Newspapers / The Charlotte Labor Journal … / June 13, 1946, edition 1 / Page 1
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Ctif Cbarlottr labor Journal (AND DIXIE FARM NEWS) A Newspaper Dedicated To The Interests of Charlotte Central Labor Union and Affiliated Crafts—Endorsed By North ""Carolina Federation of Labor and Approved By The American, Federation of Labor. VOL. XVI; NO. 5 CHARLOTTE, N. C., THUR DAY, JUNE 13. 1916 Subscription Price $2.00 Per Year Chief Enatite Apia Uriel k Exhausthe l#qirtry lirto The Cam tf Lakor-MMspaint dattot-WWe Disputes. Washington, D. C. — Pm 'Truman vetoed the obnoxious bill, toning Congress bluntly that it would not stop strikes, but |gv mote increased industrial strife. Instead, the President urged that Congress should authorise a Joint Senate-House investigation into the causes of labor disputes and to formulate remedial legislation af ter an exhaustive six-months stuay. AFL President William Green immediately hailed the President’s message as bearing out the conten tions made by organised labor against the bill. Congress promptly sustained the veto. The vote in the House was 135 to uphold and 255 to override, less than the two-thirds required to enact a law over the President’s veto. Thus the Case Bill is a dead duck for the time being at least. It was not expected that Congress again would attempt to pass anti-labor legislation without first conducting the inquiry urged by the Presi dent. Although his language was po lite and temperate, the President n.ade it clear in his veto message that he considered the Case Bill a hodge-podge of ill-considered and unrelated provisions hurriedly wrapped together into an unwield ly and unworkable legislative pack age. His main argument was summed up as follows: “In the determination of th« question of whether or not the gieat majority of our citisens will be benefited by this bill, the ques tion presented is whether H will help to stop strikes and work stoppages and prevent other prac tices which adversely affact our economy. “I have reached the conclusion that it will not.” v In another telling attack against the Case Bill, the President said: “One of the factors to be gonsid jKttUiB i«dgi|UE.this bill »* si£;>*r shortened the strikes which have so seriously damaged our economy these last few months. Judged sole ly from this standpoint, I am sure a fairminded man would have to admit it would have failed com pletely.” The President reminded Con gress that his predecessor, Frank lin D. Roosevelt, in vetoing the or not it would Smith-Connally Act (which wu re enacted over the Presidential veto), varned Congress that its cooling off and strike vote provisions would not lessen, but promote, in dustrial strife. “That prediction was fully borne out by subsequent events," Mr. Tru* man said. “It is my belief that a similar result would follow appro val of this bill.” In a detailed, section-by-section analysis of the bill, the President said that the compulsory cooling off period of 60 to 65 days might encourage “quickie” strikes. He also charged the penalties against labor were far more severe than against management. He insisted that the first three sections of the bill “fail to provide a satisfactory method of coping with labor-man agement disputes which confront the nation.” The President also assailed Sec tion 4, which sets up an independent ! Federal Mediation Board, as cre j r.ting a separate Department of | Labor with no responsible heao. ! This he termed a “backward step." I His same objections covered the , following two sections. Going on to Section 7, the Pres ident said that Congress in mak ' ing labor unions subject to pros I ecution under the Federal Anti racketeering Act, had eliminated ! the provison that the law should ! not be construed as impairing or diminishing the legal right of la | bor to strike and picket peacefully. He said this safeguard should be restored. The President then challenged Section 8, which would make it a crime for an employer to contri bute to health and welfare funds solely administered by the union. He said he deemed it “inadvisable” to remove such a question “from the scope of collective bargaining.” I He alee questioned the advisabil ity of Section 9, which denied to foremen the right to join unions of their own choice. He , ajjiailq^Jgcction 10, wskiMt onions liable for damages in court suits, because it largely repeals the Norris-LaGuardia Act. The President questioned the jus tice of Section 11, which attempt to ban secondary boycotts and jur isdictional disputes by making un ions subject to prosecution and in- J junctions under the anti-trust laws. ! He concluded by saying Sections 12 to 14 were unobjectionable. Tut of Veto Message Washington, D. C.