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I ,rd of Mvtac (mr the worker. A Newspaper Dedicated To The Interests of Charlotte Central Labor Union and Affiliated
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* Voli XV; No. 30 Published WeAly , CHARLOTTE, N. ci, THlSsDAY, RECEMBER IS, 1945 ~ ^ Price_
• .. ■ —11
Compulsory Cool-Off
Bill Urged By Truman
Message To Congress
• M-DAY BAN ON STRIKES AND
FACT-FINDING BOARD
OPPOSED BY AFL
Washington, D. C. Taking the
nation by surprise, President Tru
man recommended, in a special
message, that Congress enact leg
islation patterned after the Rail
- way Labor Act to prevent strikes
throughout private industry.
His plan called for a compul
; aery cooling-o ff period of M days,
• during which strikes or lockouts
would be unlawful, whenever the
Secretary of Labor certifies to the
President that a pending dispute
threatens the public interest and
• that collective bargaining and con
ciliation have failed to effect a set
tlement.
The legislation would empower
the President to appoint special
fact-fiinding boards in each case
which would investigate the dis
pute during the cooling-off period
. and make public a report and rec
ommendations within 20 days.
The President's plan was greeted
ccoly by organised labor, but the
-.stock market jumped from 1 to 5
points when it was announced.
AFL President William Green
commented:
In my judgment, the recommen
dations of the President will be
unacceptable to labor. The prin
cipl * *’ ' * the Railway
Lab ray suited to
prii whole."-Tin
plat i finding will
opei usly to both
employers and workers in many
cases. The American Federation
of Labor cannot approve this leg
n.”
President acted almost im
mediately after the end of the
Labor-lfanageratn Conference and
his recommendations reflected the
belief in Administration' circles
that the conference had failed to
produce workable machinery to as
sure industrial peace.
Suggestions similar to those con
tained in the President’s message
had been considered by the labor
and industry delegates, but did not
find favor with them. The oppo
sition was stronger in labor cir
cles than in the management field.
In his message the President
specifically urged that the cooling
off and fact-finding machinery be
applied to such industries as steel,
autos, aviation, mining, oil, util
ities and communications.
While the President emphasized
this list was not intended to be
complete or exclusive he added:
“The general pattern of that
act (Railway Labor Act) is not
applicable, to small industries or
to small local disputes in large
industries.^.The objective should
be to cover by legislation only such
stoppages of work as the Secre
tary of Labor would certify to the
Piesident as vitally affecting the
national public interest.”
The procedure outlined by the
President follows:
After certification of a dispute,
■ -.I ii■ £
(Continued on Page 3)
AFL Hits At
Military Bill
Washington, D. C. — Organized
labor took a firm stand against
universal military training legis
lation.
Heading a group of union
spokeamen sailed to testify at
, hearings on the proposal, Lewis G.
! Hines, legislative representative of
' the American Federation of Labor,
asked the House Military Commit
tee:
“May we in all fairness ask,
preparedness for what? If we
are on the brink of another war,
should we not have the right to
1 demand with whom, when and
where?”
The AFL, Hines told the com
mittee, believed preparedness
should be accomplished through
i more adequate physical care for
the children of the country, suf
i ficient medical service for every
one, “an efficient military intel
ligence system” and and “eternal ,
! vigilance on the part of the State
I Department and the elimination of
a policy of appeasement such as
was followed previous to the at*
, tack made upon us by Japan.” i
i Hines urged that congressional
* action on peacetime training be I
i deferred until after demobilization ;
; of the armed forces and until the j
j completion of treaties and inter
, tional commitments "and the out
! come of efforts to insure world
peace.” f
---
Opens Drive
For Housing
Legislation
Washington, D. C.—The Ameri
can Federation of Labor opened an
all-out campaign before the Sen
ate Banking und Currency Com- !
mittee for prompt adoption of the
Wagner - Ellender - Taft Housing <
Bill.
Main witnesses at the opening
of public hearings were AFL
President William Green and Vice
President Harry C. Bates, head of
the Bricklayers Union and chair- !
man of the AFL^s Housing Com
mittee.
