas parties
for children as well as for hospi
talized veterans; and each yoy
aguer—62,939 cf them—contrib
uted 50 cents each to the Legion’s
national child welfare program.
—
Discouraging founding of new
church-related veterans* organiza
tions, the commission on public in
formation of the Methodist Church,
is recommending (that returning
soldifers and sailors participate
fully in established veterans’
groups. '
WE MADE IT!
Ua&utYOU?
OUR VICTORY LOAN
QUOTA
— 160
150
~ 140
—130
'*—■ 120
110
—90
80
70
• oo
50
— 40
30
— 20
T 10
'<*<*&»*
I
Dr. Dorton, War Manpower
Commission Head, Resigns
(Special Dispatch)
Raleigh, Nov. S8 — Dr. Joseph
S. Dorton, State director of the
War Manpower Commission and
of the tfnited Stytea Employment
Service for three years, has re
signed his position, effective No
vember 30, and, after a month’s
vacation, will resume the duties
from which he has been on leave
since December, 1942.
,;On January 1, Dr. Dorton will
again take up his duties as man
ager of the North Carolina State
Fair, Raleigh; president of the
Southern States Fair at Charlotte,
and executive secretary of the
Cleveland County Fair at Shelby.
While most of his activities will
center around Raleigh, he will con
tinue to reside at Shelby.
In recognition of the notable
and nationally recognized job Dr.
Dorton has performed in directing
the activities of the War Man
power Commission, and its right
arm, the U. S. Employment Serv- j
ice, during the three strenuous war
years, his friends and co-workers
in this State and from Washing- '
ton and other points in Region IV
and id the Nation, will give him
a recognition banquet at the Sir
Walter Hotel in Raleigh on the
evening of Friday, November 30,
his last day of service.
Among the guests gathering to
honor Dr. Dorton will be Regional
Director Henry E. Treide anrt
others of the Regional office in ;
Washington, directors of the
agency from other states in Re
gion IV, Virginia, West Virginia,
M»rHand and the District of Co
lumbia. Governor R. Gregg i
Cherry and former Governor J.
M. Broughton, of North Carolina j
and co-workers of the War Man- j
power Commission and U. S. Em- j
oloyment Service throughout !
North Carolina and other friends.
The banquet is to be held under
auspices of the Fellowship Club
of the agency in the State Office
in Raleigh.
“I thoroughly enioved my work
with WMC and USES and I sin
cerely appreciate the fine co-oper
ation and strong support of the
commission’s manpower program
which all North Carolinians, the*
employers, the employees and the
general public, gave to me and
my associates,” said Dr. Dorton.
“Tar Heels generally did a fine job
in complying with and co-operat- ,
ing in WMC directives. I also
want to thank my co-workers
for a fine job well done, and to
commend the USES, under what
ever. authority it may operate; to
the people of North Carolina, as
worthy of their support and con
fidence,” Dr. Dorton Mid.
LONGSHOREMEN GET
WAGE INCREASE
IN MANY PORTS
Mobile, Ale. (SLP) — After
being forced to cell * strike, long,
shoremen in deep sea work in the
ports of Mobile, Pensacola, St.
Joe, Panama City and Gulfport,
obtained an agreement which pro
vides for IS cents an hour in
crease. The new rate is $1.15
straight time, and 1.72 1-2 for
overtime and holidays. Even
this increase leaves the longshore
men in these ports working for
ten cents and hour less than paid
in New Orleans, while Texas ports
pay even more than the New Or
leans rate. Member of the unions
involved decided, however, to ac
cept the 15 cents increase rather
than prolong the strike, and so
voted to accept.
POST COMMANDER AT 18!
Indian Valley, Cal.—-The nation
wide “youngest Legionnaire” con
test has now been superseded by
the “youngest post commander”
competition.
Members of Indian Valley Post
568 of The American Legion here
believe they have a winner.
He is Joe Saizan, 18 years old.
He was nominated, elected and in
stalled as commander of the local
post in exactly three and one-half
minutes. The local post believes
Joe is the youngest post com
mander in the Legion.
Joe enlisted in the Army at the
age of 15 with his parents’ per
mission and served more than two
years in the South and Southwest
Pacific.
Local Meat Cutters
Open Negotiations
With Swift & Co.
Local Union No. 269, Amalga
I mated Meat Cutters and Butcher
Workmen of North America has
submitted a proposal to the Char
: lotte Swift A Company Refinery
asking that their contract be re
opened and calling for an increase
of 15 cents per hour for all em
ployes covered in the bargaining
unit, according to an announce
ment made this week by Repre
sentative T. D. Sutton of the Meat
Cutters, who is to handle the ne
gotiations in co-operation with the
local’s negotiating committee.
Representative Sutton states
that the Charlotte local’s demands
are modest when compared with
the structure of wage rates paid in :
many industries, and are in con- ^
formity with proposed legislation
to raise minimum rates of pay to
65 cents per hour. Also Mr. Sut
ton told The Journal representa- !
tive that the local union’s request
is in line with a plan adopted by
the International union at con
ferences recently held in Chicago
which resulted in notices being
sent to all of the leading packers
of the country setting forth four
new basic proposals, as follows:
1. All minimum rates of pay
shall be increased to guarantee
employes within the bargaining
unit a minimum at $36.00 pay in
each week to be worked in not
more than 40 hours during that
week. /
| 2. All other basic wage rates
in excess of the minimum shall be
increased in proportion to the in*
crease in the minimum rates for
each of the plants within the bar
gaining unit.
