Newspapers / The Charlotte Labor Journal … / Feb. 28, 1946, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Charlotte Labor Journal and Dixie Farm News (Charlotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
labor Journal (AND DIXIE FARM NEWS) A The Interests of Charlotte Central Labor Union and Affiliated Crafts—Endorsed By North Federation of Labor and Approved By The American Federation of Labor. VOL. XV; NO. 42 Published Weekly CHARLOTTE, N. C., THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 28. 1916 -- n.—■ - .. i —-i Price oc Per Copy Subscription Price $-.00 Per Year Case Anti-Labor Measure Headed For U. S. Senate Graveyard “Boom And Bust” Economy Fought By Organized Labor, Shishkin Says Washington, D. C.— Organized labor is working to prevent an economy of "boom and bust,” Bo ris Shishkin, AFL economist told the National Commission on Chil dren in Wartime,. He said: “What labor is asking for is full employment at decent wages and ( table prices so that they can have homes, good diets, education for their children, and good health for the whole family. “In the solution of today’s con flicts, there are two things we can do: We can fight for price con trol, which means fighting for a future standard of living that is decent and adequate for families. We can fight for jobs under a pro gram of full employment. That is part of the same fight for a de cent living for families. “The labor movement is differ ent from the labor movement of 10 years ago. We are engaging in vigorous community action for these objectives, and for joint ac tion with other citisaas in com-! inanities. We are working for federal legislation for these ob jectives and collaborating with other citizens’ organisations. The American Federation of Labor is working with 33 citizen organiza tions for a housing program right now that will bring homes and home-ownership within reach of all families. “The challenge eC|«<«3 > great er than the challenge of war. If we don’t set np a mechanism to plan for the protection of children, for whom that future is mainly built, we will have lost the peace. “The American Federation of Labor believes this national com mission is one of the most useful mechanisms for effective plan ning for children. It must go on.” To Reduce 1.040 Generals The War Department has an nounced that it will reduce the number of Army generals from a peak of 1,540 to 500 by next July. Labor Backs Another War Trade Unions Co-operate With American Social Hygiene Asso ciation In Mobilising Community Forces To Combat VD. . By Percy Shostac. Cmsultant on Industrial Co-oper ation, American Social Hygiene 1 Association The annual observance of Na- j tional Social Hygiene Day, set by! the American Social Hygiene As sociation for February 6, 1946, fo cuses attention on the growing en 'istment by labor in the war igainst VD. Throughout Febru ary in cities and towns in every tate of the union meetings will ’•>e held, in many of which trade union groups will participate, to review past gains and to plan fu ure attacks on the venereal dis i eases and the factors making for I their spread. Danger Signals As of September, 1945, the an nual venereal disease rate among our occupation forces in Europe increased by 200 per cent over 1944. In October, the over-all an nual VD rate among army person nel in tbs i—linmtal U. S, A- bad similarly increased by more than 200 per cent since 1943. The Ve nereal Disease Control Division of the New York State Health De partment records an “alarming” 80 per cent rise in reported cases of early syphilis in northern New York. The venereal diseases are al ready epidemic in many of the war-torn areas of the world, and threaten to become so in the United States. Even in Scandinavia and in the territory of the Soviet , Union which was occupied by the j (Please Turn to Page 3) Board Proposes Wider Social Insurance Laws Washington, D. C.—In its tenth ] annual report to Congress, the' Social Security Board outlined an over-all social insurance program of vital interest to workers and their families. The board’s major recommenda tions may be summarised as fol lows: Old-Age and Survivors Insurance The board has recommended an increase in benefit amounts under this program, particularly for low paid workers. It has suggested that women workers become eligi ble for retirement benefits at 60, instead of 66 as the law now reads. Elderly workers would be per mitted to earn up to $30 a month without forfeiting their okl-age benefits. 1 he present limit is $14.99. The program would be ex tended to cover farm, domestic, and public workers, employes of non-profit organisations and self employed persona, including farm lieves that unemployment insur ance can best be administered as part of an over-all national insur ance system and not, as at yes ent, under 48 different state laws. However, given the present fed eral-state system* the board would impose stricter requirements on ■tats unemployment insurance lams. These requirements would include extending unemployment insurance to cover as many out side groups as possible. On the basis of past earnings, workers would receive a maximum of at least $25 a week for 26 weeks, if they should be out of work that long. No state would be able to cancel or reduce a worker’s bene fits if he left his job without good cause, or were discharged for mis conduct, or if he refused to accept a suitable job