Housing is the core of the na
tion# postwar economy and will
piovtue the very foundation of our
standard of living in the next de
cade, Mr. Green told the commit
tee.
He emphasized that passage of
the Wagner-EUander-Taft bill is
indispensable to the assurance of
full employment in the years to
come.
i “If we fail to launch a compre
hensive attack on postwar housing,
(Continued on Page 2)
Physicians Forum For
Medical Care Measure
New York City.—The Physician*
Forum strongly endorsed estab
lishment of a nation-wide health
and medical care program la sup
ply the medical needs ef all Amsr
leans, thus taking issue with the
American Medical association.
The Physicians Forum is a na
tional organisation of doctors, all
members of thu American Medical
association, who are interested in
the extension of good medical care
to all the people. In a telegram
to President Truman, Dr. Ernests
P. Boas, chairman of the Phy
sicians Forum, said:
“Our membership, composed
largely qf practicing physicians
^ A
throughout the country who belong
to the American Medical associ
ation, most warmly commend you
« your able and comprehensive
message to the Congress on the
stats of the nation’s health. You
haw made a telling presentation
of the many unmet medical needs
of the country, and have rightly
pointed out that the masses of our
eitisens do not earn enough money
to buy adequate medical care.
“We earnestly hope that the
people of the Country, through
their Congress, will take immedi
ate action to improve these condi
tions in accordance with your
worthy proposal.”
Labor "Journal To Publish Christmas
Number December 20th
• _ " 4
The Charlotte Labor Journal will publish a special
Christmas edition on December 20, The iisue will give
the business firm# of Charlotte and North Carolina, and
also some firms from outside the State, ail opportunity
to express their Yuletide greetings to frilhds and cus
tomers in their respective communities, where this
newspaper circulates. Our advertising rwresentatives
have been busy for several weeks making necessary
preparations and soliciting advertising for The Journal’s
holiday number, and if by any mistake you have not been
called upon for an advertisement in this or the New
Yeir’g number a telephone call to 3-3094 4H11 summons
our representative to wait upon you. If y#jpr advertise
ment is received too late for the Chrilsatos paper we
will pl£ce it in the issue of December 27 in the New
Year's greetings. Thank you^—The Edit#.
Pledge Aid To
PostalWorkers
Washington, D. C.—A new and
very effective form of collective
bargaining was instituted by Pres
ident William C. Doherty of the
National Association of Letter
Carriers at a dinner given by the
union in honor of Postmaster Gen
eral Hannegan.
Gathered arpund the festive
board were many leading mem
bers of Congress, including mem
bers of the Senate and House
Post Office' committees which
must pass on legislation affecting
the welfare of postal employes.
Prominent AFL officials, includ
ing President Green, Secretary
Treasurer Meany and several mem
bers of the executive council, also
attended.
And here’s what Happened!
Without any of the union officials
bringing up the subject or even
hinting at it, the Congressional
leaders and Postmaster General
Hannegan, of their own accord,
pledged themselves to support a
new pay bill increasing the sal
aries of all postal workers in or
der to make up for the loss of
overtime and take-home pay.
Chairman Burch of the House
Post Office committee stated flat
ly that his committee “is going to
do something satisfactory about
increasing that take-home pay for
postal workers.” Senator Mead
said, “you can count on me to
help” on higher pay legislation.
Postmaster General Hannegan
chimed in that he “certainly fa
vored whatever legislation Con^
gress may see fit to enact” for
higher pay.”
Washington, D. C.—Approval of
a plan to end jurisdictional dis
putes within its own organization
was announced by the executive
board of the United Association of
Plumbers and Steamfitters of the
United States and Canada.
President Martin . Durkin dis
closed that the proposal, which is
designed to eliminate jurisdictional
rows between steamfitters and
plumbers, will be submitted for fi
nal adoption to the next conven
tion of the United Association in
September, 1946.