—The text of President Truman’s message to Congress explaining why he vetoed , the Case Bill follows: I am returning herewith, with out my approval, H. R. 4908, en titled “An Act to Provide Addi tional Facilities for the Mediation of Labor Disputes, and for Other Purposes.” The outstanding domestic prob lem confronting this country to day is the maintenance and in crease of production. We must have production, or the effects of ruinous inflation will be felt by every one of our citizens. Strikes and lockouts are the greatest hand icaps to attaining vital production. Inasmuch as the solution of our present-day labor problems consti tutes the key to production, this present bill must be judged in the bght of whether it will assist in reducing labor strife in the nation. I have given careful study to the bill. I have not considered it from the standpoint of whether it fa vors or harms labor, or whether it favors or harms management. I have considered it from the stand point of whether or not it benefits the public, which includes both management and labor. In the determination of the question of whether or not tne great majority of our citizens will be benefited by this bill, the ques tion presented is whether it wll help to stop strikes and work stop pages and prevent other practices which adversely affect our econ omy. ' I have reached the conclusion that it will not. I have tried, as the representa tive of all the people of our nation, to approach this problem objec tively, free from the emotional strains of the times, and free from every consideration except the wel fare of the nation and of the world which is so dependent upon our recovery to a full peacetime economy. This bill was undoubtedly pass ed by the members of the Con gress in the sincere belief that it would remedy certain existing con ditions which cause labor strife and produce domestic turmoil. I cannot agree with the Congress with reference to the results that would be achieved by it. I trust that there will be no con fusion in the minds of the mem bers of the Congress or in the minds of the public between this bill and my request on May 25 for emergency legislation. At that time I requested tem porary legislation to be effective only for a period of six months after the termination of hostilities, and applicable only to those few industries which had been taken over by the Government and fn which the President by proclama tion declared that an emergency had arisen which affected the en tire economy of the country. It was limited to strikes against the Government. It did not apply to strikes against private employ er*. Such emergency legislation is before the Congress, and I again make the request that it be passed. H. E. 4908 is utterly different from my proposal of May 35, in kind and in degree. Its range is broad, dealing with a wide variety of subjects, some of which are wholly unrelated to the subject of settling or preventing strikes. It covers strikes against private em ployers. It is permanent legisla tion, operative even after the re conversion period is entirely over. And it applies not to a few se lected and vital industries, but to every dispute, no matter how in significant, if the dispute affects interstate commerce. At the same time. May 25,1 also requested permanent legist a t i o n (Please Tarn to Page 2) Earle R. Britton Arrives In Charlotte To Open AFL Membership Campaign Nineteen New Members ! Are Taken Into AFGE The meeting of the American Federation of Government Em ploy**, held at the Chamber of Commerce assembly hall Wed nesday night was largely at tended, despite inclement wreath er, and President E. M. Belch reports that 19 new members were initiated into the lodge. frsentative A. E. Brown State Federation of La i present to assist in the lies and delivered a talk, the Charlotte AFGE lo affiliate with the State body. The union voted to affili ate and will send its quota o> delegates to the meeting to be held in High Point in August. Other talks were made by vis Mag labor representatives and tbr regular business of the lodge was disposed of in orderly fash ion. . The new officers or the AFGfc are: President, E. M. Belch: -Vice President, J. Wylie Poole; Vice President. Mrs. Margaret Elrod: Vice President, Manning J. I)eu yer; Secretary-Treasurer. C. E. Knight; Recording Secretary. Mrs. Edna Knight; Sergeant-At Arms, Hubert C. l inker. Recently a branch of this lo cal was set np for Negro gov ernment workers, who will have their own officer- and meeting dates. The new Negro lodge is known as Lodge 19.VA and a meeting will be held next Tues day night in Bethlehem Com munity Center. Many members are already enrolled. It is ex pected that 30# will have joined before long. Central Labor Union Notes The Charlotte AFL Labor Tem ple is buzzing with activity these days and the meeting of the Cen tral body was largely attended Thursday right and the oratory during debates over various mat ters was excellent. Many were in talkative moods and many con structive matters were disposed of in quick order. President Thomas was up on the laws governing parliamentary procedure and asked the delegates to adhere strictly to the rules in order that business matters would not get tangled up in too much debate. Delegates reports were heard at ."gl1 . ■' the proper time and a resolution was passed asking President C. A. Fink of the North Carolina Fed eration of Labor to name a dele gate to sit on a new governmental board here which has to do with “rationing” out building supplies, materials, etc., in new construc tion work. Gayle Barker, president of tne Raleigh Central Labor Union, was present and talked about the Wel fare of Human Rights program. Thursday night, June 20, new of ficers for the coming year will