while unemployed. The maximum penalty recommend ed by the board would be a post ponement of his benefits for 4 weeks. A worker would' not be disqualified from receiving unem ployment insurance benefits if he quit or refused work for good per sonal reasons. Such standards as these would help correct many of the inequali ties that now exist under the 48 widely varying state unemploy ment insurance systems. Disability and Health Insurance .Two major threats to n work -jsrVeconomic security still receive -go protection under the present Security system- The Social ^Security Board has asked Congress to cover these two risks: sickness and disability. What would this new kind of insurance mean to a worker if he became sick? He and his family would receive cash benefits to make up a portion of his lost wages. If he should become per manently disabled and no Imager to Page 4) LET'S GET TOGETHER FOR THE REAL FIGHT Couriery Appreciate America. Inc. BROWNLOW. ROWWAN IN METAL TRADES POSTS Washington, D. C.—Two changes in the official family of the AFL Metal Trades Department were announced by President John P. Frey, after the department’s ex ecutive council had given the nec essary authority. James A. Brownlow veteran Col orado labor leader, who had been serving as assistant president since last August, was shifted to the post of secretary-treasurer. He succeeds James J. McEntee, who resigned to return to the staff of the Machinists Union. Meanwhile, the post of assist ant president of the department went to Edward B. Rowan, inter national representative of the Boilermakers, who had previously served for a year and a half as a labor member of the WLB’s Ship building Commission. Central Labor Union Notes This week's meeting of Central I.abor Union was called to order, Thursday night at 7:30 o’clock in the Labor Temple, 317 1-2 North Tryon street by President J. J. Thomas with a nice attendance by delegates from the various affili ated unions present. The min utes of the previous meeting were read by Sec retary Harris. Busi ness was gone through with pre cision and splendid reports were presented by delegates. The board of trustees was giv en the go-ahead order to have a light placed over the stairs of the Labor Temple with a three way switch with which to operate same, and were also authorized to I OtlcUI 1Uv7 Pho*o i WAftS. Ocmdr. Joy YICTOBT MEDAL WPOtES KESEXTI Df TWO , - Bright Hineocfc. Yeoman first dam la World War I. jpelaMam to •«♦*] nurttes. Virginia woman learned to fly In England. lS* Impend kffled la ZR-1 crash In bglaod, moond died In Shenandoah crack up. Stilly •arrtog faithfully, rim hopes all *»■*«"« will bmmna greater share* balden tat their country by buying Victory Bonds. , . _J U. S. Tnmmirr Dtptrtment Iiave placed in the hall a black board four feet wide by eight feet long for use by both the Central Labor Union and Unions using the Temple as their meeting place. The Open House Committee re ported that Open House Day was observed at the Temple Saturday, February 23, and that a large at tendance was had. Central La tor Union voted to thank several business firms for their co-opera tion in helping to make the oc casion a success. They were Lance, Inc., Swinson Food Prod ucts, Atlantic Brewing Co., and the following florists: Schott*, Roseland, Art Flower Shop and Parks Florist. The meat cutters local reported well attended union meetings with much enthusiasm shown and also reported that their union had voted to give $5 toward the new electric sign for the Labor Tem ple. The building trades reported that they have signed 'several new contracts and also that the mem bership of their unions continues to grow each week. Brother S. F. Blggkwelder of the Poet Office decks reported that the meetings of the Postal workers are largely Attend and also stated that his loial has been informed that Congressman Irwin has been named as a member of the Poet Office committee of Con gress, making the first appoint ment from North Carolina on this important committee v for many years, it'was said. ^ The Plaster Workers reported a wage increase from 91-37 to $1.60 per hoof as haring been consum mated locally. Brother Nolan, business agent of the building trades, and also a trustee, reported that several calls have recently come in for organi sation of unorganised workers and asked the Central Labor Union of ficers to attend to the matter at an early date and Prsqplent Thom (Plcase Tin te Page 4) Bi-Partisan Opposition To Vicious Measure Spells-Eventual Defeat Washington, I). C. The Senate Labor Committee, which has juried many House-approved anti» labor bills in the past, is now dig ging a grave for the Case Bill, the A’or at in history. Leading Senators from both ma jor political parties vied with each other in lambasting the obnoxious Case Dill. Senator Wayne B. Morse called it “an ill-advised hodge-podge of legal prohibitions which will cause more economic disruption than ec onomic stability.” Senator Warren <3. Mngnuson, t expressing strong opposition to the bill, said the Senate Labor Com mittee would have to study it "a long time.” Even Senator Joseph Ball, pro ponent of anti-labor legislation on i his own account, scoffed at the Case Bill and declared j he wasn’t sure there were enough votes to bring any labor regulatory legis lation, the strategy of labor’s en emies will be to get some bill, no matter how mild, out of commit tee and approved