Under the tentative agreement,
members of the unioh would be
permitted without bar or restric
tion to perform all work covered
by the union’s jurisdiction, thus
wiping out previous lines of de
marcation between plumbers,
steamfitters and other pipefitters
affiliated with the United associa
tion.
It is further proposed to change
the name of the union to the "Unit
ed Association of Journeymen and
Apprentices of the Plumbing and
Pipe Fitting Industry of the Unit
ed States and Canada.”
“We regard this plan as an op
portunity to strengthen and har
monize our union and wipe out the
root Cause of unnecessary jurisdic
tional disputes,” Mr. Durkin said.
“I am confident that it will be
overwelmingly approved at our
next convention.”
Have you paid your subscription
to The Labor Journal for the new
year? If not send it in today.
BUY
VICTORY
BONDS
WE MADE IT!
f/m&&rutrYQU? \
\
HR VCTORY LOAN QOQU '
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Executive Council Assails
Three Dangerous Measures
WILLIAM GREEN
President of the American Federa-,
tion of Labor, marshalls Labor and j
it* friends against vicious anti
Labor proposals before Congress.
GEORGE MEANY
Secretary-Treasurer of tbe Ameri
can Federation of Labor, warns
America against vague actions of
Russia.
Meany Demands Showdown
With Russia; Also Attacks
Anti-Labor Campaign ffiie
Harrisburg, Pa.—AFL Secre
tary-Treasurer George M e a n y
called upon the American Govern
ment to lay its cards on the table
(with Soviet Russia and make it
elbbr to them that “we do not want
to push them around nor let them
push us around.”
In a challenging address before
the Pennsylvania Council of Public
Employes which presented to him
its annual award “for the individ
ual making the most outstanding
contribution to the welfare of the
workers," Mr. Meany made a fer
vent appeal for international peace
prd for industrial peace here at
home.
“We want peace,” he said, “but
we don’t want peace at the price
of having Commissars giving or
ders at the White House. If the
Russians are sincere in their as
serted desire for peace and world
| co-operation, they ought to wel
come frank and sincere talk along
these lines.
At the same time, Mr. Me^iy
threw down a blunt challenge to
the “forces of reaction” here at
home, whom he accused of a sub
tle campaign to injure the trade
union movement by campaigning
for compulsory anti-labor legisla
tion in the name of industrial
peace.
“The American federation of
Labor is not going to be fooled by
any propaganda on this subject,”
he declared. “We do not propose
to sit still in the face of proposed
legislation that in any way com
pels workers to work for 'even one
minute against their will. We are
not prepared to accept even a lit
tle bit of slavery. We intend to
remain wholly free.”
Mr. Meany did net pull his
punches in discussing the activi
ties of the Communists interna
tionally or domestically. He said:
“The philosophy that raifht
makes right has never, in the past,
brought us permanent peace. His
tory tells us that power political
cannot bring peace. Our own
capacity to remember, even for a
short time back, tells us that peace
cannot be purchased by appease
ment. The time has come for a
real effort to achieve permanent
world peace on the basis—yes, the
only possible basis, of internation
al morality and justice. The en
tire world looks to the United
States of America for moral lead
ership in this effort.
“Our representatives in Wash
ington. must accept this challenge.
To pretend that we do not know
that millions of people in Eastern
Europe are today victims of a dic
tatorial tyranny with all the old
familiar trappings used by Hitler
and his mob would be an act of na
(Continned on Page 3)
• <
Metal Trades
H
Seek Raises
' Wx: *... ■■4^ 4MMMMNMpMpB*eaa*01t ~ «**V • - *-<
Colorado Springs. Colo.—Wage
boosts for the nation’s shipbuild
ers to help them meet the increased
cost of living were demanded by
AFL metal trades leaders here at
the National Shipbuilding Confer
ence.
Representatives of labor, man
agement and government were in
attendance at the meeting, the
first held since 1942 when the Na
tional War Labor Board took wage
reviews in the shipbuilding indus
try.
