JOHN LEWIS IS INVITED BACK INTO A. F. OF L.
?Ehe Charlotte labor Journal
(AND DIXIE PA KM NEWS)
A Newspaper Dedicated To The Interests of Charlotte Central Labor Lnion and Affiliated Crafts—Endorsed By North
Carolina Federation of Labor and Approved By The American Federation of Labor.
VOL. XV; NO. 37
Published Weekly
CHARLOTTE, N. C., THURSDAY. JANUARY 24. 1916
Price 5c Per Copy
Subscription Price $2.00 Per Year
AFL Council Decries Drive For Anti-Strike Measures
AFL Starts Twin Drive For Action To Meet Nation’s Acute Housing Need
Voluntary Arbitration Panel To Meet At Chapel Hill
_ * , -, ! ------ ^
600,000 Miners
Return To AFL At
Miami. Meeting
Special To The Labor Journal:
MIAMI, Fla. Jan. 25.—The ex
ecutive council of the American
Federation of Labor, in winter ses
sion here, today welcomed back
into the AFL John L. Lewis’ pow
erful United Mine Workers Union
of America, which has a member
ship of 600,000. Although not un
expected, the action of the Council
is signiflicaat and comes as wel
come news to all American Federa
tion of Labor affiliates.
Lewis was immediately ghoa a
seat oh the Executive CwtMH?
adds to this body one of America's
greatest labor leaders. John L.
Hutchinson, president of the Inter
national Brotherhood of Carpen
ters and Joiners of America, al
though at odds with Lewis for
many years, was one of the lead
ers on the executive council for
return of the miners’ union to the
AFL ranks.
The miners immediately paid
JOHN L. LEWIS
• __
their per capita tax for January
and reassumed their place on the
Council. This action is the fore
runner of what is hoped to he the
early solidifying of the entire La
bor movement.
Warns Hasty Action May
Make Matters Worse
Miami. — Moving Doldiy to head
off enactment of antistrike legisla
tion, the AFL executive council
advised Congress to take a cool
ing-off period itself before rushing
approval of ill-considered meas
ures which may make matters
worse.
At the same time, the executive
council dispatched telegrams to the
House and Senate Labor Commit
tees urging rejection of the pend
ing fact-finding bill backed by the
administration.
Since this bill, introduced origi-J
nally by Representative Norton
arid Senator Ellender, apparently
enjoys the highest priority for
congressional consideration, the
council listed four cogent and
specific reasons for its defeat.
But fundamentally, tne AFL
leaders expressed objection to all
of 160 pending antilabor bills
which seek to restrict the freedom
of American workers and their
trade unions.
They emphasized that the diffi
culties confronting Congress in
making an inteligent decision on
this flood of proposals has become
aggravated by the clamor and
pressure for Lasty action to deal
with the current strike situation,
precipitated by CIO unions.
“Our nation is passing through
a critical period of postwar read
justment,” the executive council
• declared. “During the war our
national economy was dictated and
rigidly controlled by the govern
ment. Our fundamental objective
now should be to return as quickly
as possible to a free economy.
“The great danger is that Con
gress, in an attempt to mitigate
temporary labor-management dis
putes, may impose permanent
government controls which would
stifle freedom of enterprise for
labor and for management for all
time.”
AFL President William Green
told news men at a press confer
ence that the AFL is calling upon
all its affiliated state and local
subsidiaries to register their op
position to pending antilabor bills
with their representatives in Con
gress.
He indicated that, the present
legislative situation constitutes the
greatest threat to labor’s freedom
in the nation’s history.
Instead of punitive or compul
sory legislation,-Mr. Green called
for a hands-off policy by govern
ment and full opportunity to labor
and industry to settle their differ
ences through free collective bar
gaining and voluntary arbitration.
The executive council also
stressed the same note when it
warned Congress to “beware of
throwing the American way of life
into reverse gear.”
The council pointed out that
government regulation of jlabor
management relations is bound to
develop into compulsory arbitra
tion; that the proposed fact-finding
procedure will inevitably become
wage-fixing by the government
and that no government agency
can exercise wage controls without
having to perpetuate price con
trols.
Citing specific reasons for the
defeat of the Norton-EUender Bill,
the council declared the compul
sory cooting-ofT periods provided
in the bill would serve instead to
warm up strike sentiment among
workers.