by a floor vote. This legislation would An go hack to the House, which might then substitute the Case Bill for the Senate provisions. The legislation would then go to a joint confer ence committee of both houses and there is no telling how bad a bill might finally emerge. The only seenrity for labor against dangerous legislation, therefore, is to defeat any kind of labor bill in the Senate. That is what the American Fed eration of Labor is now aiming to do. It must have the help of all local and state organzations in this campaign. AFL President Wil liam Green urgently calls upon all affiliated organigations to com municate at once with the Senate Labor Committee and Call for the defeat of all anti-labor proposals. Sentiment among the members of the Senate appeared to be in agreement with labor that strikes pani'ot he prevented by anti-labor legislation. Senator Robert A. Taft said: ♦‘The Case Bill says' you can rn* join a strike or union. That.would amount, to putting everybody in jail and allowing every individ ual judge to make the law." Senator J. W'di.ntn Fulbright added. ‘Alt of us have received letters urging rs to t'<> something to stop strikes, when it is perfectly obvi ous to “most of us that Congress can do nothing to stop strikes.’ “In the field of human rela tions,” Senator Lister Hill said, “we must have mutual confidence, understanding and good-will. The minute anyone comes in with a big stick, even though it be the Government of the United States, with the threat of knocking some one on the head, immediately the result is to destroy understanding, confidence and good-will. It then becomes a struggle from which there arise malice, greed, bitter ness, resentment and all the things that undermine the spirit *hat must be present in good labor re lations. ” Both Senators Hill and Ful bright agreed that “compulsion will not work hut will simply in crease the trouble.” They also emphasized that not one leader of industry or labor appearing before Lth* Senate Labor Committee had L (t-couuuendod. that Congrw* should I adopt legislation to end strikes and industry-labor disputes. However, similar views were ex pressed by progressive leaders in the House during the debate on the Case bill, hut they were snowed under in the 197-115 vote by which the bill was passed. The measure requires a 30-day cooling-off period before strikes, gives courts authority to issue in junctions against unions, makes unions liable for damage suits, bans violent picketing, and outlaws most jurisdictional strikes and boycotts. Hines Condemns Fact-Finding Bill And Bail Forced Arbitration Plan Washington, D. C.—Strong con demnation of the pending Ellend er-Norton “fact-finding” bill waa expressed at a hearing before the Seriate Education and Labor Com mittee by Lewis G. Hines, AFL ]< gislative representative. This bill, Hines charged, would practically nullify collective bar gaining and revive the evil of gov ernment by injunction. Hines also sharply criticized the amended Ball-Hatch bill which pro- i vides for compulsory arbitration, j always opposed by the American Federation of Labor as an invasion of the liberties of the nation’* workers. A wiser and more constructive course was recommended by Hines i in the following statement: “I submit to you that labor re lations cannot successfully be con trolled by legislation. Labor re lations are essentially human re lations and must take into con sideration all the factors involved in human relations. Conciliation which we have strongly urged over the years can do more to promote good industrial relations than all the fact-finding commissions that would be appointed. “While we are on the subject of j fact-finding may I suggest to the committee that you engage in a lit-' tie fact-fiinding on your oem ac count. I suggest that you endeav or to discover what the facts an in connection with the strike sit uation throughout the country to day. The records of these facts are available in the Conciliation Service. Why not ask to see these records and get an intimate glimpse of what has been going on during the negotiations between the unions and the employers. Why not ascertain just who is at fault at the present time rather than try to find a panacea for our in dustrial ills through such ill-con ceived legislation as is now before us here in this committee and as has been considered in the House? I think an intimate knowledge of the facts concerning what has ac tually taken place will be reveal ing and may to a large degree help you to steer a proper course in your endeavors to finding a so lution to our labor management problems. “The American Federation of Labor advocates collective bar gaining, real collective bargaining, where both parties make a sincere effort to arrive at an agreement. We advocate that every agree ment shall contain a clause for voluntary arbitration — we have advocated this far years. “We suggest further, and have advocated for a long time, large appropriations for the Conciliation Service in the Department of La bor. We advocate these appro priations in order to expand and strengthen the Conciliation Ser vice so that it may be equipped with technical services so that its mediation facilites may supple Tara to Page I)
The Charlotte Labor Journal and Dixie Farm News (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Feb. 28, 1946, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75