be nominated and the election will be held on the following Thursday night,' June 27 SWEEPING THIS WAY By I. I. THOMAS. President Charlotte Central Labor Union May I come in and have a short visit with you and talk to you about a very important matter which we are facing today? This is my first visit and I hope this visit will be of some benefit to you. Friends. I am thinking today that a revival spirit for the AFL has come to us down through the South an dthat the time is at hand for the AFL to gather in the har vest. The fields are ready to har vest. but in years gone by the la borers have been few, compara tively speaking. Why? We have just a large per centage of card carriers who have come into the fold to receive some special bene fit for a while, and many of these driters have never really become unionised. We are partly to blame for them not getting established in our various organizations. To have a real labor revival we must have something more than card holders. What do you think? Think this over and remember your obligation. 1 am sure you will get under the burden and help to do your part in this great task of organizing the unorganized ( workers in our midst. We must organize the entire South into the AFL. It can be done—and it will be done if you do your part in this great task. Don’t let the AFL down. If you do you will suffer down the road soon. You may say, “How can 1 help?” The answsr is start a new membership program in your lo cal union. Talk unionism to everybody you come in contact with, Attend every labor meet ing you hear about and help every organizer who comes into this field to make contacts with people whom we desire to interest in the AFL movement. I had the privilege to attend one of the greatest gatherings of the AFL delegates from at least 12 Southern States recently. They represented practically every craft. i nthe catalog. The reason forj this huge meeting was to lay pians to bring into the AFL fold every laboring person throughout the South. I feel quite suie we will do our pcirt. This 1940 will make history in the records for the AFL. If I have struck one note today to j cause you to take advantage of this wonderful task, I am thank ful. CARPENTERS ARE WINNERS JOBLESS PAY SINT BATTLE Philadelphia.—The AFL United Carpenters and Joiners won a two year battle when the State Su perior court ruled that an unem ployed union man does not forfeit his right to unemployment com pensation if he refuses to take a nonunion job that would cause his expulsion from his union. This decision was considered a major victory for the principles of organized labor. John Seifing, member of the union for 34 years, was offered a job at the Shipbuilding and Dry dock Co., Chester, Feb. 21, 1944. He declined on grounds that It was not a union shop and that the job paid only $ 1.01 1-2 to $1.20 an hour at> against the union minimum scale of $1.68 an hour. Further more, he said he was informed by the union that if he accepted the work he would be suspended or expelled. When the Bureau of Unemploy ment Compensation cut him off the unemployment compensation rolls, he appealed to the Unemployment Compensation Board of Review, ( which reversed the decision. This opinion was upheld by the Superior court, which ruled that a union's by-laws “must be more than writ ten threats—that without the right to enforce its by-laws, a union would be a pallid, impotent entity, its by-laws fustian and its objec tives unrealizable.” THREE AFL LOCALS GIVEN RAISE BY METALS FIRM Philadelphia, Pa.—An announce ment has been made of a general 15-cents-an-hour increase for 1,200 production and maintenance em ployes which became effective on June 3, by the United States gauge division of American Machine and Metals, Inc., Sellersville. The agreement was favored by three American Federation of La bor locals which have union con tracts with the company. On ac count of changing economic con ditions and due to the fact that the existing agreement runa to Sep tember 21, “the principals have mutually agreed that the upward adjustment of wages should be made at this time in order to cor rect inequities” caused by present economic changes, the announce ment said. trumaiTnames VINSON CHIEF JUSTICE OF U. S. Washington, D. C.—Fred M. Vin son, 56-year-old Treasury Secre tary, was appointed Chief Justice of the United States by President Truman. The nomination was a surprise to members of the Sen ate, but was received with favor able comment. At the same time the President announced appointment of John W. Snyder of Missouri, 49-year cld reconversion director ajid a close friend of Mr. Truman for many years, as Treasury Secretary and John L. Sullivan, 46. of New Hampshire, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air, to be Undersec retary of the Navy, It was generally conceded • the Senate would confirm the nomina tion of Mr. Vinson quickly. Make an all-out effort to assist Director Earle R. Britton to or ganise the unorganised in the two Carolines. He needs year support. AFL DIRECTOR FOR NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA EARLE R. BRITTON F. J. PRATT EMPHASIZES THE VALUE OF UNION LABELS ANO ALSO CAROS Washington, D. C.