The council warned the bill
would revive court injunctions
against labor and subject workers
to the hated doctrine of conspir
acy, under which two or more
workers, acting in concert, ireTor
bidden by law to perform actions
that are held legal for an individ
ual worker.
Finally, the council pointed to
the example of the General Motors
(Continued on Page 3)
Green Calls
Central Bodies
800 Cities For
Leading Part
Washington, D. C.—A double
barreled drive to arouse pubiic
opinion for action to deal with the
immediate housing emergency and
for enactment of the Wagner-El
lendcr-Taft bill to meet the na
tion’s long-range housing needs
was annonced by AFL President
William Green.
Mr. Green called upon AFL Cen
tral Labor Unions in 800 cities
throughout the country to take the
lead in organizing community cam
paigns for prompt construction cf
new homes to meet the acute
ter housing is the most vital step
in America's mobilization for
peace and recovery,” Mr. Green
said. »
His_ action followed a White
House conference with Federal
Housing Expediter Wilson Wyatt,
at which Mr. Green was accom
panied by the AFL Housing Com
mittee.
“The American Federation of
Labor stands ready to cooperate
fully with Mr. Wyatt in the emer
geifey program to meet the hous
ing crisis which affects almost
every American community to
day,” Mr. Green said after the
meeting. “We will support every
Round measure to make the gov
ernment program effective.
Foremost in labor’s objectives
in its fight to prevent the present
housing shortage from developing
a chronic, malignant disease is
quick Congressional enactment of
the Wagner-Ellender-Taft bill, S.
1592. It is the duty of every
unionist and every responsible cit
izen to raise his voice and call
upon Congress for urgent action
on this vital legislation.
“The American Federation of
Labor calls upon its Central Un
ions in more than 800 communities
throughout the United States to
form local labor housing commit-1
tees. It will be the responsibility I
of these committees to work close |
ly with mayors and other munici-ji
pal authorities in making known!
the housing needs of the commun- i
ity *nd devising methods for meet- j
ing them promptly, soundly and
effectively.
“Local AFL Housing Commit
tees, guided by the National Hous
ing Committee of the AFL will
launch a nationwide mobilization
of labor and citizen cooperation to
meet the housing emergency.”
The AFL Presents..
“AMERICA UNITED"
At 1:15 P.M., EWT. Over NBC
L/aie
Jan. 27
Fet. 3
Feb. 10
\
Topic
America's Housing Emergency
N’edd for Health Insurance
f
Long-Range Home Plans
Panel Members
Boris Shishkin, AFL
Wilson Wyatt, Housing Expediter.
F. S. Fitzpatrick, U. S. Chamber of Commerce
Nelson Cruikshank, AFL
Senator Pepper, of Florida
Russell Smith, National Farmer* Union
Boris Shishkin, AFL
Senator Wagner, of New York
Russell Smith, National Farmers Union
Presides Over Historic Meeting
.. .t i _____ _
WILLIAM GREEN
Text of Council Statement
Miami.^— Congress needs a cool
ing-off period right now much
more urgently than labor.
At this moment our lawmakers
are faced with consideration of
seme 100 hills aimed at impairing
or restricting the freedom of the
nation's workers and the unions
which represent them.
The difficulties of making an
intelligent decision on these com
plicated and catch-as-catch-can
proposals are further aggravated
by the clamor and pressure for
hasty action to deal with the cur
rent strike situation.
Under these circumstances, the
executive council is convinced that
any law Congress could pass now
would only make matters worse.
Our nation is passing through a
critical period of postwar readjust-;
ment. During the war our national
economy was dictated and rigidly
controlled hy the government. Our
fundamental objective now should
be to return as qoickly as possible
to a free economy.
The great danger is that Con
gress, in an’ attempt to mitigate
temporary labor-management dis
putes, may impose permanent gov
ernment controls which would stifle
freedom of enterprise for labor
and for management for all time.
The executive council urged Con
gress to beware of throwing the
American way of life into reverse
gear.
Is it conceivable that Congress
can pass a law regulating labor
management relations without sub
stituting compulsory arbitration
by government agencies for free
collective bargaining?
Can Congress attempt to estab
lish a national wage policy with
out imprisoning the national econ
omy in the chains ot government
wage-fixing from which we hoped
(See Page 4, Column 4)
Will Discuss Techniques For
Settling Labor Disputes
Members of North Carolina's
new Voluntary Arbitration Panel
will meet at Chapel Hill Saturday
January 2(>, to discuss development
of uniform techniques for settle
ment of labor-management dis
putes under the Voluntary Arbi
tration Act. The meeting, called
by State Labor Commissioner For
rest H. Shuford, who is adminis
trator of the Act, will te held in
the Carolina Inn.