3. In addition to the above,
the wage rates of employes
within the bargaining unit em
ployed in the plants at Spokane
and San Francisco shall, where
necessary, have their wage rates
further adjusted to meet the pre
vailing rates paid by slaughtering
and meat packing companies in the
respective areas.
4. All of the above adjustments
shall be effective as of November
1, 1945.
According to Representative
Sutton, these wage demands are
made simultaneously of all other
companies under contract with the
Union and covers, in addition to
27 plants of Armour and Company,
Swift and Company, Cudahy and
Company, Wilson and Company
about three hundred branch
houses of the Big Four Packers
and approximately 500 independent
slaughtering and meat processing
plants located in nearly every one
of the 48 states. More than 100,
000 members of this union are af
fected by these negotiations.
The following statement was is
sued by the Charlotte Meat Cut
ters’ local this week:
“Editor,
“The Charlotte Labor Journal,
“Charlotte, N. C.
“Members of the local union em
! ployed by Swift & Company Re
I finery have this day mailed notice
to the Company requesting that
contract be reopened and an in
crease of fifteen (.15) cents per
hour be granted to all employees
in the bargaining unit.
This demand by the union is
modest within the current struc
ture of wage rates paid in most
industries, and in conformity with
prpposed legislation to raise mini
mum rates to .65 cents per hour.
Present minimum rates for Swift
A Company employees are .50 and
.56 cents per hour. Fifteen cents
per hour increase would bring the
minimum common labor rate to
.65 per hour, and by time worn
index of cost of living would only
provide our members with a bare
subsistence standard of living,
with a purchasing power of only
$14.00 per week compared to 1939
prices.
’’Amalgamated Meat Cutters and
Butcher Workmen of North
America, Local Union No. 269,
Charlotte.”
SUITE LEGION CHIEFS
TO HOLD MEETING IN
INDIANAPOLIS SOON
Indianapolis, Ind.-—The annual
conference of department com*
manders and adjutants of The
American Legion will be held at'
national headquarters here, De
cember 10, 11 and 12. It will bring
to Indianapolis hundred of key
leaders of the Legion. They will
discuss and outline all phases of
Legion activities for 1946. Head
line topics will include Rehabilita
tion, National Defense, American
ism, Child Welfare and Member
ship.
CARPENTERS LOCAL
UNION IS FORMED AT
LOUISVILLE, MISS.
Louisville, Miss. (SLP) — Car
penters employed by D.v L. Fair
Lumber company here have organ
i*ed a local union and filed a peti
tion with the NLRB for an elec
tion. J. C. Barrett, representa
tive of the Carpenters and Joiners
assisted by W. L. Hines, AFL
organizer aided the workers in
the organization of their local
union, and filed the petition for an
election.
CHARTER IS INSTALLED
FOR DURHAM
POLICEMEN’S UNION
Durham, N. C. (SLP) — Local
Union No. 444, State County and
Municipal Employes, is now an
established organization in Dur
ham. This local is made up of
members of the Durham police
force. The charter was installed
last week, officers elected and
committees named to carry on the
business of the organization. A.
E. Brown, AFL organizer, pre
sented the charter and obligated
the officers.
Insurance Features Of State And
Federal Government Confused
Inquiries made recently by field
offices of the Social Security
Board in this region, show that
less than half of the 200 people,
interviewed, knew the difference
between the two insurance plans
under the Social Security Act.
Many of them believed that the
one per cent social security tax,
which a wage earner pays for
Old-Age and Survivors Insurance
would entitle him to -Unemploy
ment Compensation benefits, in
case he should lose his job.
Lone T. Proctor, manager Df the
Charlotte office of the Social Se
curity Board, explained that the
Social Security tax which » paid
by workers and by employers in
business and industry is collected
by the Federal government and
placed in a trust fund from which
Old-Age and Survivors Insurance
| tcnefits are paid. This plan makes
t
it possible for wage earners, dur
ing their working years, to build
up advanced protection for them
selves and for their families. The
benefits are based on the worker’s
own wages in jobs that come under
the law.
Unemployment Compensation —
which is sometimes called job in
surance — is administered by the
State, with Federal aid and co
operation. No wage earner in this
state pays any Unemployment
Compensation tax. Business and
industrial concerns which employ*
eight or more workers, pay all of
the Unemployment Compensation
tax in this State. It is their em
ployees who may receive Unem
ployment benefits when they lose
there jobs.
The purpose of Unemployment
Compensation is to furnish some
income to insured workers, during
periods when they are without
work, until they can got other jobs.
Payments are not equal to the
worker’s regular wages, but they
"Will help tide him over until he
can get back to work.
Men or women, covered by the
law, who have lost their jobs,
should call at the local U. S. Em
ployment Service office, register
for a jobj and file claim for Un
employment Compensation. The
[ Charlotte office is located 500 W.
Trade Street.
Claimants for Old-Age and Sur
vivors Insurance benefits should
| apply at the field office of the So
| cial Security Board, located 122
E. Third Street, Charlotte, N. C.
•( Eight in North Carolina, West ,
Virginia; one in Maryland and
District of Columbia.)