—Importance of the union label was emphasised in a statement by Foster J. Pratt, president of tbs International Fed eration of Technical Engineers, Architects and Draftsmen's Unions AFL). He said: “In order to continuously tm prove American laUir standard's, met tbers of each union should re ciprocate with members of other unions that have adopted union labels, shop cards or service but tons. Our union label is displayed on drawings produced under union conditions and is used on con tracts w:ith engineering, architec tural, manufacturing, shipbuilding, contracting and all other firths which employ technical men. “We are proud to be affiliated with Union Label Trades Depart ment of the AFL because, through co-operative action, we shall be able to maintain the high stand ards whiph we obtain through col lective bargaining." LABOR UNIONS HELPING VETERANS TO FIND JOBS Washington, D. C.—The United States Employment Service an nounced that labor unions are do ing a great job in helping to find employment for war veterans. The Service stated that in hundreds of communities the unions have either launched campaigns on their own to locate jobs for “vets” or have joined with other employer organ izations or civic groups to find available employment. At Salinas, Calif., the Central Labor Union ran newspaper “ads” soliciting jobs for demobilised ser vicemen. CAPITAL 6AS UGHTCO. TO BRANT AFL UNIONS RAISE Washington, N. C.—The Wash ington Gas Light Co., and employe members of two unions have sign ed a new wage agreement whicn provides an 18-cent hourly increase in wages. Also provided is a 10 cent-an-hour premium for employ es working on regular Sunday schedules. Representative unions in the con tract negotiations, concluded by a three-man arbitration panel, were Local 63, International Chemical Workers, and Local 2, Office Em ployes Union, both AFL. Plans arc about complete at the new offices of the Ameri can Federation of Labor Char lotte headquarters for the planned Federation Carolinas membership drive which was authorized at the recent Third Biennial Conference meeting in Asheville. The new offices are located in the Labor Temple at I 317 1-2 North Tryon street and i will serve the two Carolinas in the organizational activities of all affiliated AFL unions. Many of the organizers on the staff of the A. F. of L. will work j cut of the Charlotte office, “ev eral have reported the past week. Miss Josephine Gillis and Brother Alva Kemp are now assisting Rep resentative A. E. Brown of the North Carolina Federation of La bor in this area. Both of these oiganizers are on the A. F. of L. staff. Earle R. Britton of Columbia, S. C., has been placed in charge of the Charlotte office. Brother I Britton is president of the South { Carolina Federation of Labor and for many years he has been a lead* ing figure In organized labor in that State. For thirteen years he | was president of the City Feder | otion of Trades in Columbia, S. C. j Jj June, 1944, he was elected president of the South Carolina I Federation of Labor. For many years prior to this he was chair ! n an of the Legislative committee of the S. C. Stnte Federation. In i this capacity he appeared before ; many committees of the South : Carolina General Assembly, sup porting legislation in the interest of the workers or opposing pro posals that were detrimental to labor. President. Britton has served on many State-wide committees, des ignated either by the General As st mbly or by the Governors at on© time or another. These State wide committees included the “Committee of Nine” in 1939, headed by Mr. Angus E. Bird, i which conducted an exhaustive I study of the State governmental . structure and State ^natural re sources, with a view of attracting new industries to South Carolina. Another committee on which he. served was that which in 1941 i conducted the study of the State’s unemployment compensation Taw. He was one of the original advo cates of the es tain tsn men; of workmen’s compensation in South Carolina and served on the labor management committee that drew up the present Workmen’s Com pensation Law now on the law books of the state. r.arie Britton is a veteran or World War I, a member of Rich* Isnd Post No. 6 of the American Legion, a past vice-commander of that post. He is a member of the Forty and Eight, Voiture Locale No. 102S, and is a Grand Chef de Train Passe of the State body. Brother Britton was for twen ty-six years mechanical superin tendent of The Columbia Record. Recently he was with the United States Employment Service in South Carolina, serving out of the administrative office as a field supervisor. He is an active mem ber of the International Typo graphical Union, with continuoua membership for thirty-eight years. Also he is a member of the Inter national Machinists association and the American Federation of Government Employes. Claude L. Albea was installed as president of Charlotte Typograph ical Union at the regluar June meeting. O. H. Burgess was seat ed as secretary, with H. L. Beatty recording secretary sad H. B. Alexander, sergeant-at-arms.
The Charlotte Labor Journal and Dixie Farm News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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June 13, 1946, edition 1
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