The Voluntary Act was passed
in the l!»45 session of the General
Assembly for the purpose of ar
bitrating labor disputes which
have failed to be settled by media
tion and conciliation. The ten
members of the Panel were ap
pointed by Commissioner Shuford
TKhel member* schedtHed to
-toad are as follows:
John W. Darden of Plymouth,
field Representatives of the State
Paroles Commission; Capus Way*
nick of Raleigh, director of the
Venereal Disease Education Insti
tute; Dr. J. J. Spongier of Dur
ham, of the Duke University eco
nomics faculty; Dr. Harry D. Wolf
and Prof. R. J. M. Hobbs of Chap
el Hill, both of the U. N. C. econo
nomics department; Dr. Albert S.
Keister of Greensboro, of the eco
nomics department at the Wo
man's College of U. N. C.; Dr.
Raymond Jenkins of .Salisbury,
Dean of Catawba College, Fran
cis O. Clarkson, Charlotte attor
ney; Dr. George D. Heaton, of
Charlotte, minister at the Myers
PaPrli Baptist Church: and W. ft.
F. Millar, Waynesville attorney.
t>ean M. T. Van Hecke of the
law department, and
firme?"lMrector of the Regional
War Labor Board, will appear at
the meeting in an advisory ca
pacity.
Housewives Urged To Give Support
To Maintenance Of Price Control
Washington, D. C.—An effective j
appeal to American housewives to
back up continued price control to j
protect themselves against inflated
prices for food, clothing and house
hold goods is pubished in the cUr
rent issue of the Journeymen J
Plumbers and Steam Fitters Jour- |
nal.
The article suggests that Con- |
gress consult housewives before j
deciding to end price controls by
June 30.
Although prices are, unquestion
ably high now, they still have not
reached the fantastic pinnacles
that were attained after World
War No. 1, when there was no
such government regulation to pro
tect consumers.
“The housewives of America,’’
the article says “are sensible
enough to know that abolishing
price control before the produc
tion of goods and services ap
proaches peacetime requirements
can mean only inflation.
“She must also realize that if
she sits idly by and permits ths
people who believe they will ben
efit from inflation to bulldoze the
politicians — then inflation will
come.
“She must watch the man and
women who represent her in Con
gress and let them know that
price control must be maintained
despite the organized minorities
who believe in the ‘public ba
damned.’ The responsibility lies
with the people who know what is
happening to prices — the house
wives of America.”
Ohio Labor Fights Unfair Rulings
in Jobless Compensation Law
Columbus, O.—A three-pronged
drive to eliminate unfair disquali
fications in the Ohio Unemploy>
ment Compensation law was
launched by Phil Hannah, secre
tary-treasurer of the Ohio State
Federation of Labor.
He telegraphed a demand for an
investigation to Chairman Arthur
J. Altmeyer, of the Social Securi
ty Board, declaring that thousands
of Ohio workers and their families
are suffering needless hardships j
because of technicalities in the law.
Then Mr. Hannah called upon
1 Director Robert Goodwin of the
U. S. Employment Service to use
his good offices for the elimina
tion of the double-standard sys
tem which discriminates against
applicants for unemployment
compensation in Ohio.
Finally, he appealed to Gover
nor Lausche of Ohio to correct the
situation.
Mr. Hannah explained in a letter
to the governor that wide injus
tices are resuting from the fail
■ ure of the Ohio General Assembly
to write into the law a definition of
“suitable work." As a result, he
•ad, many skilled and highly
trained workmen who have lost
their jobs are refused compensa
tion when they reject referrals for
low-paid, unskilled jobs, such as
dish-washing. He added: ,
“The refusal of benefits plus the
ever-rising cost of living are work
ing severe but unnecessary hard
ships on Ohio workers.
“With almost a half-billion in
the U. C. Tund, it seems that Ohio
should adopt a more liberal and
sensible policy in the payment of
benefits to temporarily displaced
workers. That is, after all, what
the fund is for. It is not a shrine
at which to worship.
"In view of the desperate plight
of thousands of workers due to the
lack of a ‘suitable work’ definition
and other disqualifications we are
appealing to you as governor to
call a special session of the 96th
General Assembly to remedy the
U. C. law so that it will function
as originally intended.”