President John P. Frey of the
AFL Metal Trades Department
said:
“We are going to ask this con
ference to restore to the shipyard
worker .to real wage he had in
1941.”
r rev called on the government
to liVe^up to its pledge to allow
wage increases if the cost of liv
ing went up. He pointed out that
since April 1, 1941, shipyard
workers, wtth the (exception of
those on the Gulf of Mexico,,have
received only a 7.1 percent in
ciease, declaring it was “extra
ordinary that labor has been as
quiet under that condition as it
has been.”
Tr^ht your friend to a year's
subscription to The Charlotte La
bor Journal. The cost is $2.00 per
year and he'll appreciate the gift.
EMERGENCY- MEETING HITS
PENDING BILLS AND URGES
THEIR DEFEAT.
Washington, D. C. — At an
emergency meeting in the na
tion’s capital, the AFL Ex
ecutive Council blasted anti
labor and anti-strike bills
pending before Congress and
mobilized the entire resources
of the American Federation
of Labor to defeat them.
Summoned here by AFL Pres
ident William Green because of
the threatening legislative situa
tion, the Executive Council made
the following measures its chief
targets:
1. The Norton Bill, making
strikes illegal when certified to
the President by the Secretary of
Labor for consideration by fact
finding boards.
2. The Connally - Smith Act
amendments, which would penalise
unions for strikes by depriving
them of their collective bargaining
privileges for a year and making
them liable to damage suits.
3. The Hobbs Bill, which would
cripple efforts of the Teamsters
Union to establish conditions for
the protection of its members in
large cities.
The Executive Council directed
Mr. Green to lead an all-out labor
drive against these bills. It also
called upon all affiliated organtxa
1 tlons ancf all members of the' AFL
to let their representatives in
Congress know immediately that
labor will consider a favorable
vote for these measures a hostile
act.
Mr. Green will open a sweeping
campaign to defeat the Norton bill
with a powerful statement to be
presented at a public hearing of
the House Labor Committee.
This will be followed up by per
sonal interviews by legislative
representatives of AFL unions
with members of Congress and by
a slashing attack on the pending
measures over the AFL’i nation
wide radio programs.
Hearings/on the Norton bill in
the House opened with a two-day
Ir.bqr - management onslaught on
"the legislation which was recom
mended, in the first place, by Pj»s»^ ,
ident Truman.
John L. Lewis, head of the
United Mine Workers Union, was
the first witness. He declared un
equivocally that he wijl fight to
the limit against the proposal be
cause it deprives labor of its ba
sic liberties.
For management, Erie Johnston,
president of the United States
Chamber of Commerce, was the
first to be heard by the House
Labor Committee.
He expressed opposition to the
bill because it would innure free
(Continued on Page 3) *
AFL And House Group
Fight Anti-Strike Bills
Washington, D. C.—Organised 1
labor joined a bi-partisah group of (
liberal Congressmen in an effort to
head off vicious anti-strike legis- :
lation now pending in the House of
Representatives.
A special, but informal meeting
was called by House Rules Com
mittee Chairman Albert J. Sabath
at-which the Congressmen con
sulted with the top leaders of la
bor on ways and means of block
ing passage of hasty and ill-con
sidered legislation proposed by the
antilabor bloc headed by Represen
tative Smith of Virginia.
AFL Preseident William Green
and several other labor leaders ad
dressed the meeting.
Support from two outside
I sources helped to rally, the spirits
of the conferees. Eric Johnson,
president of the United States
Chamber of Commerce, obviously
referring to the pending House
bill, warned in a radio address
against “hasty or ill-conceived”
legislation in the wake of the La
bor-Management conference.
“We must not allow the pres
sures'of this difficult moment to
stampede us into national policies
which we will have cause to regret
and bewail later,” Mr. Johnson
said.
Similarly, in his message to
Congress on. fact-finding, Presi
dent Truman expressed the hope
that Congress “will not adopt re
pressive or coercive measures
against either side.”
Meanwhile, the AFL redoubled
its efforts to defeat the pending
Smith bill and the Hobbs hill by
appealing to all affiliated organi
zations and members to write let
ters to their Congressmen oppos
ing these measures.